2020

0 Sit #104 – Dec 2020

Vanessa and Ian looked after our pets and our menagerie of animals while we went away for 10 days over Christmas 2020.
 
Apart from being delightful, interesting and incredibly capable they are quite simply the perfect house sitters. They cared for our old dog who has specific needs and our young dog who needs plenty of exercise plus our two cats… we had wonderful updates and even a Christmas card from the pets!!!
 
The dogs were totally non-plussed when we arrived home… a small wag of the tail as if we had just popped out to the shops!!! A real sign that they were happy and relaxed!
 
The house was left in an immaculate state for our return… I honestly can’t thank Vanessa and Ian enough and I just hope that they will come back next Christmas!!!

0 Sit #103 – Nov 2020 – Dec 2020 (France Lockdown)

LONG TERM SIT
 
In October 2020 we spent a month in our newly converted campervan on the northern French coast, visiting some fascinating places along the Normandy coast, and then westward into Brittany.
 
Unfortunately at the beginning of November France went back into a second covid lockdown, initially planned to be 4-weeks long, and we had to move quickly to get to our next location.
 
We had very kindly been offered a house to stay in over the winter in the Cote d’Or region of France, in a lovely little village called Painblanc. There were no pets to care for, but we made sure the place stayed warm and secure coming into winter.
 
We really missed having pets around, and were keen for lockdown to end in mid-December, so we could get out and about again!

0 Cancelled sit – Nov 2020

 
Sadly due to the covid lock down this house / pet sit did not happen (and unfortunately in that time I have had a problem with my TH account and have not been able to cancel this stay).
 
Vanessa was very organised, she was clear in her communication when the sudden French lock down made us all stay at home.
 
Talking with Vanessa and Ian on the phone before this happened, I was full of confidence that our pets and home would have been looked after to a very high standard. I do hope they can come at another time.
 
Sending best wishes for safety through this unsettled period.

0 Sit #102 – Sep 2020

REPEAT SIT
 
See sit #99 for our original review.

0 Sit #101 – Sep 2020

REPEAT SIT
 
This was Vanessa and Ian’s third house-sit for us and I couldn’t recommend them highly enough.
 
They are a super nice couple, incredibly professional and have taken the risks of covid seriously.
 
They looked after our house and animals brilliantly. Our dog and 4 cats were all so happy and relaxed when we got back, they did not appear to have missed us! Our 10 weeks old kitten who had obviously had lots of affection and food, given how much he had grown, and Vanessa and Ian were kind enough to take his mum to the vet for her check up appointment.
 
The house was spotless upon our return. They had disinfected all of the surfaces before we got back and it was great to feel so confident coming home that the house was covid clear.
 
It was great to get away and knowing that the animals are safe and well cared for makes that possible.
 
Thank you once again Vanessa and Ian – hope you can come again!

0 Sit #100 – Aug 2020 – Sep 2020

Well as this was their 100th “sit” I rather thought they’d know the ropes.
 
They did.
 
They are as professional as it gets.
 
They responded quickly to my last minute posting (thanks to various Easy Jet cancellations) and actually arrived 2 days early (31st) and bang on time to spend an hour or so being shown around the house, garden and local fields.
 
I was away for 12 days and felt very confident that Guinness was in good and safe hands. We communicated 2/3 times as I had said I didn’t need a daily briefing and all was very ship shape on my return. Guinness looked well and clearly had had more exercise than she was used to!!
 
The house and main living areas ( kitchen and sitting room) looked as they were when I left. Even pots and pans were put back in the right cupboards , something my daily has never achieved! and my tubs and tomato plants were regularly watered.
 
Their bed was stripped, sheets washed and neatly hung out and even the “starter kit” (milk, butter, bread, eggs, orange juice) which I left for them in the fridge hadn’t been touched. (NOTE from Ian and Vanessa: we appreciated the starter pack very much, and used most of it in the first few days. We replaced everything with “fresh” just before we left, so Peter was well stocked on his return.)
 
I hope they will come back next year.

0 Sit #99 – Aug 2020

We feel like we struck gold when we found Vanessa and Ian to look after our animals and house. They are wonderful people and go above and beyond to make sure everyone is happy and well cared for. They are great at communication which is so reassuring if you haven’t used trusted house sitters before.
 
All of our animals seemed very content when we arrived home, the house was spotless, I really couldn’t fault any of this experience.
 
I’m very happy that they will be returning soon to do another sit for us.

0 Sit #98 – Aug 2020

Vanessa and Ian were absolutely fantastic from the start. Communication before the sit was very good and we felt comfortable enough to leave our precious cats in their care without actually meeting Vanessa and Ian in person before the sit.
 
Sparkle and Scampy were looked after with great care and we received daily updates. We returned to very happy cats and a beautifully clean house.
 
We would gladly welcome Vanessa and Ian back for future sits.

0 Sit #97 – Jul 2020 – Aug 2020

Vanessa and Ian were just amazing!
 
A gorgeous couple who just slotted into our home and pets lives and when we came back it was as though we hadn’t been gone for a month. House and garden beyond immaculate!
 
I could not recommend this couple more highly!

0 Lockdown Rental – Mar 2020 – Jul 2020

Cornwall, UK

During the UK’s coronavirus lockdown we rented a lovely little barn which has been converted into very comfortable accommodation close to the coast on the Lizard Peninsula, Cornwall, UK.
 
In early March it was obvious that the UK was going to be locked down, and all our planned house sits in New York, Massachusetts and St Vincent & The Grenadines had already been cancelled, so we had to find a place to settle in as quickly as possible.
 
We spent 3 months in this idylic location, and thoroughly enjoyed being able to wander the cliff-top pathways and explore this unique coastline.