So, my adventures have started….I’m now officially a house sitter and farm girl!
Now, when I say farm I should probably explain, as I actually mean a stunning 4 bed, 2 bathroom country house with luxury interior, including a free standing bath overlooking a large, uncovered window with the best country views, the biggest balcony area I’ve seen in a while, lots and lots of land….oh yeah, and animals!! And I’m looking after it all.
So, some of you may already know from reading this, when I was travelling the Greek Islands, that I am a bit of a self confessed wuss. I’m not really a country bumpkin. I don’t really like creepy crawlies, or flappy things, or anything that scurries or wriggles. I have never really had a run in with a snake bit if ever I did I know I wouldn’t like them either. And here I am, in this stunning countryside, crapping myself! Well, I was yesterday, but have surprised myself this morning…
I arrived here about 4ish and was greeted by the dogs kind of jogging down the drive, half barking, half not sure. I called out and they remembered me. I’ve visited several times as my lovely friends, who I met 4 years ago while working in my first sponsorship role in a rural town, own this beautiful place. Although I’m not a “dog person” I quite like these farm doggies. Apart from the one who always seems to sniff up behind you in places where you’d rather he didn’t!
So, I emptied the car, sorted out the groceries I’d brought with me and went off down to the chicken run and geese. The chickens were quite cute as they were all already out and about near the house and followed me down to the run like little pets. The Geese however, just flapped and squawked and hissed, even though they could see I was going to feed them. Charming! I went inside the chicken house and heard the straw shuffle and caught the last glimpse of a long mouse tail….oh well, I knew they were here, I’d seen them in the dark last time I visited, so at least that experience was out the way, and at least it was in the daylight.
I fed the birds, changed the water, recycling the old water on to the plants before refilling the containers, and collected a little egg from the chooks, as my friends had left very early that morning and hadn’t collected them. I love this bit. I grew up where we had gardens, my Dad has a great big garden and still grows fruit and vegetables, and my Granda had a large garden out the front of his bungalow and grew veggies and show flowers, but we only had goldfish as pets. We had them in bowls and in the pond at Dad’s, and later on we had a gorgeous rescue cat at Mam’s, but never chickens. The novelty of free range, proper fresh eggs, laid by your very own hens is quite exciting to me. I couldn’t have my own though. I couldn’t stand the mice!
I then went back up to the house and fed the dogs. They are hard work as I have to get them all to sit and wait while I dish out their afternoon feed. The visiting dog is a little bugger, she will not wait and you have to tell her 10 times until she gets it. My normal voice doesn’t work with this so I have to adopt an authoritive kind of manly, deep shout. Attractive! The others are pretty good, especially the old girl, she’s lush.
So, that was the animals sorted, I made dinner, watched a movie and the beautiful big tabby cat joined me on the sofa. After I’d fed him, of course. When it was almost dark I had to go back down to the hens and Geese and put them away for the night. This was the part I was dreading. Imagining little eyes peering out of the dark at me, squeaks and shuffles. Mice! Scuttling around, getting too close. But it was all ok. I didn’t see any as I made sure I stomped down there quite loudly in my borrowed wellies. I got all the chickens in, the Geese hissed and flapped and squawked around and I shut the gate. The dogs were there, my loyal new friends for the week, and the Cat. He had meandered down for a nosey, and a stroke, and then followed me back up in to the house. He might be missing when my friends get back – he’ll be in my bag, catnapped!
It really is a stunning house, and I feel really honoured that my friends have asked me to look after the animals and their beautiful home. But to me it is pretty eery on a night, because I’m here by myself. It’s different when there’s a house full and they’re all used to the barks and noises and strange cars going up the side road. To me it’s like a scene out of one of those horror scream movies or something…in the house alone, dark outside, somebody looking in…..but I have 4 dogs, 7 geese, 5 chickens and a huge cat to protect me, right? It still took me ages to settle last night. I went to bed about 11, after “losing” one of the dogs, the sniffy one. I reckon he must have been off tarting about somewhere as he showed up after about 45 minutes looking a bit bedraggled! The cat followed me to bed and curled up next to me, which was of some comfort as I do call him a tiger he’s that big, but it’s moments like these when a girl could do with a big, strong man next to her!! These were the scenarios playing out in my head……There’s barking outside, what’s those strange noises, more barks, there’s someone out there disturbing the dogs…..hmmm, maybe it’s just the mice or rabbits or snakes, or lions, tigers and bears…….oh no they’re barking louder this time, it must be somebody coming….oh they’ve stopped, that’s good…I’ll just get up and have a look….I’ll just leave that outside light on for a bit….and the hallway light, so it looks like somebody is up and about… ah man, now I need to pee, what’s that noise outside the bathroom, maybe I should leave the other outside light on too etc. etc. etc. I did eventually fall asleep, after the cat got comfy by instructing me where he wanted to lie and nibbling my hand and wrist if I was in his way. I woke about 3.30am and lay there, still, just listening. No barking, no strange noises, maybe I had been sleeping with one eye open not really settling, as there didn’t seem to be any reason for waking…..oh hang on, yes there is, a big, fidgety cat scratching to be out for a pee!!!
I was awake again at 5, got up at half past, made a coffee and took some pictures of the glorious sunrise. This is another novelty for me at the moment as I haven’t been out of bed at this time for a long while. It was stunning.
Coffee in hand I wandered down to do my morning chores with the hens and hissing Geese, feeling less scared of the little mice hiding somewhere, and the snakes lying asleep under the sheds. I did the water change, feed, got the dogs under control, and then collected the eggs. And, to my city girl amazement, one was actually still warm. How bloody fresh is that!
A true path follows no plan... 
Recent Comments