Introducing H1.  I’ve decided, in the interest of confidentiality, to be vague about certain details about my -sits.

H1 is amazing – as you can see by the pic. This is the view from the living room and the dining room – neither of which I use. It’s also the view from one of the spare bedrooms… that I’ve adopted as my sitting room.

I didn’t need a pre-meet here. Homeowners are friends of friends – and I’ve known all of them for decades.  Might well have been an inside scoop as I did message my dear friend explaining my new life and she messaged her circle. A few days later the ask-email arrived. Homeowners are away for almost two months but just a few hours before they emailed I had accepted D1 and the up-coming C1 had been on the calendar for months (neighbour of another good friend). I get to live-in for one full month.

After I take on C1, I have committed to dropping in here a couple of times each week until the homeowners return but even that is self-serving. One day each week I have an early commitment in town and the traffic from C1 to town is ridiculous so I will, with C1’s knowledge, spend the night before at H1. The second drop-in will be a weekend day as my grandson and I usually plan some sort of adventure each weekend and he lives just a few blocks away.

But let’s talk about this house-sit. It’s an acre of garden (park?) in a lovely part of town.  The only request was to hand water three new plants. A family member is supposed to mow the lawn but that person is a busy young person so I’m hoping someone will show me how to operate the ride-’em lawnmower and I’d be a happy camper! As would my grandson!

The home itself is lovely. It’s packed with mementos of their busy lives, children, hobbies, professional lives… but it feels really lived in.  I felt at home immediately.

It is a family home though. Two story, lots of space. I’ve had no inclination to spread out. I have my bedroom, use the bedroom next door as a sitting room because it has a cosy chair and good wifi. Beautiful bathroom across the hall. I had set my “office” up in the dining room but wifi was not reliable so I’m downstairs near the main home office, in what is currently a playroom. I’m right in front a big window so very happy. Well, happy except for the hummingbird that loves the snapdragon right outside the window… and then flies away the minute I get my phone out for a pic!

The hummingbird issue was my first moment of concern.  I wasn’t here for the first week so cleaning and reloading the hummingbird feeder was my first act.  I need to admit here that I’ve had hummingbird feeders at every home I’ve lived in since 2007. I have yet to have a hummingbird drop by and indulge.  I had a moment of humour as I began: this whole family is tall, certainly taller than me! so I had to find some sort of stool to balance on as I tried to detach the feeder from its hanger.

Family adult child dropped by as I was cleaning the feeder and cooking new syrup and used the phrase “mum’s prized hummingbirds” – which served to up the pressure!  So far, so good as the wee birds are dropping by despite the flowers all around.

The feeder is right outside the kitchen.  Now that I’m cooking for one my meals are pretty simple and my winter abode had limited facilities so I’m finding it interesting having full kitchens again.  I got used to managing with a microwave, a toaster oven and a single induction cooktop for many months.  I truly can’t heat the big oven for one small item.  I have taken a moment to appreciate how ingrained my energy conscientiousness has become.

I’m enjoying skillet dinners, the odd microwave meal and remembering not to buy anything that needs an oven.

As I write this, I have one week left here.  I’m going to miss this sit but I’m hoping to be such a good -sitter that I get a “clientele” and thus repeat -sits.

Stay tuned!