Beautiful Wales

 I have avoided taking on housesitting jobs that are only a few days or a weekend, as its such a hassle settling in and then cleaning and packing to leave ( I like to totally clean the place top to bottom before we go.. and make something like Lemon Butter or Jam or something for the hosts), however, the allure of going to Wales into the mountains was almost too much - so I caved.

I am so glad we came. The drive was beautiful, bringing many memories back for me on my motorcycling days with Age. We loved to ride round Wales. No traffic and gorgeous scenery. A bit wet though...

We arrived at this gorgeous little cottage, an old farmer cottage, now converted as a very comfortable family home ( gee - so I sound like the host from Escape to the Country?)

The gardens are gorgeous, full of daffodils and spring flowers. It winds down the hill with little paths and has tiny garden rooms of peaceful respite along the way.

Best of all!! The two dogs are border collies and are delightful. One is an older dog, though a little stiff, loves to play fetch and chasey. The photo below is of Lilly playing with Bracken, the younger dog, who still likes to jump up and greet you with a cold nose behind the knees.

They are beautifully groomed and mannered, so it will be a real pleasure to look after them till Sunday.  Lilly was delighted to meet the 7 chooks and rooster, but disappointed that they aren't the cuddly type.

We are surrounded by dairy farms and sheep with tiny lambs. I am looking forward to a peaceful retreat - perhaps I may even start to write fiction! ( now that is just plain crazy talk)

London Eye

Standing at 135 metres, the iconic London Eye has thrust itself into the London skyline making it a must see experience for tourists and resents alike. We are so pleased we bought Merlin Passes -which allow us to go straight to the front of the line and don't need to book.  A ticket for a family of four starts at £115. ( far out.. so once again.. the Merlin Pass ROCKS)

A mere 5 minute walk from the Waterloo underground, The  EDF Energy London Eye sits on the southern bank of the River Thames. With 32 air conditioned capsules which rotates very slowly around, it is a very comfortable half hour delightful trip into the skyline gifting participants spectacular views of Hyde Park, Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament and Westminster. Each capsule officially seats 25 passengers, though there is plenty of space to wader around the glassed perimeter to take in the views.  There are touch screens doted along the side to give tourists more information and guidelines as to where the best places to stand for photographs.

 As the capsules move very slowly, it was easy to board and exit. There were two assistants who helped most tourists aboard as an extra step in safety. As the capsule rose higher, our nervous passenger became captivated by the view, and although didn’t stand very close to the glass windows, felt comfortable enough to stand and walk around the space to look at the changing scene. Weather permitting, you are able to see 30 km in every direction as you reach the zenith. 

Be sure to visit the free 4 D London Eye experience while you are there. The 15 mins sensational presentation gives you an excellent overview of the ‘flight’ and what views to expect. The kids loved it as there was "real" snow shot out amongst us during the film.

We had been wanting to go on the London Eye for ages.. so, is it worth it? The London Eye is the largest Ferris Wheel in Europe. The panoramic  views are spectacular. We visited mid week and had no queue and shared the capsule with four other people. 

Yes. Its an experience not able to be replicated anywhere else and worth every penny... even, I guess if you just paid for the ticket and didn't have a pass.

Bump in the road... just one of those things when travelling

Hmm... well... possibly could be a lot more stressful if I let it be. Its 6pm and instead of taking the kids to the London Eye at night as promised, we are packed up in our little car and have no-where to stay tonight.. yet.

Housesitting is a great way to get around the country and live as 'normal' folk do. Sometimes the dates match up with the next sitting job, and sometimes there is a few days in between. With these floating days, we need to find accommodation, and thats when your budge goes out the window and you see your Aussie dollars get sucked away.

I have been using a site called AirBnB for about a year - its a community based accommodation style system, where people who own an extra flat - or have a grannie flat, or a few rooms in their home, will advertise and you basically book it like a hotel room or apartment. Its significantly cheaper and the beauty of it is, is that you get to live in a real persons home - not a hotel, and see how people live in that part of the world.

We booked a bedsit in North London - nothing special apart from it being close to a tube and apparently 'safe' streets ( important for my car)

We stayed one night.. and let me tell you - it looked tiny.. and the photos didn't tell you everything.. basically room for a bed.. and thats it.. far out.. It was good to show the kids that this is actually how some people live... in a room like this as their whole home.

That afternoon, the kids were confronted by a very angry Chinese lady who threatened to throw them in jail. Apparently, the person who rented us the room, didn't own it and was subletting it - which is illegal. The Chinese lady understood, after I calmed the farm a bit, that we had no idea about this, but she insisted we pack and leave immedialty.

We had little choice but to do so. The landlady assured us that we would get our money back ( which we did, thankfully)

So.. we went and bought some takeaway and sat at a local park to watch the gloaming over the city....and for me to start to search for somewhere for the next few days to stay..

Well.. at least we don't lead a boring life huh?