Mick and I have been very fortunate indeed to have travelled quite a lot since our first overseas trip together in 2007.

When we retired in 2011, we started to travel further from home and for longer periods of time. And one thing that showed us was that travelling can be a very tiring business. If we were visiting somewhere we had never been before, the expectation was that we had to “do” something; “go” somewhere – visit a museum or art gallery; and on more than one occasion a day, we had to “eat out”. In other words, we did not want to miss one thing before we moved onto the next stop. And yes, we do get sick of eating out.

It was during a phone conversation this morning with our friends and neighbours back home (Derek and Helen) that I started to think about the advantages of house sitting. Mick and I have known about them for many years now – that is why we have done so many ‘sits’. Derek and Helen recently spent 3 months on holiday, mostly in the UK, but also time with us in the South of France and in Italy, and Derek wanted to know how we could spend so long away from home because he got sick of living out of a suitcase.

The answer is easy.

When we house sit, whether it be for 10 days or 100 days, Mick and I make ourselves very much ‘at home’. The home we are staying in, and the pets we are caring for, are ‘ours’ for that period of time.

The biggest advantage is that there is no expectation that you have to “do” something.

First thing I do once we have taken over the home we are house sitting, is to unpack. I set up our room and our bathroom as if they were our own. I find space in the kitchen and the fridge for the ‘essentials’ we like to have.

Mick and I always follow the routines for any animals we are caring for, and if we feel like it, we go off exploring the local area for a few hours at a time. But, not every day.

And caring for the animals sometimes can be quite a handful.

At this house sit for example, our last in France for this year, we are staying in what has to be called a ‘château‘. It is an amazing house and Mick and I are happy to stay ‘at home’ and do the ‘normal’ things retired people might do in their own home.

We read books, we peruse the cookbook collections and find recipes to try (fried herrings fresh from the local markets for €2.50 a kilo for example), we try out new and different appliances (if they have been made available for us to use – for example here I have tried out an air fryer, and at this stage I am not sure I want one because it takes up so much space – but it works extra well), and we catch up on emails and the latest news from home. Ordinary things.

At some house sits, and this is one, we try to do some regular exercise if the space is available. Here there is a separate barn that is set up with a range of gym equipment and Mick and I have been spending about 45 minutes a day working up a bit of a sweat, and making ourselves feel as though we have ‘earned’ a glass (or two) of French red wine each evening.

I spend time, while Mick is usually reading, studying my French. And at this home, I do some practice on the piano. (I only wish I’d brought some of my music with me as I am no longer able to remember pieces off by heart).

The hardest thing about the routines at this house sit is that the dogs have to been taken out at 6.30am for the first pee pee of the day – and it is still very dark at that time. After lunch, I take the two smaller dogs for a 50 minute walk, while Mick and the big dog (who has very poor hips) go for a shorter 10 minute walk.

The dogs are fed twice per day – 8.00am and 4.30pm, and are taken outside at least 6 times during the day. The last time being 11.30pm. That is a killer for both Mick and me. I have no problem getting up early, but the late outing has been hard to get used to – but we have.

The first thing we do once we come inside from any of the outings is to dry the dogs’ feet. Being inside dogs they need to be kept as clean as possible. But they actually love that.

There is also the daily grooming to do, especially after the long walk, but the little girls love it, and actually line up for their turn.

The big dog enjoys her brushing as well, but I am very careful not to give her a fright of any kind – her teeth and her paws are very large.

While we have been grocery shopping and to the local markets in L’Aigle, we have spent the bulk of our time here ‘at home’.

As an aside, we were interested to see live poultry for sale at the L’Aigle markets. We had seen live rabbits for sale in Argenten, but up until then, we had not seen live animals for sale at the local markets.

I loved this topiary tree near where I’d parked our car in L’Aigle.

Mick and I have seen ‘fresh baguette’ dispensing machines before in some small French towns, but this was a first for us – L’Aigle had a pizza dispensing machine – and it only takes 3 minutes (apparently).

Oh, and the other thing we do while we are ‘staying in’ or completing the ‘daily routines’ of a house sit, is enjoy being there. This afternoon, the view was stunning as I walked along the quiet country road with the two smaller dogs. I felt pretty lucky to be there.

I think this is much better than rushing off to see something because we don’t want to miss something.

This is ‘something’.