House Sitting Magazine Issue 13: August 2017

You'll find extra news, reviews and snippets throughout the magazine!

Whoa! We're house sitting in Barbados!

Ian Usher

Our Formula For Early Retirement Before 50 Amy & Tim Rutherford

Retirement Is Not What It Used To Be Yvonne Bauche

A Story of Love, Kindness & Sacrifice - Bali Dogs Steve Ford

A House Sitter's Worst Nightmare - Pet Care & First Aid Yvonne Bauche

Book Review - First Aid for Pets - Yvonne & Michael Bauche Review by Doug Dyer

House Sitting in Bavaria - First Impressions Nate Joy

Experiencing the Other Side of Exotic - The Seychelles Jenny Lincoln

8 Tips for Improving Your Travel Pictures Andrea Jordan

Recipe - Mexican Horchata Heidi Medina

Resources - Dashlane Password Security Ian Usher

3 BIG reasons why you should join mapahub THIS MONTH Ian Usher

Taking a Year Out of Work to Contemplate New Beginnings Belinda Beeck

How House Sitting Can Assist With Retirement Jane Dempster-Smith

DIY Roof Repair for Home Owners Jerry Albertson

In the next issue...

Whoa! We're house sitting in Barbados!

by Ian Usher

For months now I have had the song, "Whoa! I'm going to Barbados" playing in my head.

It an oldie. This video (opposite page) is from UK show Top of the Pops, broadcast in 1975, one day before my 12th birthday.

Now we are actually here, but you have to sing the words "house sitting" very quickly to cram them into the tune: "Whoa! We're housesitting in Barbados. Whoa! Under sunny Caribbean skies."

How did we manage to land such a beautiful house sit on such a gorgeous island?

Well, as is the case with some of the best house sits we've had, this one came via word-ofmouth.

We connected with Nat and Jodie of House Sitting Academy a couple of years ago, as we had both produced online video courses for new-start house sitters, and were interested in collaborating.

The business connection blossomed into friendship, and we eventually managed to meet up when we were all house sitting at the same time in Granada, Nicaragua.

Nat and Jodie had previously looked after this house in Barbados, along with shy cat Heidi. They had been asked to return to sit again while the owners made another long return trip to the UK. Unfortunately they were already booked for that time, but suggested they could refer other competent sitters to the owners.

We were thrilled to be put forward, and more thrilled to be given a three-month assignment here.

We have a beautiful swimming pool, a car to use, and this beautiful secluded beach just a short 5 minute drive away, or if we're feeling fit, and easy 35 minute walk!

The owners are often away on visits back to the UK. Just before us Jane and Duncan of ToTravelToo.com looked after Heidi for three months. We first met up with Jane and Duncan in Ajijic, Mexico, and then conspired to make our paths cross again in Cuba.

They have been kind enough to leave us a complete guidebook for the house here, including pool-keeping notes and observations, suggested hikes, and a list of great eating and drinking locations.

So as part of this month's introduction to the magazine I just wanted to mention the value of creating meaningful friendships with your fellow house sitters.

Not just because you may get referred for a great sit, or some valuable house sit info, but because you get to spend time sharing stories and more with people who "get it", who live the same adventure, understand your lifestyle, and share many of your enthusiasms.

Facebook is a great tool for building these friendships online, and of course, our own group, House Sitting Magazine Group, is a good start point.

Other Facebook groups you could join include: House Sitting World House Sitting Cafe Roaming Income Club Freedom Junkies But online connection is never a substitute for spending real quality time in the company of your fellow travellers, sharing a meal or a few beers. But how do you keep track of where everyone is, and where they plan to be in the future?

This problem was what prompted us to develop a tool to do just this.

Allow me to shamelessly plug our house sitters meetup website, mapahub: https://housesitters.mapahub.com/ Mapahub allows you to make new friendships, discover who is nearby, and get-together with your house sitting peers. It also allows you to see future plans for other house sitters too, so you can see where paths cross next month, or any time in the future.

You never know where such great personal connections might take you in the future.

In just the past couple of weeks we have managed to arrange meetups with:    

Tim and Louise (HouseSittingWorld.com) Kathy and Vic (from Australia) Jacqueline and Glenn (TheAussieLambs.com) Doug and Johanne (JoyfulTravellers.com)

(3 pub meetings in the UK, and one at a carnival in Barbados) (Pictures on following page) And of course, it was one such personal connection that brought us to beautiful Barbados for three months!

After three months in Africa a bit of tropical Caribbean bliss is what we both need. It is also what our bank account needs.

With a super-fast internet connection here, we are both back to teaching English online. It is nice to see our Chinese students after a three month break.

Just three lessons each to teach this morning, then into the swimming pool, I think!

NOTE: We have a couple of big announcements about mapahub this month. Find out more, later in this issue of House Sitting Magazine.

We hope you enjoy this month's issue of House Sitting - The ultimate lifestyle magazine.

Ian and Vanessa (currently house sitting in the Oistins area of Barbados)

OUR FORMULA FOR EARLY RETIREMENT How we retired before we were 50

by Amy and Tim Rutherford

When we met, almost 11 years ago, we couldn't have imagined we'd be retired by the age of 50!

At that time we were entrenched in our careers and the raising of our children. Tim traveled across the US and Canada, Tuesday through Friday most weeks, and had a handful of medical issues from all those long work days.

Amy knew she wanted more than two or three weeks of vacation a year. But, even more so, we craved a life where we didn't feel compelled to check business emails every day, AND on weekends and holidays.

A few years ago, we started to wonder what it would take for us to be able to leave behind our jobs and choose instead a life of freedom. It was something that really interested us, but we did not know how much money we'd need in order to say goodbye to our paychecks.

Fast forward to April, 2015

By April Amy was officially retired at the age of 46 and Tim had cut back to 15 hours a week by November (he was then 48).

However, this past June, we agreed he hadn't successfully left the mental pressure of full-time work and so he took the step to join Amy in their dream lifestyle.

Since making that leap, many friends, and even strangers, ask us how we did it.

More often than not, they tell us they will NEVER be able to retire.

To help show you that it's possible, we'd like to share the framework of our journey to financial independence. We're sure there are others who have successfully navigated the course to retirement their own way.

But, this is our story:

Part 1 - Tracking & Understanding Our Spending Patterns We recognized that we had to have a clear understanding of where we had been, to calculate where we were going.

It was essential to have a detailed picture of both our pre-retirement annual spending, as well as our planned future spending, so we could assess our ability to leave our jobs.

There are many automated tools (some free) that make this easier - Mint, Quicken, Personal Capital, to name just a few. You can do this manually and that might be a better fit for you, but we don't believe that keeping track in your head will work.

Tim has been using Quicken to analyze every penny he's spent since he was 22 years old. Once married, we linked all of Amy's accounts as well. We knew exactly how much we spent on everything, from dining, travel and entertainment, to taxes and insurance.

Over the years, we took a comprehensive look at our expenses semi-annually. We did not make any changes in a budgeting sense - it was a purely observational exercise. We rationalized that because we saved (and accrued no debt), we didn't have to be careful about what money was going out.

However, In 2012, we committed to the early retirement path and realized that the total amount we had banked was only part of the equation. It became clear that the most important factor in our ability to leave our paychecks was how much we spent.

Our spending needed to be reduced in order to accelerate our ability to retire. Plus, our ongoing expenses would need to be minimized as we headed into a future with no income.

Part 2 - Set a Target Have you heard about the 4% Rule?

At the beginning of our journey, we didn't know anything about it.

So what is it?

In a nutshell, you take the amount of money you need to live on each year and multiply it by 25.

Investopedia writes, "The 4 percent rule is a rule of thumb used to determine the amount of funds to withdraw from a retirement account each year. This rule seeks to provide a steady stream of funds to the retiree, while also keeping an account balance that allows funds to be withdrawn for a number of years. The 4% rate is considered a "safe" rate, with the withdrawals consisting primarily of interest and dividends."

Learning about the 4% Rule allowed us to confidently assess how much money we would need to retire, as well as how much cash we could safely use annually in our retirement.

Once we had this end goal in place, we charted our course each month.

We found that with a goal in sight, we stopped spending mindlessly. Everything we spent was viewed with our new lens and the question, "Do I really need to buy that or would I rather have my freedom?"

While the 4% number is popular, it is commonly suggested for people retiring at a traditional retirement age (mid-sixties). For early retirees, spending 3% of your accumulated invested assets is a safer approach.

We found that by aggressively tweaking our spending, we needed less to retire. By spending less, we realized we could move our retirement date up many years.

Part 3 - Saving Outside of a home mortgage, we avoided debt throughout most of our adult lives.

We had also been good savers.

Reducing our spending was not only key to our early retirement, it also meant that we could contribute more to our savings.

In 2011, we agreed to save every penny of Amy's take-home paycheck. That meant we did not have a lifestyle that went along with our two combined incomes. We saved our bonuses and tax refunds instead of upgrading our cars, buying a boat or taking expensive vacations.

We maximized tax-deferred options at both of our workplaces. For us, this meant contributing the maximum to our 401Ks, IRAs and an HSA account. If you work for a company that matches your investment, take full advantage of this benefit.

Be careful! Many investment funds are riddled with high fees. These fees impact your growth.

Our investment strategy is to invest in low-cost index funds.

We created our plan and subsequently had a financial professional validate that it was sound. If you're not comfortable calculating these numbers on your own, we suggest you seek professional advice.

We are American citizens, so you may also need to take advice on tax and investments from a professional in your own country.

Part 4 - Protecting Your Freedom We have enjoyed a frugal lifestyle with our newfound independence. This does not mean we live a deprived life. In fact it's better than we could have imagined.

We travel for pleasure frequently and plan it with an eye on value. House sitting is one way to save on accommodations while possibly renting out (or selling) your current home.

We volunteer with several non-profit organizations and cook at home nearly every day.

If extreme unknown circumstances cause a breakdown in our plan, this reduction in our expenditures means we wouldn't need to return to hectic, professional careers. Spending less means that we could earn less.

Our hierarchy of priorities shows what is most important to us in our new life.

On our blog, we will be writing about each of these points in greater detail over the upcoming months.

Please visit us at GoWithLess.com

Tim and Amy Rutherford live outside of beautiful Denver, Colorado. In 2015, they left their corporate careers for a path that includes more travel and embracing a healthy lifestyle. These days, they are active volunteers, house sitters and travelers.

They blog about their lives at GoWithLess.com

RETIREMENT IS NOT WHAT IT USED TO BE

by Yvonne Bauche Let's face it the very word "retirement" brings its own set of expectations and fears.

You might think the days when we could rely on "retiring" at 60 or 65, with a pension good enough to sustain us through our golden years are over, yet there are other ways, if you're willing to approach retirement differently.

The retirement model of our parents or our grandparents, where they worked for 40 plus years, retired on a comfortable pension and spent their golden years playing golf and dangling grandbabies on their knee, is going the way of the dinosaur.

You can't necessarily rely on your pension plan Even those who have faithfully contributed into pension plans all their lives are - thanks to company and government mismanagement, economic downturns and the sheer volume of

"boomers" - realizing that their pension is not guaranteed.

Just ask the millions of women in the UK (myself included) who can no longer expect to start receiving their pension at 65 (this moved from 60 a few years ago). Now they will have to wait till age 66 or 68, depending on their current age.

Statistics show that we don't have huge amounts of savings to rely on either.

According to "The US Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances" in 2013, the median family net worth for those aged 55 to 64 was only $165,900. With limited savings and eligible pension ages becoming receding targets, retirement in the classic sense of the word is becoming a distant dream.

Although it seems many are still dreaming. According to a 2013 online survey conducted by Pollara, 34% of respondents stated that their game plan for retirement depended on winning the lottery.

Needless to say winning the lottery is not a realistic strategy!

Plan your own retirement Rather than living in fear that their pensions are not going to be enough, a growing number of

people are taking retirement planning into their own hands. They are challenging the concept and the validity of a "traditional retirement".

Instead of retiring at 60 or 70 and then passing the remainder of their years "aging in place", more people are taking alternative retirements.

For years, economic necessity has meant that retirees have had to find a cheaper place to live.

This has led to the growth of expat communities worldwide. Not everyone wants to relocate and settle down in one spot though, which has resulted in a growing number of nomadic retirees.

My husband Michael and I are just one example of these nomadic retirees.

We are not really retirees as we are too young to draw on a pension and we do work a little on projects of our choosing. We are perhaps better described as "independents" that escaped the rat race early!

These days more people are quitting conventional work and lifestyles, years or even decades earlier than their contemporaries.

They live in style and travel the world. And because they are engaged and challenged, they find themselves fitter, healthier and feeling younger than ever before.

What these folks have in common is that they were willing to step outside of what society deems the "norm" and to approach life differently. They are determined, courageous and innovative, yet they are also normal people just like you and me.

When we set out to free ourselves from having to work "9 to 5" and become "independent", we were going against convention, we were going against the norm. Words such as gamblers, lucky b**tard's and cavalier were all used to describe us. Yet we carried on and achieved our independence in just 5 years.

We became financially independent Here are even more loaded words. "Financial independence" doesn't mean that you have to be a multi-millionaire. What it means is that you have figured out how to create enough income to cover all your living expenses. Once you have these expenses covered you are free! Free to quit working 9 to 5, to travel the world, to start a new hobby, and free to choose how you spend your retirement.

I know that achieving financial independence may sound as implausible as winning the lottery, however, it is possible if you are willing to step out of the box and find ways to reduce your expenses while still generating an income.

At 44 and 53 we handed over the keys to our house and flew away from wet and grey Vancouver, Canada. Since then we have explored over 40 countries and have used house sitting to reduce our expenses. We have house sat in Italy, France, Spain, London UK, Belize, Panama, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, St Lucia, Barbados, St Vincent & The Grenadines.

After 5 years on the road, we are happier, healthier and financially better off than when we left!

Editor's Note: Of course, house sitting isn't the only way to reduce your expenses. Other options include caretaking, RV-ing, sailing and a whole lot more. These are just some of the nomadic retirement choices which are being explored on Yvonne & Michael's brand new website NomadicRetirementLiving.com which launches this month. If you'd like a "game plan" - a strategy for retirement - then look no further. Click here to receive your "Early Retirement Blueprint", compliments of Yvonne and Michael

Yvonne Bauche is a blogger and freelance travel writer. She's also a full time roving retiree, along with her husband Michael, having visited over 40 countries since 2012. They've written a series of e-books covering pet care, insurance, how to retire in 5 years or less, and also a comprehensive guide to setting yourself up for a nomadic lifestyle.

CLICK HERE for more details on their books Find out more about nomadic retirement living by joining their Facebook group, or visit their website: www.nomadicretirementliving.com

A STORY OF LOVE, KINDNESS & SACRIFICE One woman's amazing plight to improve the life of Bali dogs

by Steve Ford

Bobby, Mandi, Gipsy, Ninjo, Bule, Susu, Madu, and Lou scampered down the deserted beach.

The boys crashed into the raging surf while Gipsy rolled around in the black sand. Our twice daily walks with our eight Bail dog charges made us feel extremely fortunate for the lifestyle we have.

The beach was just a 5-minute walk past rice fields and a couple of expensive looking resorts.

The dogs knew every inch of this walk, including which house to tip-toe by so as, in Lou's case, not to upset a neighborhood dog.

The beach was the perfect place for the dogs to play, sniff and blow off some steam. They also enjoyed picking through the food offerings laid down by the Hindu villagers.

This was to be our daily routine for two months. That was until disaster struck.

Coming back from our usual walk late one Sunday afternoon, Mandi (the oldest female dog and pack mediator) picked up some discarded food at the top of the driveway.

Mandi

Before we knew what was happening Mandi was fitting and convulsing violently. Wrapping her up in a towel, we jumped on the scooter and sped to the nearest vet.

House sitting our way around the world Two and half years ago Julie and I quit our corporate day jobs and set off to explore this beautiful planet. We stumbled into house sitting by accident after reading a travel blog.

During the last 30 months, we have house sat in Italy, New Zealand, USA, UK, Thailand, and Indonesia. We've been very fortunate to look after some wonderful pets and make some amazing new friends.

Most of the dogs and cats that we've cared for have had a perfect start in life. Taken in as puppies or kittens by loving owners and treated as one of the family. There has been the odd rescue dog and feral cat, but nothing like what we volunteered for in Bali.

Just about anybody would jump at the opportunity to spend two months in the tropical paradise of Bali, so there was no shortage of applicants for this sit. In fact, we weren't the first choice. But when the original house sitter pulled out for health reasons, Eli contacted us and asked if we would step in. We were over the moon - doggie heaven on a tropical island.

All is not well in paradise The relationship between the Balinese and one of the oldest dog breeds in the world is one of convenience. The Bali dog has roamed the streets of this island for thousands of years. Unlike most domestic breeds the Bali dog has remained fiercely independent and can survive without human contact.

Some Balinese dog owners care for their dogs in the same way we do in Western countries.

However, the vast majority have a very different relationship with their dogs. It's more like a coexistence, a sharing of space, with the dog coming and going as it pleases.

For the Balinese, a dog provides security against spirits and thieves, keeps the rat population down, and is a companion to children.

For the dog, they get somewhere relatively safe to lay their heads at night, as well as some food scraps to supplement their scavenging.

But when the dog becomes ill, falls pregnant, or when the owners can no longer afford to keep them, they are left to fend for themselves, often in deplorable condition. Bali dogs face other challenges too.

In 2008 there was a rabies outbreak that killed 78 people within 12 months and resulted in nearly three-quarters of the 600,000 dog population being culled.

Today the local government runs a regular rabies injection program. Colored neck ribbons are a clear sign that a dog has been vaccinated. Unfortunately though, the outbreak has fueled a fear of the Bali dog that didn't exist before.

It's also estimated that 70,000 dogs each year are killed for the dog meat trade. Many of these suffer terrible, cruel deaths. A recent undercover report by Animals Australia highlighted this inhumane practice. The charity is also working hard to highlight this brutal meat trade with the Governor of Bali.

And then there are the poisonings. Some locals drop meatballs (bakso) laced with strychnine or potassium to kill unwanted and/or unwelcome dogs.

Eli's story It's against this back drop that Eli fell in love with this corner of Indonesia while on holiday. She quit her corporate life in Switzerland and exchanged it for island life, quicker than you can break open a bar of Toblerone.

Susu

That was four years ago and since then this determined young woman has made Bali her home and set about helping as many street dogs as she can.

Eli estimates that she has spent over 50,000 Swiss Francs of her own money rescuing, nursing back to health, and re-homing over 100 Bali dogs and cats.

Spending her savings is not the only sacrifice Eli has had to make. She told us "having a long term relationship or normal friendships, are sometimes hard with my passion to help dogs and always putting them first."

She also has to jump back into the corporate world for a few months each year to top-up the bank account. This is when she seeks out trusted house sitters to take care of her much loved pack.

The eight pups that we were looking after were all in pretty bad shape when Eli rescued them.

The worse being Ninjo, who was suffering from a severe case of mange and distemper. He was also malnourished and the photos of Ninjo before treatment are heartbreaking.

It was touch and go if he would make it at all.

But after several months of intensive vet care, and two years of fortnightly injections for demodex and mange, he beat the odds and is now a big cuddly mutt, very loyal, gentle, and loving. We don't have favorites but…

Susu, one of the teenagers, was another one that was in a terrible condition. He was found in a nearby rice field with a broken pelvis, mange, very malnourished and with a high temperature

from an infection. Today Susu would not look out of place in a Disney movie. He's so soft and loving. Quite a goofball at times.

Each of the dogs has their own story of survival. Each one of them is lucky to have found a loving friend in Eli. But Eli would say she is the lucky one. And as much as she would like to, Eli is unable to help every dog.

Steve with Bule

Race to Survive Clutching Mandi, we ran into the vet surgery. Five veterinarian staff immediately began trying to combat the poison with saline drips, K1 vitamin injections, and a charcoal solution.

Despite a valiant effort, there was little they could do. Her age and size made an impossible task even harder, and sadly Mandi passed away. The vet told us that he had seen ten dogs that week due to poisoning and they only managed to save one.

Having gone back to the house to check on the other dogs, Bule, a young bitch, was also showing signs of poisoning. Clutching Bule under my arm, I rode one-handed on the scooter to the vets through the madness of Bali traffic putting both our lives in danger.

Unlike Mandi, Bule had size and youth on her side. It was a tense couple of hours as the vets treated her. She responded well, and we are pleased to report that Bule is back to her normal self and enjoying beach life.

The manner of Mandi's death changed the dynamics of the house sit for all of us. From that point on we transported the dogs twice a day to the beach in a trailer hitched to a scooter. Our hearts beating faster every time one of the dogs picked something up on the beach (including a rotting chicken corpse).

She was only a little dog, but Mandi left a big hole in the pack dynamics and our hearts.

Bobby

An almost impossible task Contrary to popular belief, the Bali dog can be trained. These eight pups are a testament to this.

With support from a local friend, Eli has put in many hours of training with each dog to help them adjust from street life to pampered pets.

We have been blown away by the passion and enthusiasm that Eli has for her Bali dog rescues.

At times it feels like an almost impossible task. Like painting the Golden Gate bridge with a toothbrush and with one arm tied behind your back. It's relentless, but one of the many things that Eli has going for her is determination, by the bucket load.

Since returning to Bali several weeks ago, Eli has provided treatment for cancer and mange to seven street dogs. She has also fostered Moka a young pup with no back legs.

Lou

All this comes at a cost - but you can help You can make a difference to a Bali dog's chance of survival and help Eli to continue with her marathon efforts.

Please consider making a donation using the Paypal account: help4balisstreetdogs@gmx.com or to her registered charity: Help 4 Bali's Street Dogs Every cent/penny/rupiah counts.

Here's an example of some of the costs (in US Dollars):     

$10 - Food for a week for one dog $30 - Complete vaccination program $65 - Sterilisation - female dog $26 - Sterilisation - male dog $15 - Treat mange and any parasites for three months

It has been a privilege to house sit for Eli and her gang of eight. We hope to see them again soon.

Steve and Julie like to call themselves "English Kiwis" - born in the UK, but New Zealand is now home. Or it was until February 2015, when they took a massive leap out of their comfort zone and got rid of everything they owned. They jumped off the corporate "hamster wheel" and instead chose a life of long term travel.

You can check out more about Steve & Julie’s adventures at their website: www.2checkingout.com

A HOUSE SITTER'S WORST NIGHTMARE Why it's important to learn how to deal with a pet care emergency

by Yvonne Bauche

Back in early 2010 my husband Michael and I watched a close friend die from ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), a progressive neuro-degenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. This caused us to question our lifestyle and ask “if we only had a few months left to live, would we be spending our remaining time differently?”

The answer was a resounding yes! We wanted to travel.

However with pensions still a long way off and a limited budget, we had to find a way to make it affordable. It was while researching house swapping, that I came across house sitting and quickly realized that this could be the answer. Five years on it has been everything we could have hoped for. Our first sit was in a tiny village near Lucca in Tuscany, Italy and we were hooked from the moment we arrived.

The majority of our sits have included pets - dogs, cats, chickens, fish, parrots and the odd snake and spider. They have also mostly been in rural or isolated communities which bring their own challenges.

Why we signed up for a first aid course At our first sit in St Lucia,the owners explained why we had to be careful when we picked up brave little Foxy. The year before, while being walked at the beach by her owner, she was attacked by two dogs who tossed her back and forth before being driven off, leaving her partially disemboweled.

She would not allow her owner to pick her up and carry her (as it was too painful to be lifted) and she did the 15 minute walk back home with part of her insides hanging out. With no means of calling home, the owner had no recourse but to stay with her and start yelling for help as soon as he got in earshot of home. After a frantic dash to the vet and major surgery she pulled though like the trooper she is.

Foxy’s story was the catalyst for taking a first aid course which taught us how little we knew about pet first aid and rather scarily, just how many things can go wrong while pet sitting. It also made us make a point of finding the closest and/or the owner’s usual veterinarian clinic whenever we arrive somewhere new.

No Vet, Now What?

But what if the closest veterinarian is a two hour drive or a one hour ferry ride away? How would you cope with an emergency? Would you know what needs immediate medical attention and what doesn’t?

A perfect example is Dixie May (a rescued street dog, with an insatiable appetite),when she ate my ear plugs. The nearest vet was almost 2 hours away, so we couldn’t just pop in for a checkup.

Therefore the question became do we need to go?

The short answer is no, because they were just two soft unconnected ear plugs they should pass easily through her system, which they did a few days later. However if they had been connected by a cord, surgical intervention would probably have been needed.

Normal vs. Abnormal As sitters we are often at a disadvantage when it comes to understanding what is normal or not normal for a pet. The owners are so familiar with their pets they sense right away when something is wrong.

To help us get a feel for "what’s normal" with a new pet, we take time to familiarize ourselves with them before the owners leave. You can do this while grooming them or having a cuddle, pay attention to their breathing pattern, the condition of their fur, the clarity and alertness of the eyes and have a good look in their ears as well.

It was while doing this that we spotted a large hot lump on Scruffy’s leg. His owner had noticed it but had been putting off doing anything about it. After a brief discussion she asked us to take him to her vet and get it checked out.

Good job we did as it was a fast growing sarcoma and had to be treated with chemotherapy. By the time the owner returned, the lump was gone and Scruffy was back to his bouncy lovable self.

We have thankfully, not yet had to deal with a desperately ill pet. However we do know what to do, if we have to stabilize and then transport a pet in order to obtain veterinary help. We also have an unexpected advantage, especially when doing repeat sits.

An unexpected advantage When we returned to one of our favorite sits, we immediately noticed changes in Max their elderly German shepherd. He was lethargic and slow and had significant hair loss on his haunches, all signs of a thyroid imbalance.

We mentioned this possibility to his owners who asked us to get him checked out on the vet’s next visit to the island. Sure enough his levels were low and an inexpensive daily tablet was prescribed. A few months later Max was back to his old self and his hair was growing back too.

Hopefully as fellow sitters, you never have to deal with a medical emergency such as that of brave little Foxy. However fore warned is fore armed, there are so many things that can go wrong while you "are on watch".

Dogs eating too soon after exercise can cause potentially lethal "bloat and twist" and cats who don’t eat can face serious consequences as well.

Knowing what can go wrong and observing the warning signs allows us to feel comfortable taking on these more isolated sits. It makes the owners a lot more comfortable too.

Yvonne and her husband Michael, have also written a book - Pet Care and First Aid - The Common Sense Guide for Pet Sitters and Owners You can read a review of this invaluable guide to pet care in the very next article!

Pet First Aid Videos Please refer to the video demonstration for applying bandages:

For a demonstration of how to determine an animal’s pulse please see the demonstration video:

Please see the video demonstration of applying an emergency muzzle to a dog:

Yvonne Bauche is a blogger and freelance travel writer. Download her free bonus "The Early Retirement Blueprint – Retire Sooner, Travel More, and Live Better" and be one of the first to hear when her new blog, Nomadic Retirement Living, goes live in September 2017.

Our last book review was "A Tale of Two Geckos" written by full time house sitter, Doug Dyer.

This month we asked Doug if he could review our latest selection, "Pet Care & First Aid".

PET CARE & FIRST AID The Common Sense Guide for Pet Sitters & Owners

by Michael Bauche, Yvonne Bauche & Dr William Huey

Michael and Yvonne have relied upon their extensive experience when writing this wonderful book for all of us involved in house and pet sitting.

It's an incredibly comprehensive resource written specifically for pet sitters, but would also be beneficial for all pet owners as well.

The authors draw on their own experiences and make the read interesting by relaying their first hand anecdotes and stories. House sitters will be able to relate to the humorous situations the couple share.

Michael and Yvonne enlisted the professional advice of Dr. Huey who co-wrote this book. He's a veterinarian with 50 years’ experience and works at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Barbados (RSPCAB). Dr. Huey carefully reviewed the material and sanctioned it for accuracy.

It is heartening to know that one-third of all proceeds of the sale of the book will be donated to RSPCAB. For house and pet sitters around the world, but especially for full-time sitters like ourselves, this guide book is a wonderful resource which will support us to be more prepared for the care of animals.

Several times while reading this book, I found myself saying, "I've never thought of that before". What would you do if you were walking a dog and it was attacked and needed immediate attention?

And now, thanks to Pet Care & First Aid, we now carry important information and phone numbers whenever we go off the property.

In the first section of the book, the authors explain how to best prepare for possible emergencies. Like Michael and Yvonne, we also take sitting assignments that are remote and some distance from professional pet care.

"Being prepared for anything", this book encourages us to think like a boy scout.

The second section delves into the details of Pet First Aid. Here again the book addresses situations that many house sitters may not have not contemplated. This part of the book is thoughtfully laid out and will become a great reference guide for future sits.

I particularly found the primary first aid assessment helpful. Simple graphs and charts make it easy to determine what actions are required in medical emergencies.

"How to videos" are utilized to clearly demonstrate important First Aid techniques.

The Resource List provided will be extremely helpful to all readers. Particularly the Pet Care Check List which will come in handy to ensure that all the information needed is in one place.

Michael and Yvonne’s book has given me more confidence to handle unforeseen situations, and to offer better everyday care to the pets we are looking after. I also believe we can now reassure home owners that we are competent and will take the care of their pets seriously.

This is a MUST HAVE book for your house and pet sitting toolkit!!

Pet Care and First Aid: The Common Sense Guide for Pet Sitters and Owners can be purchased on Amazon:

THIS REVIEW WAS WRITTEN BY DOUG DYER Doug and his wife Johanne are full time house/pet sitters currently on their 16th house sitting assignment.

Doug is a new writer and author and his book, A Tale of Two Geckos can be purchased here at this link on Amazon

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HOUSE SITTING IN BAVARIA Our First Impressions

by Nathan Joy

We are house sitting for a month in the tiny town of Pischelsdorf. "Where is that?" you may ask.

Somewhere between Petershausen and Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm. Not "helpful"? Okay, how about 20 miles (32km) north of Munich, in the heart of Bavaria.

Bavaria is a state in southeastern Germany bordering Liechtenstein, Austria and the Czech Republic. State capital Munich is known for its annual Oktoberfest beer festival, art museums and ornate Nymphenburg Palace. The Romantic Road scenic route starts in northwestern Würzburg, winds south through pastoral villages and medieval towns and culminates in the foothills of the Alps near Germany’s southern border.

Now we have that settled, how did we find ourselves in the bustling metropolis of Pischelsdorf (image above). A town with not only a barbershop, but a pizza parlor as well.

One feature of house sitting is that you don't typically find yourself in the most hip section of town or in the heart of the tourist district. You go where the need is, and in this case the need is in Pischelsdorf.

Our particular house is located in a peaceful neighborhood where the only noise is of birds chirping and the church bells tolling on the hour. The sunsets are sensational every night. We are able to work uninterrupted from a fabulous deck that looks out over a vista which includes a few houses, a field, and the forest.

Another feature is proximity to Munich. We can get there in just 35 minutes, which includes roughly 10 minutes to the train station in Petershausen and 25 minutes to the downtown corridor of Munich. Not bad at all!

We spent the first four days with the home owners and their family. They showed us around during the day (to the vet, the butcher, the grocery, the recycling center, etc.,) and in the evening we enjoyed meals and conversation late into the night.

Our hosts prepared an amazing spread on our first evening.

They left to begin their vacation on the Friday morning, and we spent the next few days exploring the area, including a trip to a beautiful local lake for some sun and beer, a day trip to Nuremberg, and our first day in Munich.

Top 10 First Impressions 10. We thought we were coming to Germany - we were actually coming to Bavaria The state of Bavaria predates the country of Germany by over a thousand years, so it shouldn't come as any surprise that locals think of themselves as "Bavarian" before they think of themselves as "German".

This manifests itself in numerous ways. For example, you wouldn't be caught dead in Berlin wearing lederhosen or any other traditional Bavarian garb, but here it is fashionable to wear such things.

Bavaria is the most affluent of the German states and has the richest cultural heritage (one could argue), so is it any surprise then that Bavarians think of themselves in these terms?

We've learned that this pride does not extend to the beautiful town of Nuremburg, the poor souls in Northern Bavaria who were sold to Bavaria by Napoleon in the early 1800's. They are NOT happy about being part of the Bavarian state. That guy Napoleon created some serious havoc here in Europe, by the way.

Language is the most obvious difference. Here in the Bavarian countryside, they don't speak German - they speak Bavarian. This is not at all like the different accents you will find in the States; no, this feels like a different language. While in big cities like Munich you could get away with speaking German, in rural Bavaria you need to know Bavarian.

Here's an example: Greeting in German: "Hallo" or "Guten Tag" Greeting in Bavarian: "Grüss Gott" ("Grüß Gott ") or "Servus" All I can say is… "huh?"

Oh, and Bavaria is a very conservative place. I learned from our hosts that I might get tackled, and at the very least scolded, if I try to mow the lawn on a Sunday.

Our local Nuremburg walking guide

9. Free walking tours are still the best Last year we waxed poetically about, in our opinion, the best way to get to know a city. The first thing we always do is find a free walking tour, and this time in both Nuremberg and Munich it was no different.

Although these tours are free, the general concept is that you leave a tip at the end of the tour based on how well you think the guide did. Sometimes (like in Munich) the company hopes a free tour will get you interested in some of their paid tours, whereas other times (like in Nuremberg), it's simply a single enterprising college student looking to earn some weekend cash, while teaching people about the heritage and culture of the place.

The free tours generally last 3'ish hours and cover large swathes of the city and its history with a light brush.

We love these walking tours because: 1.

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It's a great way to orient yourselves to a city It helps you decide what sites you'd like to investigate further It's a great way to make friends and learn about other travelers The free tours attract younger people, and since Terra is young (and Nate, youngish) it's a great way to connect with people our age.

I'll never forget our first walking tour in Paris last year. We met people from The Netherlands, India, California and across the globe, and afterwards our guide, (and now friend), Quentin took us all out for food and drink. What fun experiences!

8. Recycling and sustainable energy in general is a big deal in Europe I'm not going to belabor this point too much, but the US is lagging way behind in our focus on sustainable living and renewable energy. While this is most obvious in the US at a governmental level, one is struck while travelling Europe in the individual, day-to-day differences that, when added up, make a large collective difference.

Some examples: Houses are optimized for temperature control – Some of this is simply that the houses are older and better insulated – in other words, meant to stand for hundreds of years. But it goes beyond that. Most houses have external blinds/shutters that are tremendous for keeping out light and heat (if desired) during the day. The doors also have the "coolest" feature – if you have the handle in the up position, you can tilt the door forward to let the hot air escape while still keeping the door shut.

In Germany, new construction is required to include solar panels. There are literally solar panels on every other house, and wind turbines everywhere, as well as fields upon fields of solar panels.

The view across our street – every other house has solar panels

A couple of months ago, Germany broke a single day record with coal and nuclear power only accounting for 15% of the overall energy usage.

Recycling is a big deal – I am in equal parts both curious and scared by the place called "RecyclingHoff". "Scared" because I'm sure I will be yelled at in Bavarian by the couple who guard the place and makes sure you don't throw things in the wrong bin. In any case, a trip to RecyclingHof is quite the experience. There are bins upon bins to separate all of your items (for example, about 4 different bins for different colors of glass). There is an entire building where people drop all sorts of useful items for others to peruse and take home – toys, bicycle helmets, beer mugs, etc. There are some serious gems there!

Garbage is not a big deal – The garbage (anything which is not recycled) goes in a tiny container which is picked up every 2 weeks. To put it mildly this is not quite what I've seen in the US. Citizens are incentivized for "green" behavior. On my trip to the store with our host, he was credited 20 euros for a decent collection of bottles that he brought back into the store. How's that for making the grocery bill cheaper?

Our favorite restaurant yet

7. Even expensive areas like Bavaria are more economical than many cities in the US Bavaria is known as one of the most expensive places in the world, and Munich is known for its affluence and expense. So how can I say that it is more economical than many cities in the US? Well, this is entirely based on our impressions and experience, but since we at Joy Adventuring love food, I'll use dining as our way to illustrate this point.

Picture this at a nice US restaurant: You go to the restaurant, you don't get a menu, and you tell the waiter (who happens to be the owner) to bring out his favorite dishes. You proceed to have two glasses of wine each (also the owner's choice), and so much food that you literally can't stuff more in. How much would this cost, say in Seattle? After tax and a tip I'd guess at least $150, with an outside chance that you accidentally ordered something really expensive and it is even more.

Well, this is pretty much what we did at a really nice wine bar in Nuremburg (pictured below) to the tune of about 60 euros (less than $70). Now, the fact is that we ate way too much, so I firmly believe we could have gotten out of there closer to $50. Something similar happened the next night at a tapas bar in Munich, and then again at a natural food store near our house. I'm beginning to see a pattern…

If I had to hazard a guess for why this is the case, I'd say because the food and wine in Europe is typically grown locally, and eating out is such a way of life that it has to be affordable. Local, sustainable, organic – delicious! And yes, we need to stop stuffing ourselves.

The Way of Human Rights

6. Proactive reminders of the horrors of Germany's Nazi history are everywhere Both Munich and Nuremberg played critical roles in Hitler's movement. Munich was really the start of it all. Did you realize that in 1923 Hitler was arrested in Munich and put on trial for high treason? Nuremberg comes into play later, as it was the unofficial Nazi capital and hosted most of the annual rallies for the Nazi party between 1927 and 1938.

Every country has some sordid history, and it just so happens that Germany is high on both the "recent" and "incredibly evil" scale. It's difficult to think of Germany's history without first thinking of the horrors of the Holocaust.

So far, though, what I see is a people who are willing to publicly acknowledge past mistakes and "make it right". Everywhere you turn there are monuments that serve to honor the victims and act as a constant reminder of what can happen when the worst parts of humanity exert power over a nation.

It must be understood that this country's repentant attitude towards past sins also affects modern-day policy. It's not by accident that Germany has lead the world in opening its doors to Syrian refugees, welcoming an astonishing 600,000 Syrians in 2015 alone (for perspective, about 60 times more than the US does on an annual basis – 60 times!

Please take a minute to let that sink in.

There are no easy answers, and there are certainly pros and cons to every government-led approach to a problem like Syria. But I can guarantee you that for hundreds of thousands of Syrians (and their children, and their grandchildren) only eternal gratitude exists for Germany's welcome, as no other country in the world has come even close to stepping up to meet the need in the way Germany has.

In the year 2017, we still think of Nazi's and Hitler and other such evil when we think of Germany. I'm pretty sure in 2050 people will instead think of the outpouring of generosity that this country gave during the Syrian crises. Again, I'll state that this is what leadership looks like.

5. English works pretty well here France and Germany operate very differently in how English is accepted in conversation. Both French and German people know English quite well (in general, especially in cities).

The French are proud of their language (and rightly so, as for much of history it was the language of diplomatic relations), so if you travel outside of tourist zones in France you'd better be prepared to at least start off a conversation with a bit of French (or at least say the traditional French greetings).

Beautiful spot on the River Pegnitz in Nuremberg

This is actually one of the things we love about France (although conversely it can make it much more difficult to complete a simple transaction).

In Germany, it's fine to lead off a conversation by just saying "Do you speak English?". Threequarters of the time the person you are speaking to will be fluent, and the other times they know enough English to get by, and are happy to engage in a conversation without using German.

4. We don't like Bavarian food (side note: there is good non-Bavarian food to be had here) We admit it – we don't like wienerschnitzel, we don't like copious amounts of sausage, and (gasp!) we don't really like Bavarian beer that much.

So what does a couple who doesn't like Bavarian food and drink do with almost 5 weeks in Bavaria?

We use Google, get inventive, and see what amazing non-Bavarian places we can find. So far we've found two amazing restaurants – the aforementioned Italian wine bar in Nuremberg and the tapas place in Munich.

Getting lost in the streets of Nuremburg

3. We don't understand the layout of villages here I'm sure there is some rhyme or reason as to why and how villages are placed or what services they offer, but we truly have not found out yet.

Since we've spent so much time in France, we tend to compare and contrast a lot of our experiences from France. French villages make sense to us. There's typically a boulangerie (bread store), a fromagerie (cheese shop), a pharmacy, a post office, a church, etc. Essentially everything one needs in life is there in the town. Now there are some smaller habitations that don't have those things, but it is usually clearly defined.

Here the layout and size of the towns feels haphazard, and most of the things that you need are not in your town (unless you live in a large one).

As mentioned earlier, in Pischelsdorf we have a barbershop and a pizza place. In the next town there are more services (bank, gas station, grocery, butcher). But if I want to get my coffee maker serviced, for example, I need to go four or five villages away to get anything related to technology.

I think the primary difference is that the villages are everywhere. Exit a village, blink, enter a new village, exit, blink, enter. Why didn't they all just settle together so the services can be closer!?! The end result is that you really have to have a car to do almost anything.

In some ways this may not be that different from France, but it just feels different and more random to us.

2. The Autobahn is insane With the conversion from miles to kilometers, I already feel like I'm going fast. And then there is the Autobahn. On our way to Nuremburg I just stayed out of the fast lane, and watched as a car zipped past at what seemed to be double my speed. It is crazy – be careful out there as some stretches don't have speed limits which means as fast as your little car can go. And it may be said that Germans have a thing for fast cars.

Cali exhausted after a day of play, with no worries about credit cards!

1. Credit cards don't really work in Bavaria This gets the #1 slot because it was completely a surprise, and not a good one. Who doesn't accept Visa or MasterCard? Vendors in the Bavarian countryside, that's who. They accept a German national credit card or Euros and that's all. I have no more words for this – just please be prepared if you plan on visiting Bavaria in the future (note that many places in Munich do accept cards).

As you can see, we are taking in a lot in a short time, which can be a little overwhelming. But I'd say after a week here that we've finally settled in.

RecyclingHof doesn't sound like such a scary place, we know how to meet our basic needs, we've been to the big city, and we are sleeping soundly (thanks to those awesome blinds).

Until next time, you might like to read more about the King Ludwig's Bavarian Castles!

Nate and Terra Joy officially started "Joy Adventuring" in the Summer of 2016 with a whirlwind European trip. Keen to continue their adventures, they've continued with an equally lengthy trip this year. So far in 2017 they've focused on house sitting and more tremendous travel experiences in Germany, Spain and France.

To read more about their traveling and house sitting lifestyle, take a look at their website: http://www.joyadventuring.com You can also follow Nate and Terra as they travel on Facebook and Instagram

THE SEYCHELLES: Experiencing the other side of exotic

by Jenny Lincoln

Imagine landing a house sit in the Seychelles - we were over the moon! Plus it was our first international sit, so we were doubly joyous.

Hold that thought!

Our expectations were about to be blown out of the water - Ouch!

We were blinded by the promise of an exotic location, but soon to discover we also had a month of discomfort ahead!

Seychelles Scenery Doesn't Disappoint When you think "Seychelles", you visualize white sandy beaches, warm crystal clear waters, romantic sunsets, spectacular snorkeling, luxury yachts, billion dollar marinas, hammocks, cocktails, 5 star hotels and restaurants on every remote point.

You won’t be disappointed if you visit this spectacular archipelago of 115 islands on a 5 or 6 star budget. However if you choose to do it "living like a local", you are in for a big surprise!

Like many exotic locations, there's an enormous cultural and financial divide between the tourists and locals. Fueling this divide is the fact that the Seychellois (the local residents and employees within the tourism industry) are originally from East Africa. They were brought across to the Seychelles as slaves for the coffee and sugar plantations.

So, no surprises ... there is an undertone of resentment, jealousy and anger at a local level! This makes for an interesting experience and raises safety concerns - especially considering welfare issues around poverty, teenage pregnancy and substance abuse.

Exotic... Yes... Comfortable... No! Yes, we had an exotic location with spectacular views and sunsets from our enormous verandah, and we were 5 minutes from one of the best beaches (Beau Vallon, Mahe Island) for swimming and diving.

BUT we didn't do our homework on the specifics of our accommodation. Given the proximity of the Seychelles to the equator, alarm bells should have been ringing about basic creature comforts.

For example, air conditioning and / or ceiling fans are useful in 30c+ with 90% humidity!

Windows that close and have glass are important in the wet season! Yes, check that too... what season is it?

Home owners often choose optimal times to visit their homelands. Extreme heat, wet or cold are all good times to make a trip back to the motherland ... so do your research!

Besides the lack of amenities and WIFI, our biggest shock was the state of the house when we arrived. Three rescue dogs and three puppies had the run of the house. So there was fur, pee and poop everywhere.

Alarm bells 2 and 3 - When you Skype the homeowner and the video doesn't work properly, ask specific questions about the state of the WIFI. In the seconds you do get video, don't be

blinded by the view! Make sure you get a full tour of the house so you can assess what you are in for.

Cleanliness can be overcome with a good day's clean, some incense and a few throws over furniture. That doesn’t ruin things for us. Even WIFI can be bought or upgraded.

The main discomfort was the lack of reprieve from the heat and humidity for 30 days and 30 nights! Little did we know, we were "hot-housing" ourselves. The growth and transformation that arose from this house sit surprised us both.

Running the Gauntlet!

Our three rescue dogs were fabulous company. Rhinco, Iris & Mabel were the sweetest, each with their own distinct personality. They loved playing together on the sand, so sunrise and sunset we'd make a dash for the beach.

Just to set the scene, dogs in the Seychelles aren't generally kept as pets but rather for security.

Every household has one to three dogs kept permanently on chains, fed minimally and deprived of any love or affection.

Needless to say, they are hungry, ferocious and will take a bite out of you! Gaye still has the scars to prove it. She courageously put herself between our pack and an aggressive escapee.

This twice daily routine struck terror into the hearts of our three rescue dogs. Truth be known, it scared the crap out of me too! But, this house sit had a surprise upside for me. It helped me conquer one of my childhood fears from when I was bitten by a Doberman.

"Running the gauntlet" taught me to control my fear as it only fed the frenzy of 100+ savage dogs that lined the street to the beach.

Instead I focused on projecting calm loving vibes - not always easy with so many snarly dogs crashing the fences as you walk by. The effect on our dogs and those locked up was incredible.

Sometimes it felt like we were wearing Harry Potter's invisible cloak!

Ah the power of love!

It turned out to be a powerful 30 day practical masterclass in creating courage and calming your fears. We totally believe travel is the best personal development program on the market!

Beer Budget on a Champagne Island Before you apply for and accept a house sit do your homework on the cost of living. This is especially important for exotic destinations that cater to 5 star levels of tourism. It's most likely the restaurants, cafes and supermarkets will be way overpriced. For example, two coffees in the city capital Victoria, Mahe Island, cost us A$19. For us, that's nearly one nights accommodation in Mexico!

Here's how we kept our costs down: Follow the lead of the locals. The only problem here was the favorite food of the Seychellois is fried chicken, chips and gallons of soft drink. Hence the significant increase in obesity and diabetes in the last 5 years! 

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Market Produce - find the local market. It's the heart of any town, city or village and culturally the most exciting place. Watch what the locals pay then barter away. Buying the local seasonal produce vs expensive imports or restaurant food is cheaper and tastier.

Street Food - Go where the locals go. High turnover means less likelihood of contaminated food. We had some fabulous Creole curries from unassuming "holes in the wall". The only way we spotted these places was by following the queues of locals.

Direct From the Farm or Fisherman - if you have the opportunity to buy direct then do so.

We got to know the local fisherman so we had a constant supply of cheap fresh fish.

Funny thing was, we'd buy a snapper for the equivalent of 50c then he'd charge us $1 to scale and gut it!

Ride Local Transport - some of our best trips were on the local buses that careered around corners whilst pumping Bob Marley tunes. Try transporting a dozen eggs in a plastic bag and see how many you get home safely!

Beach Snorkelling or Diving - who needs expensive boat dives when you can borrow a mask, fins and snorkel and bus it to Sunset Beach, Fisherman's Cove (Beau Vallon) or Port Launay. Some of the best coral and tropical fish are just meters away.

Night Markets - you'll find an array of tasty treats, cheap cocktail concoctions and bongo beats. Just remember the local "moonshine" can be dynamite!

Beach Parties - the locals now how to party long and loud, plus it's all BYO (bring your own). Can't get cheaper than that!

House Sitting Lessons Learned The Seychelles was a real growth stage for us personally and in our house sitting careers.

Yes we were blinded by exotica and yes, we got to experience all the beauty the Seychelles has to offer on land and sea. Most importantly, it laid the foundations for the next 3 years of house sitting, where we would create some of the most unique and wonderful experiences traveling the world.

Specially, it helped us... 

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Gain clarity over what was most important for us when applying for and selecting a house sit, for example, unique cultural experiences living like a local, being close to nature, a degree of difficulty that takes us out of comfort zones, a high level of physicality as we miss our gym / boxing workouts.

Establish clear targeting for our house sits - expat families, couples, non English speaking countries, non-tourist destinations.

Identify a few key non negotiables - air conditioning and/or ceiling fans in tropical climates, capability for strong WIFI, and transport in remote locations.

Hone our interview checklist and learn how to ask those burning questions.

Do our homework - climate, cost of living, reviews and references.

In summary The Seychelles was an essential roller coaster ride for us.

Her natural beauty and our adorable pups gave us all the highs we needed. The downsides of physical discomfort, cultural dark undertones, a society full of fear and resentment, and our own fear based challenges, all became a powerful catalyst to change the way we approached and experienced our house sitting responsibilities.

Plus it gave us a greater sense of appreciation and gratitude for all the home owners who have since given us their trust and opened their homes and hearts to us.

Curly Girlies Travel - Two Aussie chicks smashing norms & finding the courage to explore the unknown!

On 9 February 2015, Gaye & Jenny rented their house and headed off overseas for a life of adventure. With only 20kgs each, downsizing from a 4 bedroom house on Sydney's Northern Beaches, it was the most amazingly liberating experience.

28 months ~ 25 countries ~ 200,000+ km later, they are still loving their nomadic life, traveling and house sitting their way around our wonderful planet. Join them on http://curlygirliestravel.com/ https://www.facebook.com/curlygirliestravel/ https://www.instagram.com/curlygirliestravel/ https://www.instagram.com/lincoln_speaks/

8 TIPS FOR IMPROVING YOUR TRAVEL PHOTOS

by Andrea Jordan

Last month Andrea gave us 10 tips for taking great pet photos. This month she advises us on how we can improve our travel photos.

1. Turn your brain on first Whenever I'm asked for tips on photography I always share the best advice I ever received.

Turn your brain on before you turn your camera on.

Stop and think about what you're taking a photo of. Is it a simply a quick holiday snapshot or are you trying to capture a certain mood?

This was the same first tip for taking pet images in last month's issue, because no matter what you are taking photos of, it should always be "brain first".

2. The impact of light Photography is referred to as painting with light. The more you take photos, and review them, the more you'll see the impact of the light you're working with.

Sunrise and sunset are usually the best times to photograph as the light is beautifully soft.

That doesn't mean that photos at other times of the day won't be as good, but you will need to pay more attention to where the light is and how it's affects the subject you're photographing.

Pay attention to where the bright spots and the shadows are within your subject.

3. Watch out for distractions Have you ever taken a photo that you loved but when you uploaded it to your laptop you see the ugly red bin in the photo or the sun burnt tourist?

As you frame your photo take a moment, before you press the shutter, to see if there are any distractions that you need to remove. I'd rather move myself a couple of meters to exclude a distraction than have to spend time in Lightroom, removing it later.

4. Think large, look small Think of one of your favorite travel locations. What do you remember?

Is it the grand scale of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, or the towering peaks of the Fitz Roy mountain in Patagonia?

Or is it the way that every tiny cup of espresso in Rome looked like perfection?

Some of our best memories can be the small details that we see yet when we look at our photos it's only the large scale images that we've captured.

Always keep an eye out for the small details that draw your eye.

I loved the doors in Antigua, Guatemala, as I saw the history of the area in each one. Yet it was the details of the door handles that captured the feel of the town for me and made me think of the many hands that have passed through each door.

Stop and take the time to look at the details.

5. Where is my photo?

When visiting a new place we immediately want to capture ALL of it so we take photos that include every possible thing that we see.

I call this "photographers' panic" - I must capture all of this scene/landscape/festival as it might disappear before my eyes!

These days I'll go with the flow and take a few photos then I'll stop and ask myself "Where is my photo?”

Stop and consider what it is about the scene in front of you that is so wonderful. It may be a smaller part of the scene that you actually want to capture.

6. Leave some space It can be tempting to fill your frame with all of the wonderful details that you see, yet sometimes the best photo is the one where you leave space for the detail to be truly appreciated.

The first photo of the baby "olive ridley sea turtle" fills up the frame so you can see all of the details.

The second photo tells a different story and we get an idea of the epic journey that this tiny creature is about to undertake.

7. Have your camera ready to go Some of the most wonderful moments will be gone in a moment. Make sure that your camera is easy to reach and ready to go.

Make sure the batteries are charged, the memory card has space and the lens is clean.

You don't want to spend time fiddling about with your camera as that avalanche in Antarctica booms down in front of you!

8. Read your instruction manual I can hear you groaning from here.

I know that feeling too, but in order to take great photos you need to know your camera so you can adapt to the situation you're in.

Whether you're using your phone or a DSLR, get to know the settings.

Start basic and build up from there.    

How do you change the exposure?

How do you change the focusing style?

What do the different types of modes on your camera do?

What do you need to change if you're taking an action shot with lots of movement, or a photo of people at night?

While I was wandering the streets of Havana, Cuba I came across a street parade. It was full of glorious color and movement and I had to quickly adjust my camera from still portraits to the movement of dance.

Andrea Jordan has traveled to over 50 countries and all 7 continents. She put her business in her backpack and is now traveling throughout Latin America, house sitting and volunteering in animal shelters as she goes.

She's a keen dog walker & champion bell-scratcher, but it's when she picks up her camera that magic happens. She creates stunning images that capture the personalities of the wonderful creatures she cares for.

You can see her photos and read about her travel adventures and her business life here: http://www.learndiscoverbefree.com

MEXICAN HORCHATA

by Heidi Medina

It's only a couple of weeks into summer here in Denver, Colorado, and the Northern hemisphere and it's already so incredibly hot.

David and I are cooling off with cold glasses of homemade Mexican Horchata and thought that we would share our favorite horchata recipe with you so that you could enjoy a cold glass as well.

You can make Mexican Horchata pretty much anywhere in the world with just a few simple ingredients and no cooking! The main horchata recipe is soaked, blended and strained rice, cinnamon sticks, water, and milk. Other ingredients are added based on preference, such as I add almonds and vanilla to mine.

And while we're drinking our Mexican Horchata cold right now, it's also fantastic hot for those of you experiencing the winter months. David recommends adding a shot of horchata to your coffee. I also like using it as a flavoring in cake or cookies. Just use an equal measurement in exchange for one of the liquids in your chosen recipe.

Another beautiful thing about Mexican Horchata is that it makes a great welcome home treat for both homeowners and sitters alike. It's so easy to make and can store up to 10 days in the fridge (depending on the freshness of your milk).

This recipe makes about 7 cups or 1.5 liters of horchata.

INGREDIENTS: 2 cups long grain white rice 1/2 cup raw almonds* 1/4 cup sugar 1 Mexican cinnamon stick 2 tsp. vanilla 1 12 oz. can evaporated milk* 1 cup whole milk* 4 cups water divided: 3 +1

INSTRUCTIONS      

Place the rice, almonds and cinnamon stick in 3 cups of water in a glass bowl. Cover with a cloth and soak for 6 to 8 hours or overnight.

Pour rice mixture into a blend and puree until smooth.

Strain into a pitcher using a fine mesh or cheese cloth. You might need to strain a couple of times to remove the majority of the solids from the horchata.

Stir in both kinds of milk, vanilla and remaining cup of water.

Taste and adjust to taste with more sugar and water if needed.

Chill until cold and serve as is or over ice.

RECIPE NOTES * If you don't like almonds or have a nut allergy, leave out the almonds. * Use soy, almond or coconut milk for a vegan recipe.

Ciao! I'm Heidi Medina, your personal chef for cooking up fresh, tasty recipes. Since 2012, I have been the writer, creator, food photographer and recipe creator for Simply Sophisticated Cooking.

I believe eating, drinking, loving, laughing and living well are essential ingredients for a good life.

Currently, I’m in the middle of creating the new life/travel site, FlyAwayU, which provides choices for a better quality of life through travel rather than staying chained to society’s norms.

Connect with me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter

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DASHLANE PASSWORD SECURITY

by Ian Usher

Oh dear. I've gone the full Edward Snowdon and become more than a little paranoid about online security.

It all started last month with concerns over logins for our new mapahub meetup website for house sitters. I kept getting nagging reminders telling me the site wasn't secure, and that it might not be wise to enter a password here.

Well, as developer of the website I had to resolve this, and I wrote about it in great detail last month NOTE: mapahub is now a fully secured website.

But my research revealed a serious flaw in my own personal online security habits. I use prettymuch the same username and password combination across many websites, and for a while I have been vaguely aware that this probably isn't a good idea.

The real issue is that if someone manages to get hold of your username and password from one website they can easily try this same combination at other more important websites.

If you use the same login for your banking as for your other, less important accounts, you could still be easily compromised.

A massive data breach at eBay

So with somewhat synchronous timing I received an email from a friend who had just had his eBay account hacked. He hasn't used his account for some time, but the consequences could have been disastrous. Many people link their eBay account to their Paypal account, and of course, their Paypal account is linked to their bank account.

It isn't hard for an experienced hacker to follow the trail back to the bank account, particularly if all passwords used are the same, and suddenly all your money is gone!

How had his account been compromised?

Well, the damage was done back in 2014 when eBay suffered a massive data breach - 148 million customer accounts compromised. It was the second biggest security breach of all time.

Usernames, passwords, email addresses, physical addresses, phone numbers and more. http://info.rippleshot.com/blog/ebay Were you one of these customers?

I don't know if I was, but last week was the first I heard of this - I never received an email from eBay in 2014 suggesting I should change my password. And my eBay username and password combination could possibly access much more if they fell into the wrong hands.

Creating secure passwords So, how do you protect yourself? Well, I've had a very busy week.

The obvious answer is that every website you visit that requires a login should have a different password. These passwords also need to be strong and random. Not your pet's name, your mum's maiden name, your date of birth backwards, or your favourite type of ice cream.

A password should look something like this: -b^92dJ.h4a'i]2?hGwe But how on earth do you remember that? How do you record a different one for each of 50 or more sites you use?

You can get your browser to remember your passwords, but there is a serious concern here too.

If your laptop gets stolen it takes about 10 seconds to find all of those stored passwords.

Do you use Firefox as your browser? Just try this little exercise.

Go to: Tools > Options > Security > Saved Logins and then click the "Show Passwords" button, and click "Yes".

I was shocked. How easily could your laptop be stolen? The thief has immediate access to all of this information.

Maybe you store your passwords in a text file or spreadsheet? Once again, if you lose your computer or phone, all this is available to the thief.

My friend who had his account breached at eBay had the answer. He now uses a password management tool called Dashlane. Every password he has is different. So even with his eBay username and password the hacker could get no further. There wasn't another single account anywhere that used the same combination.

I looked at Dashlane in some detail, and decided to give it a try. I can say without reservation that a week later I feel 100x more secure than I did before.

Dashlane can create unique and secure passwords, and stores them safely behind a master password login. It can import all your passwords from your browser - I had 72 in there - and then make an assessment of your security level. I was around 28% secure, because I had 17 weak passwords, and 46 passwords that had been used more than one time!!

When I looked through these I was amazed at how easily I could lose so much.

I quickly got to work.

I've really enjoyed the process of changing most of my passwords, upgrading my security, and feeling more and more confident about my online safety.

It took a while, but this morning I hit 100% security. "You're a CHAMP," Dashlane told me.

I certainly feel like a bit of a weight has been lifted.

The cost. Nothing!

Dashlane does have a Premium option, which allows password sharing, synchronizing across several devices, and more.

But for free you really can achieve a lot.

How much do you value your online security?

Give Dashlane a try if you want more peace of mind

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Three BIG reasons why you need to join mapahub THIS MONTH 1) FREE 30 DAY TRIAL OF ALL MAPAHUB FEATURES Thanks to all current members who have offered feedback on how we can make mapahub a better tool for all in our house sitting community.

One common factor was that most people wanted to try out all that mapahub has to offer, before deciding if it was something they want to continue to use in the future.

So now anyone can try out mapahub COMPLETELY FREE for 30 days.

2) OUR INITIAL INTRO PRICE OFFER ENDS SOON We will only be offering our Premium Membership intro price of $7 for the first year until the end of September. After that the price will increase to the regular price of $1 per month, billed annually at $12.

So if you register before the end of August you can still enjoy a 30 DAY FREE TRIAL, and at the end of your 30 days, you will still be in time to take up Premium membership at just $7 for your first year.

3) AFFILIATE PROGRAM COMING SOON From September all Premium members will be able to share their passion for meeting fellow nomads by helping to spread the word about mapahub.

And for doing so you will be rewarded with a 50% commission.

What is mapahub?

Find out more here: https://housesitters.mapahub.com/

Recent house sitter meetups made possible by mapahub:

TAKING A YEAR OUT TO CONTEMPLATE NEW BEGINNINGS

by Belinda Beeck

When a long term relationship ended in 2010, I had a lot of time to contemplate what I wanted to do and where I wanted to live. I realized that this was my chance to really shake up my life with debts hopefully being settled and no mortgage to pay.

I'd never had a gap year or a career break.

From school I went straight into university and then straight to a job after graduating. The more I thought about it, the more excited I became about taking a year out for travel, art and exploration. I'd accrued a lot of annual and long service leave from work, so a gap year seemed financially possible.

Planning my gap year But the big question remained, how would I go about planning my gap year away and what did I want it to look like?

The idea of house sitting around the world didn't come straight away. It was after reading many books, travel blogs and listening to podcasts, that I discovered this option and how some people have been able to make it a permanent lifestyle.

I really liked the idea of looking after pets and having them as companions while traveling. I had been around animals most of my life as I was brought up on a farm. Other than through my university years, I'd always cared for a small zoo of animals. From Samoyed dogs, finches, budgies, tropical fish, small parrots and a weero (aka a cockatiel).

Slow travel and house sitting I also liked the idea of slow travel which house sitting would provide. By staying in one place for 2 or 3 weeks or longer, I'd have the chance to explore a town or city in depth and not just be a tourist. The more I thought about it, the more house sitting seemed like the ideal plan for my gap year.

So, on the 30th of March 2017, after finally tying up most of the loose ends from my old life, I finished work for 12 months and started my adventure of slow traveling around the world.

I signed up as a house sitter on numerous websites including:       

TrustedHousesitters HouseCarers AussieHousesitters KiwiHousesitters Nomador HouseSittingTasmania MindMyHouse



I created my house sitting profile, got police clearance and obtained character references from work.

So I wouldn't miss out on any opportunities, I registered for daily email alerts of available house sits and created my own specific date and place alerts as well I purchased e-books about house sitting, read up about house sitting contracts to feel more prepared, and re-listened to podcast episodes on the subject.

To ease the worry about accommodation in between house sitting bookings, I registered with airbnb, couchsurfing, helpx and workaway websites.

  

Starting out locally My first house sit was in Albany, Western Australia caring for two dogs, two cats and an outside pond of Koi fish. I had heard many house sitters recommend finding a house sit in your local area so it doesn't seem so scary and daunting. Albany was only a short bus trip away from my home city of Perth and I knew the area from holidays as a child in the neighboring town of Denmark.

The second house sit was in Deloraine, Tasmania, caring for a Labrador cross and a cat. I had always wanted to travel to Tasmania. It was also in the right direction to head to New Zealand for my third and current house sit caring for a Welsh Terrier at Paraparaumu Beach, North Island.

Unforeseen challenges I have found the house sitting lifestyle both challenging and rewarding. When I started out, I don't think I understood fully the responsibility of the role of being a pet sitter. You are caring for a beloved member of someone's family (their furry child) and need to take this seriously.

New to caring for cats, I had an anxious first night in Albany when one of the cats didn't come back for hours after letting it out. It was a stormy wet night. My mind raced with all the

possibilities of what had happened to this cat, including its possible demise whilst in my care after just one night.

I later found out from the home owner that this was normal behaviour for the cat and it's best to keep the cat from going outside after a particular time in the evening. For my following house sits, I have quizzed the house owners in depth about their pet's routines and behaviour.

And I've asked them to write it down.

The other challenging part of house sitting for me is getting the balance right between being a responsible pet sitter and wanting to explore the town or city you are staying in. I am still working on this balance and not feeling guilty about leaving the pet at home alone for a period of 2-3 hours.

It really comes down to making sure you communicate well with the home owner about expectations around the care of their pets. Before I apply for a house sit, I read the advert thoroughly to try and understand what the house owner is asking of me as a potential house sitter.

If I don't think I can meet their expectations or the pet experience they are requesting I don't apply, even if the location is ideal. I've had two instances where I've had to decline an initial acceptance of a house sit because I realized after further discussions with the house owners, that I couldn't meet their expectations. I felt bad doing this but I think it was the right thing to do for both of us.

The third big challenge of house sitting so far is around dealing with daily guilty feelings of using the resources within the home. Am I using too much electricity? Have I had a too long a shower that day? Oh no, I left the light on accidentally.

Signing a contract with the home owner would probably help with this issue but so far I haven't raised the idea of a contract during my house sits. It's definitely something I need to look into for future assignments.

And for the future?

Despite these ongoing challenges, I'm loving the house sitting lifestyle. As a solo traveler it can be lonely, but caring for a pet and having their companionship means I rarely experience this loneliness. There's nothing better than exploring a town while walking a dog. Whilst out walking I've had several great conversations with locals and other dog walkers.

Staying in a one place for a longer period of time gives you the chance to set up a daily routine, to read the local paper, to go to the library, buy at the nearby supermarket and experience what it might be like to live there.

The money saved doing house sitting has also been surprising.

I rent out my investment property which covers most of my mortgage repayments. I have very few other expenses, just health cover, my mobile and data, and food shopping. So I'm actually saving money this year by house sitting which is exciting!

I'm seriously working on making this gap year a permanent life change with house sitting a big part of it.

Belinda Beeck (known as BB) is very new to house sitting having commenced her first sit in March 2017. She's currently house sitting in Australia and New Zealand with plans for venturing further afield in 2018 to Europe and beyond.

Normally working as a hospital social worker, BB has currently taken paid leave. She has realized now since starting out as a house sitter that she wants to make this a permanent lifestyle and is working hard on building a creative business to fund this transition.

BB is also a self taught illustrator, embroidery artist and photographer. Her art can be found at her Etsy Shop and on her Redbubble Shop For more BB House sitting tales and solo travel adventures see her blog at http://www.BBIllustrations.com

HOW HOUSE SITTING CAN ASSIST WITH RETIREMENT PLANNING

by Jane Dempster-Smith Header photo by Harli Marten on Unsplash

We never thought that house sitting could be considered part of our overall retirement planning strategy. Currently we believe that house sitting gives us a 4% return.

OK, we hear you! How can that be, you ask.

So, let's start at the beginning and ask that dreaded question:

Have you got a retirement plan?

If not, why not?

As soon as you start work these days you should have a superannuation fund – isn’t that planning for your retirement?

When you get closer to your retirement age, and by this we mean at least 10 years out, you should start to consider all your available options.

Remember that most of the Governments worldwide have increased the retirement age from 65 years to approximately 67 years. What's stopping them from increasing it again?

Who wants to be working when they're 70?

We don’t. We're from Australia and our government is trying to undermine the original concept of the Australian Pension.

It was a pension that was to be paid to all Australian workers when they "came of age", a sort of a "right", money back from all the taxes we'd paid during our working life. But now they are trying to "means test" all that we have and own, and eventually they will start to "means test" the family home too.

God help us!

They want us all to work longer, paying more taxes in the long run, filling their coffers, and then they want us also to self-fund our retirement.

What about the likes of us!

We had enough of the corporate environment and needed to get off the treadmill to give time back to ourselves.

We wanted to enjoy our later years and not just be slaves to the corporate world. We're not at retirement age - still many years off - but we've already downsized 3 times. Now, all we have is our carry-on luggage, a day pack for our technology, and some tax files back home in Australia.

We travel and live on the equivalent of the Australian Age Pension which is currently AUD $92 per day (AUD $36,000 per year) for both of us. Our living expenses include all our flights, transport, accommodation, food and incidentals. When we were living and working in Australia, it was costing us AUD $165 a day to live!

Check out the maths – it's cheaper for us to travel the world than to sit on our sofa back in Sydney.

Why do we do it?

We do it for our love of travel, and to know that when our time comes to retire, we can still carry on our current lifestyle if we really want to, and if we're still fit enough to do so.

How can we travel and not work?

We have an investment property that covers our monthly spend and our travel lifestyle website www.totraveltoo.com is now starting to become financially viable. We also have other investments.

For the past 2 years our travel budget has come in right on dollar!

Well, that is except in Barbados where on the last day we had a surplus of AUD $250. We wined and dined at a very expensive waterfront restaurant and enjoyed celebrating another year of coming in on budget.

How do we stay on budget?

House Sitting!

In the last 2 years we have enjoyed approximately 6 months of house sitting each year in exotic locations such as Barbados, Panama, Nicaragua, Mexico, Ecuador and France. Our daily costs can come down to AUD $20 a day in some destinations.

How is this part of our strategy and where did we get the 4% return?

Let's look at a calculation* Our government believes we need AUD $58,000 per year to live, per couple, and they call that a "comfortable" living.

Supposing we live till 87 years of age after our government mandated retirement age of 67 - a stretched lifestyle of 20 years. We would need to have AUD $1,160,000 in our retirement pot to fund our lifestyle, as recommended by the government.

If we looked at having an investment that provided a return to fund what we consider a comfortable "Age Pension", we would need to have at least AUD $1,500,000 in an investment returning at least 4% per annum. And who has that amount in their fund? *These are estimates only.

House sitting fills the gap and gives us the opportunity to travel the world, enjoying a good life, visiting places we previously only dreamed of. The more house sitting assignments we undertake in a year, the less we break into our budget. It's a win win for us!

Please try not to get into checking out the maths too much. The purpose of this article is to inspire folks to let go of the conditioning, not waiting until you think you have enough in your "super funds" to start a transition to the retirement lifestyle.

Actually what we've realized is that retirement is in fact an opportunity to reinvent our purpose, to live with less and to understand that we have more, with less.

More of what you might ask?

More of time.

When we are "time poor" we consume more in the way of consumer packaged goods and thrill seeking holidays to replenish the time we have committed to the corporate world.

So how do you start?

Set your intentions.

Establish the details of your budget. Where are you spending your money and where are you each day when you're spending that money?

Once you've tracked what you spend you can review how you spend your money. Look at all of your assets to see which are appreciating or depreciating, and get rid of any that are not making you money.

Start the path to minimalisation By reducing your footprint your costs will come down and you'll have more time. If you love travel, do as we do, and travel to lower cost regions i.e. Mexico. There we can live for the same cost in a month as we do for one week in Australia. House sitting covers our accommodation and the cost of living is much lower.

We track our daily costs by using an expense App such as Trail Wallet, and also the good old Excel spreadsheet. These are reviewed weekly to ensure we are still on track.

Here are the countries we've visited over the last few years of traveling on the equivalent of the Australian Age Pension:            

Thailand Spain Sweden France Montenegro Croatia Bosnia Panama USA Mexico Cuba Barbados

What does our retirement look like?

Our intention is to receive the Australian pension at the eligible retirement age. We will complement and therefore add value to our Age Pension by continuing to house sit, and also continue to live a minimal life and travel to exciting low cost countries. All contributed to by living on an Age Pension.

How do you imagine you'll be living in your retirement?

Jane Dempster-Smith - Travel Guru and Co-Founder of To Travel Too Over the past four decades, Jane’s passion for travel has taken her to over 44 countries. Having lived and worked in Australia, the UK and Singapore, she has extensive experience in all aspects of travel, from airport ground staff, to air hostessing, retail, corporate and group travel. She’s enjoyed flying in two seaters, hot air balloons and even on Concorde.

Jane now offers her skills to baby boomers who want to change their lives - to travel light and travel far.

You can find Jane Dempster-Smith on Facebook and at her website: www.totraveltoo.com

DIY ROOF REPAIR FOR HOME OWNERS One of the primary reasons that home owners use house sitters, is to keep their property safe and secure (along with the pets of course).

If a house sitter is looking after a home over a long term assignment, it might be necessary to periodically check the structure is sound, especially in remote, tropical or extreme weather locations.

It's prudent for the home owner to also check that their house is in order, so to speak, before handing over the keys. And, one component of the property that is often not assessed until a leak or other problem occurs, is the roof.

This month we've asked specialist roofer, Jerry Albertson, to provide some simple DIY tips that could help home owners fix or avoid any potential problems before leaving their property. This might also assist house sitters with identifying the cause of a leaking roof so they can notify the owner and oversee essential repairs.

If you are using house sitters to look after your home, then it's a good idea to check your roof well in advance of their arrival. You don't really want problems with your roof while you're

absent from your home. Wherever possible, carry out any remedial work well before your sitters arrive.

Why a roof is the most important part of your house

by Jerry Albertson

A roof is the basis, the most important part of a house. It is vital as it offers protection as well as insulation, so a proper quality roof is essential. The roof is also arguably the most vulnerable part of your home because it is exposed to the elements, more than any other part.

If it is not cared for properly, it can cost you time, money and many headaches. Maintenance is key to preventing damage to the roof and unnecessary repairs.

Sometimes, on the other hand, repairs are inevitable, as we cannot predict the weather, for example, and how much damage it will cause. Or simply because a roof's durability and quality will deteriorate with time. A roof's quality cannot be the same, after 10 to 20 years, as it was when it was first set up.

Preventative Maintenance First of all, roof repairs can be avoided and prevented through regular maintenance. Prevention is key, so first it is important to know some of the basics of roof maintenance, which can be helpful in both future prevention and repair work.

The roof should ideally be checked at least twice a year, every six months – at the beginning of spring and the beginning of fall.

You can begin your inspection inside your house, even before going to the roof, where you should look for signs of water damage such as:   

leakages mold paint peeling off the walls

Any of these indicators could mean your roof has some small holes or is leaking due to some other damage.

When on the roof make sure to unclog the drains since dirt and debris usually accumulate there, which in turn causes the roof to rot.

Some of the most common damages to the roof are torn or broken shingles or tiles, which can be easily repaired if there are only a few of them. If you have metal roofs or some metal parts, those should be checked for corrosion and rust.

Clean the roof of moss, fungus or algae. In the end, make sure, everything is firm, tight and in place, such as pipe, flashing and the supports of the roof.

But damages happen even to best of us, as much as we try to avoid them, and two of the most common types are broken tiles and leaking roof.

Here are some DIY tips for home owners on how to repair them.

Editor's Note: For house sitters, NEVER attempt roofing or structural repairs. Always consult with your home owner about any necessary repairs and find out who they would like to carry out essential work in their absence.

Repairing tiles Broken or missing tiles (either slates or shingles) are the most common problem with roofs.

To remove a broken tile and replace it you can use a slate ripper, if it is a slate, or a simple hacksaw blade for any other type. With these tools first cut the broken tile, and then you can lift a little the tiles above the broken one to pull the rest of it out.

Some tiles are attached to the roof and to one another through furring strips and others can be attached by inter-locking joints. So you will also need to detach the broken tiles from the furring strips or undo the inter-locking joints. Then simply place a new tile attaching it to the furring strip, making sure it fits well, that it is firm and stable, and that it is well adjusted with the other tiles.

Repairing a leaking roof A leaking roof is a problem that needs to be dealt with quickly because it can lead to bigger, more complicated problems, such as mold, rot, and insulation damages.

The first thing to do is to find out where the leak is coming from so that you can know what has to be fixed. Start by locating the water stains in your house, on the walls so that you can better position the damage.

Look for roof penetrations, maybe some objects that could have punctured it. If you still can't find it, it probably means that the hole is small so the best solution is to try to locate it by pouring water from a hose slowly across your roof.

Most commonly, the leaks will come from a broken or curled back shingles or tiles. If the shingle is broken or damaged, then it will need to be replaced. This was described in the previous section, and should be applied in this case as well.

If, on the other hand, your shingle is curled back then you will need to straighten it. It should be easy to do, unless the weather is colder. In that case you should heat it a little to soften it.

You can use your hair-dryer, but do not use an open flame to do it, as you can cause a fire or ruin the shingle with too much heat. After you have straightened it, reattach it to the roof with a lot of asphalt roof cement. The shingle will be as strong again, and the roof leak repaired.

This article was written by Jerry Albertson, writer for South Shore Roofing

DISASTER PLANNING Understanding why house sits might go wrong will be one of the hot topics in next month’s issue of House Sitting Magazine

Available from 15th September 2017

The small print Reproduction - Reproduction in whole or part without written permission of the publishers is prohibited.

Disclaimer - Information provided in this publication is intended for educational and entertainment purposes only.

It should not be used as travel, lifestyle, financial or legal advice. You should always consult with your qualified and licensed professional practitioner. The publisher accepts no responsibility for the accuracy of any of the opinions, advice, representations or information contained within this publication. The publisher expressly disclaims responsibility for any adverse effect that may result from the use and application of the information contained in this magazine. Readers should rely on their own advice and enquiries when making decisions affecting their interests.

Publishers - The opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the publishers. House Sitting The ultimate lifestyle magazine is published by Ian Usher and Vanessa Anderson.

Email: contact@HouseSittingMagazine.com.

The publishers assume no responsibility for unsolicited materials.

Copyright 2017 by Ian Usher. All rights reserved.

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