Gold Coast - we hit the jackpot!

Two beautiful Jack Russells and a home in a central quiet estate with lots of bike paths and parks

We love these two Jack Russells, Candy and Parker, who we looked after in 2016 and now at Christmas 2017/2018.  A mum and her son who are absolutely the most amazing little dogs.

We arrived just before Christmas to see the owners off on their holidays and settled in with Elmo with the joy of having a wonderful swimming pool and we got straight in as the weather was hot and steamy.

Candy and Parker never showed interest in entering the pool, but Elmo was in his element, he loved playing ball in the pool, trying to pick up the ball from the edge, his head bobbing in the water, often, falling in and dog paddling to try and get out.  We used the pool every day, usually after spending some time in the garden, getting hot and sweaty.  

Walks in the cool of the morning and late afternoon when the heat had died down, there was a lovely park backing onto the property and was very popular with the dog population.  We also took them to Emerald Lakes where there are amazing walks and bike paths around the man-made lake and great coffee shops, which we frequented often.  Lots of bird life throughout the wetlands and plenty of places to walk and bike.  

It was the perfect place to take off on our Indian Motorcycle up to the mountains for lunch or coffee.

We rode through winding green roads for miles and miles.   

Unlucky for us, Candy bit into a cane toad on the 2nd day and had an episode, she was so quick, I couldn't get there fast enough to catch the toad.  Straight away we washed her mouth out with water from the hose and rang the vet and told them we would be straight in.  We were sure she had swallowed the poison and she started to have convulsions, then she went stiff as a board.  The 20-minute ride to her vet was extremely stressful, but we tried to keep her quiet and cool with the air conditioning on full blast.  It was such a relief to hand her over to the vet so she would get the care she needed.  She stayed in overnight while a drip was performed and we picked her up the next morning.  Of course, the owner was contacted immediately and they confirmed we had done exactly the correct thing.  Apparently, this was the 4th time Candy had tried to eat a toad.  (She must have 10 lives and she is a very strong little dog).  It was very traumatic for us and we kept a sharp eye around for more toads the rest of our stay.   It really is important for the owners to have information for the dog and house sitter to read and be ready for any emergency.    We love those little dogs and didn't want anything to happen to them on our watch!

3 cats in Townsville Late September 2017

Looking after 3 cats for 2 weeks 

Siamese cats and an amazing young Devon Rex, Yoda, for 2 weeks in September 2017 was a challenge for they were not allowed outside.
The house was a gorgeous timber home on stilts with a lovely overgrown garden and pool in the back-yard which we used lots.
Luckily the Siamese were not interested in leaving the lounge room and back verandah where they could see the world move slowly by.  They were no trouble.
The mischievous Devon Rex, however, was an escape artist and had us running madly to stop him escaping from the rest of the house.  He did have a cat run down in the garden where we would take him daily so he could roll around in the dust and grass, which he loved.
He was very quick and each time we wanted to go out the front door, the Devon Rex had to be held back while we tried to sneak out.  He was a handful but a character and we fell in love with him.  He was long and slim, big eyes and eyes and couldn't keep still.  The two Siamese did not like him so he was not allowed into the kitchen and lounge room, which was a bit sad for him, he did so want to come in with everyone, but the Siamese had taken a dislike to him and would beat him up.
For 2 weeks we worked in the overgrown garden, weeding, cutting back, watering and generally cleaning up debris and dead plants.  We were very pleased with the result, for it was a labour of love, what a garden.
The house in Belgium Gardens, wasn't far from the doggy beach, so we used to ride down with Elmo and take him for a swim and play.
This house-sit was a nice change and we enjoyed it.

On the Strand at Townsville - an amazing place to stay in this large coastal city

September found us for a month in the city of Townsville and we were very lucky to stay in a beautiful federation home just off the strand at North Ward looking after 2 beautiful dogs called Tucker and Tula.

Young and full of energy, walking them morning and night was a complete pleaure as the owner has spent a lot of time with obedience.  They are both large dogs and they heeled so beautifully and really enjoyed my extra long walks in the early morning.  We would take off just after dawn and walk up Castle Hill to the lookout and back down again.  There are a number of ways to get up the hill and we found them all, they were excellent company.

Louie and I also took all three dogs to the doggy beach at Pallandera where all of them had such fun, coming home absolutely exhausted after running and swimming for a couple of hours.  It was such fun.

Our beautiful home had amazing gardens, however Townsville was under strict water restrictions, consequently we had to water via hand hose twice a week, so up before dawn both of us out and with the hoses, to keep there gorgeous gardens alive.

We were spoilt on Paw Paw as the garden had copious plants laden with the fruit, it was amazing.

A month at the Top end - Darwin

A month at the top end with a family of cats, dog, chookies and fish - August 2017

What a wonderful time we had in Darwin and what a long way it is to get there!

Our house sit was on the north side of Darwin in a lovely townhouse that backed onto a large communal park.  The owners were so lovely, they organised a secure place for us to park the van and we even had an undercover park for our motorbike.

And did we use the motorbike?   I will never forget the evening rides into the city and along the waterfront, with the warm wind in our hair.  The Mindil Sunset markets were visited once a week for dinner and a browse, while we checked out the other Asian markets during the week for our fresh fruit and vegetables. They were fantastic.

We also loved the outdoor cinema down on the waterfront where we saw some beautiful films and had outdoor dining.  It was a treat.

Elmo got on great with dear little Polly, and the two cats thought he was interesting and seemed to know he was old and blind, whereas Elmo couldn't really see them that well and kept his distance, he wasn't threatened by them.  

Meal times turned out to be tricky, luckily the cats fed on the benches so the puppies couldn't pinch any.  The red bantam girls were a treat, easy to look after and they let you know when it was meal time.  I even got so friendly with them, I could pick them up and give them a cuddle and scratch.

The weather was hot and dry and we tended to walk Polly in the early morning or late evening when it was cooler.  There was a new housing estate across the road which gave us endless fascination looking at all the styles and colours, the houses are totally different to houses down south.

After feeding and walking, Louie and I would get our fold up bicycles, load Elmo on the back and ride for miles exploring the area.  The big shopping centre nearby had a great outdoor area where Elmo could sit, so coffee occurred here quite regularly.  

We did one trip to Litchfield National Park early one morning on the motorbike, actually leaving in the dark so we could get there early and come back early.  The waterfall s were beautiful and we managed to have a swim in twin falls.

We loved Darwin and will be going back again winter 2018.