Hi
Update: We have found a housesitter for the Christmas period, but are also looking to housesit in the US, preferably the SouthWest, for some of this period, or houseswap next spring. This winter, we will be flying to San Francisco and travel southwards from there (by car); next spring, we'll be at the East Coast going from New England towards Chicago.
So if you are located in any of these areas and are looking for two experienced and reliable adults, do get in touch!
We have just spent a year completely refurbishing our house in central Mapperley (Nottingham) and are looking to get away for a long holiday over Xmas and New Year.
Our house is a 3(now 4)bed large victorian semi, very centrally located with just a 10mins bus ride into Nottingham city and equally close to the surrounding countryside! Mapperley is a great location with a nice mix of people and you have everything that you need on a daily basis literally around the corner, including coffee shops, deli, supermarket, post office, petrol station etc.. As mentioned, the house is brandnew refurbished in all respects, incl.underfloor heating, woodburner, walk-in shower, bath etc.., BUT the house is not quite(ca.90%)finished, so it's a bit of a half-way between luxury and frugal living - the kitchen and bathroom, however, are fully functioning, as are two bedrooms and the lounge, just the decorating is not quite there yet. There is also an office/desk-work area, which would be fine to use if needed. We also have high speed broadband internet and Virgin TV. The reason why we want a housesitter is that we have two just about 1 year old cats, Missy & Monster (both female), which are adorable and no fuss at all and which we would prefer not to place in a cattery. They have just started going out (via infrared catflap), but are still new to the outside world, so we like to keep a bit of an eye on them and would ask the housesitter to do the same. There are loads of things to do in and around Nottingham, whether you are interested in culture, shopping or the local wildlife, and just about any larger city within England can be reached within a couple of hours by train or car, so there are plenty of opportunities for exploring the country.
Obviously we would expect the housesitter to respect the property and would ideally like to meet/talk to candidates before making a decision.
Best Regards Stephanie & Tony