I'm looking for someone friendly & reliable to take care of our house & pets while I take my son to the UK to surprise my sister for her 40th.
We live in a small friendly cul-de-sac in a small friendly village 10 minutes or so from Palmerston North I'd had a housesitter lined up, but she's changed her plans & is moving to Australia to join her family sooner than she'd thought, so I'm looking for someone at fairly short notice Ashhurst - our small friendly village :) - is right at the entrance to the Manawatu Gorge, where the Ruahine & Tararua ranges join, & there are beautiful views of the hills & river, plus lots of lovely places to walk & easy access to the East Coast if you want to explore that way Ashhurst has about 3000 people, nice cafes & a real community feel to it. It's got all the basics in terms of shops, post shop, takeaways, etc, but it's definitely rural rather than a suburb of Palmerston (which is very close when you want supermarkets & city things).
Our house is at the end of a wee cul-de-sac with friendly, quiet neighbours. It's not new, but it is warm, private & very comfortable, with a big sheltered deck. We get all-day sun in winter - Ashhurst's always sunny, obviously :) - & there's a log burner which keeps the whole place very cosy The animals are all pretty straightforward to look after. There are two dogs, who love people & are used to socialising with other dogs. They live inside & are very good at supervising the fire :) Our cat is old & very friendly, plus there's a bunny & a dozen chooks in the back garden.
I don't have a car available, but there's plenty of secure off-street parking behind a big gate.
My parents live just down the road - they're coming to the UK, too, but they leave a few days after us,so they'd be around to help you settle in initially, & Mum will be back on the 8th of June.
The length of the 'sit' could be flexible, so please contact me with any questions.
Hope to hear from you soon :)