We are Leon and Barbara, Australians who have been living in Canada for the past forty five years and we love to travel. Having travelled and lived in various other countries in our twenties, we sold our too big family house upon retiring and spent a year house sitting our way around Australia. We have now successfully completed fourteen house sits of varying durations, including looking after a farm stay operation in Western Australia for nine weeks and a forty acre hobby farm in NSW for eight weeks. Upon our return to Canada we did a two month winter sit before heading over to Greece for six weeks to prepare a villa for summer rentals. We have now purchased a smaller house east of Toronto but wish to continue sitting as we have enjoyed this mode of travel.
For the nine years prior to retiring we were members of the Homelink house exchange club and have been responsible home and pet sitters while experiencing ten wonderful exchanges in Australia and Europe. We are once again avid home exchangers, having done another thirty four in the past ten years and bringing our total up to forty four.
We are non-smokers and non-drinkers, happily married for fifty years and in good health.
We have previously worked on two country estates belonging to high profile Toronto stockbrokers for a total of eleven years where our duties included grounds, pool and equipment maintenance, housekeeping, cooking, gardening, carpentry, chauffeuring, horse and pet care, and sourcing and dealing with various contractors.
In addition we have been homeowners for the past forty five years, living on country acreage with the same responsibilities. Over the years we have loved and looked after a variety of our own dogs and cats.
Leon has worked as a construction foreman and an automotive mechanic in South Africa. He has considerable other construction, carpentry, electrical, plumbing and engine repair experience. For thirty four years also Leon worked as plant manager in a flour mill and for twenty years Barbara ran her own custom drapery and design business.
We have raised four children who had all done well in their chosen fields and we are looking forward to spending our retirement years travelling.
Ideally we would like exchange our Canadian winter for house sits in warmer climes. We have already done winter sits in Greece, Thailand, Madeira, and Ecuador. We would love to return to England and Europe for periods throughout the remainder of the year. In the winter of 2019 we are seeking a sit possibly in the Caribbean, South or Central America.
References available upon request. We both have police clearances.