After many long years of full-time employment as a teacher, academic, and communications executive I now work online which frees me up to be almost anywhere, anytime, I just need a reasonably sound internet connection to keep me in touch with my students.
I love to travel and I take advantage of any opportunity that comes up. I particularly like to embed myself into a place to shop and cook with local ingredients that may not be entirely familiar to me and to just enjoy the experience of being in a new place.
I've raised 3 wonderful children who have given me 5 equally wonderful grandchildren. They don't live nearby so I appreciate the numerous ways that we can keep in touch that my mother's and father's generation didn't have.
I've lived in NZ, Australia, and the UK and, in those places, I've looked after many different homes, gardens, and pets, some of them my own and others belonging to friends and family. I'm adaptable, have a New Zealander's sense of humour (which you might understand takes a bit of getting used to!), and I will treat your home as if it wasn't mine (see what I mean!).
My family lives in Norway, New Zealand, Queensland, Canada and the UK so I'm always particularly up for a visit these shores, however, I haven't been to a place yet that I didn't slot myself into and end up loving! My easy going nature means I can feel at home pretty much anywhere so where to next!
I practice yoga like an eternal novice, read avidly, write for academic publications, walk and cycle for pleasure and watch documentaries because they fascinate me. I live near the beach so I'm lucky enough to be able to swim most of the year. Both my parents were creative and passionate gardeners who passed on to me a bit of a green thumb. I only have a small courtyard garden these days but manage to produce abundant figs, mangoes, papaya, blueberries, grapes, lemons, limes, and passionfruit in amongst a bit of a forest of flowers and other kinds of trees and shrubs.
I have a rag-doll cat who shows disdain for the idea that she's an indoor cat so she has the run of the complex during day-light hours. She's managed to ingratiate herself into the lives of the dalmatian next door.
I handle challenges with the eye of someone who can always see the best kind of outcome and I can usually make that happen. On a recent trip to India, my visa wasn't in order so rather than be deported to Australia, as required by immigration, I negotiated to fly to Nepal, a place I'd never been to before. From there I sorted out my visa and spent 3 delightful days in Kathmandu while doing so. It was the highlight of my trip!
I look forward to looking after your home and little pets if required. I have few ties to my home so can usually pick up and move fairly quickly.
Paula