Brisbane Pet Sit

We are taking a break from our house sit in Toowoomba to do a pet sit in Brisbane for a few days. We are taking care of Jazz, a yellow Lab, while her mum and dad are away. We took her out to the local dog park for some off-leash time with a tennis ball.

Recent Activities

We are pet sitting in Staunton while friends do some pet sitting of their on in London. Between petting and feeding, we are still trying to finalize our travel preparations. We made a visit back to the house to make another pass at packing and I think we have now packed all that we can before really are ready to pull out of the drive way.

Our Current Residence

View from the front gate.

Thought everyone would like to see a little about accommodations. We are staying in a delightful bungalow walking distance from the Thamalakane River. Like every other place here, there is a fence and a gate with a padlock.

Filling in the Details

A Google map's eye view.

We have booked the second stop on our Australian tour: Lemon Tree Passage. It is in New South Wales located about a 45 minute drive from Newcastle and a couple hours from Sydney. Two dogs and a cat are waiting for us.

This visit is for a half a month and looks like a perfect place to walk the dogs, enjoy the beaches, and with a little luck, see some koalas in the wild. Ah... to be at the beach in November!

About Stockholm

I write this from the airport, having finished a breakfast sandwich and some coffee that would have powered the entire 7th Fleet for a week. The instant caffeine headache is slowly subsiding. It seems like a good time to post a few thoughts on our first visit to Sweden.

Waiting for the tram on Strandvägen.

Gamla Stan

The Christmas Market in the Stortorget Square in Gamla Stan.

Old Town is a fun place. Lots of old but well maintained buildings and delightful stores. Above is a view of the annual Christmas Market. Although we've been told (repeatedly) on the web that the Stockholm has some of the best markets, it didn't seem to be anything special. Compared to Vienna, it is small. The selection on Gamla Stan is very good, not extensive. Lots of toys and candy. Some choices of mulled wine and sausages, but these are more limited. Of course, compared to the gigantic "market" in Hyde Park, London, this is a backwater. The one in London is what it would look like in the US if we did such a thing - overdone, extensive, exhausting, wonderful, impressive, and expensive.

A Bit of Petting Sitting on the Side

Edith Ann

Elizabeth is engaged in bit of dog sitting in Harrisonburg just now. Her charges are couple of handsome American Bulldogs. I show up in the evenings to help with the walking duties.

Yesterday, we took the "kids" out for a ride since their mom says they enjoy such things. We had a nice ride through some the Mennonite farmland found around the south side of town followed by a bit of a walk to handle the "necessary" issues.

I'd show you a photo or two of Edith's brother, Hank, but he is a harder subject to capture - he's always moving, and if you bend over to photograph him, he's right there before you can click the shutter. We have time yet, perhaps I'll get him.

Plans Are Set

The Vasa Museum (Photo Ola Ericson).

The wheels are turning, and travel plans are getting made. We are really going to Stockholm for Christmas!

And since there is always need of a bit of time at the beginning and end of travel to match travel and house sitting schedules, we are staying before and after our house sit in a hotel that is a ship.

LogInn Hotel, M/S Kronprinsesse Märtha, located by the Södermälarstrand.

Do you think I can manage to get sea sick while the ship is tied up in port? This is going to be fun!

A bit of a pet sit

McGuire is relaxed.

Doing a bit of pet sitting this weekend. I thought I'd share some photos of the cats. Rumor has it that the internet needs more cat photos(?). Above you see McGuire. He is indeed an ample creature with great confidence that all is safe.

His brother, Dougal gives the impression of not really paying attention to me with his staring out into space.

Dougal sees spacemen.

No matter how many times I try to photograph him, he always has this vacuous stare -- "Zandor, I hear and obey". Beautiful cat with a silky coat and very friendly.

Livin' for free

Living in East Finchley, UK.

Thanks to the internet, there are ways to find places to live without cost. Well, without paying money at least.

We discovered in about mid-2013 that web sites exist for just this sort of thing. Thanks to clever folks who had a great idea, there is now a way to connect people who have home, and often pets, that need to be watched while they are away with folks who are interested in helping them out. So if you are responsible, clean, and enjoy pets, that is made to order.