The winterless north, Kerikeri - Mar/Apr/May 2021

 

We were lucky enough to be chosen for a three month sit on a lifestyle block in the Far North.  Lucky for a few reasons.  This area of NZ is warmer that anywhere else and seeing as we were heading into winter, something we prefer not to do, this was the perfect location for us.  Lucky also as extended sits such as this have become scarce in these post Covid times as people are unable to travel overseas for the winter.  These homeowners were instead packing up there motorhome and heading to the South Island for three months.  Lucky us.  We were ready to settle down for a bit after our own travels in the south.

We would be caring for Poppy, the dachsund

Mr Pip, the eclectus parrot

Mr Pip gets to fly with his mum

Annie, the Shetland pony and her friends, the gotland sheep

And a number of really cute chickens .... leghorns and bantams

Poppy was the cuddliest snuggliest pup we have had for a while.

Time to get up Poppy? Not yet!

We had never cared for a parrot before and soon became very enamoured with Mr Pip.  We were lucky enough to hear him talking .... calling Poppy in the way that we do ..... when he thought we weren't listening.  He would also announce our arrival when we had been out somewhere and call to us in the morning if he thought we should be up and about.

Mr Pip enjoying his daily shower

We were pretty busy around the farm each day.  Everyone needed feeding once or twice a day.  Annie was brushed once a week and had her poops picked up daily.

Poppy loved helping round the farm, whether it was chasing chickens out of the garden, weeding the chicken runs or helping James in the garden.

We woke up one morning to a major leak in the side of the water tank.  James was able to fix it, but this was just another reminder of why "housesitting" is more than just caring for the pets and farm animals.

And when we weren't busy working, we got busy playing.

Poppy was sooooo much fun to hang out with.  At the beginning of our sit the weather was warm enough for swimming in the pool.  Poppy equally enjoyed these times as her beloved ball became part of the game.

Poppy playing with one of her 'babies'

Which then required her baby to go to the pet hospital

Speaking of which, Poppy herself got taken to the vets when she wasn't feeling well. 

In the waiting room

Feeling a little sorry for herself

Plenty of cuddles and a few pills soon saw here bouncing back to full health.

Our next mission was to introduce Poppy to our passion for fishing.  Well, she took to that like a duck to water, so to speak!

Occasionally, we even caught a fish

Clare got a job at the Seeka kiwifruit packhouse just around the corner from home.  This was a new thing for us.  Going to work has not been something either of us has done since 2015!  We all soon slotted into the routine with James and Poppy keeping the home fires burning and the kitchen pumping out food, mostly from the garden.

As usual, we made plenty of time in our lives to kick back and relax.