As I mentioned in an earlier post, adaptability is key to our house sitting lifestyle. Despite the worldwide pandemonium, our life really has not been negatively influenced. In fact, it is going well. A couple of weeks ago we had settled into a fantastic cabin just outside of Calgary and were prepared to wait out the restrictions on travel. However Karen never ceased in her efforts to check for possible house sits even after having several cancellations. And like magic, an absolute dream opportunity appeared in northwest Calgary.

Valley View
We are looking after a beautiful home in the Symons Valley. We back onto a lovely creek and have a large garden to keep us busy as the summer rolls around.

For the next five months we get to enjoy an aspect of rural life while being near our family in this challenging time. Some might call it luck, I’d call it never giving up.

Canadian Goose
We have an abundance of birds constantly flying over and nesting in and around our property. Honestly it never gets old watching Canadian Geese trying to land on your roof with their webbed feet. They get it done, but graceful is not the word.
Fresh Spring Growth
In addition to the fields of crocuses in the valley around us, we have a wonderful selection of plants starting to bloom in the yard. We are particularly excited about the rhubarb. Haven’t had fresh rhubarb in years.
Great Horned Owl with Babies
The other sign of spring is the babies appearing all around us. This owl with her two owlets have a nest on the north edge of the property. As well, there are a lot of rabbits running around.
Swainsons Hawk
Right beside the house a pair of hawks are building a nest. It makes for an enjoyable morning coffee sitting and watching them work through the second story window.

Life indeed is very good right now.

Welcome to our travel blog. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to say, "I'm out of here?" Well we did, and in 2013 we made it a reality. We sold or gave away all of our possessions other than what fit in our luggage and we set off on an endless adventure. Part of our goal is to share our experiences with others and hopefully provide some information, motivation, or just a moments escape. The general idea was to look for a place that would be ideal to settle down in. However in the meantime it is about experiencing life in different countries amongst different cultures and learning how to understand and appreciate each other. A large part of our time is spent housesitting which provides an excellent opportunity to experience more of the "normal" neighbourhoods as opposed to the tourist locales. Though we make sure to enjoy those as well. So through plenty of photographs and a running commentary come and share with us our life on the road.

7 comments on “Spring Has Sprung

  1. Judith Shaw

    That looks soooooo wonderful. Glad you are able to enjoy it. Also happy that you are sharing it with us.

  2. Rosemary Hosking

    What lovely news. “Never give up” certainly reaps it’s rewards. We enjoy reading your posts and hearing how our Canadian friends are fairing during these challenging times. We in Australia are making progress with over two weeks with no new cases in S A and schools resuming here in South Australia..
    Keep well! This week we welcomed a new puppy into our home. Zoe our Cavoodle puppy is ten weeks old and came to us overland from Sydney after first spending two weeks with our daughter in Sydney while we waited for a puppy transport for her..

    • We are happy to hear of your new addition. We would love to see some pictures of your new puppy. I am glad you enjoy the posts.

  3. Maureen Greaves

    I love the owls – I hope you have more opportunity to take photos while they grow.

  4. Pingback: COVID-19 & House Sitting Around The World | Estate Sitting

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