As I sit here looking out the window at a perfect New Years Day I am filled with a mixture of hope and concern. It certainly has been a hell of a year on many fronts and even though it really is just another day, the beginning of a new year does seem to bring with it a sense of hope. Having said that, 2020 has had more than it’s collection of things I am very thankful for.

If one is not allowed to travel as one is used to, being “stuck” in a location like this is pretty darn good.

The house sitting lifestyle that we have come to enjoy over the last several years depends heavily on the ability to get up and go to whatever location strikes our fancy. And honestly, winter in Canada usually does not strike our fancy these days.

If you are going to be stuck here in winter though, having a beautiful home to look after certainly takes the edge off things.
Of course house sitting comes with its challenges. Like watching a young inexperienced driver crash through your front gate and then try and leave the scene. Turns out I can still move quickly for an old guy.

As we look back I can honestly say we are glad it all worked out the way it did in 2020. Aside from the house sitting gig we have secured for the balance of the coming year and being close to home to deal with some pesky health care challenges, there were several other outstanding events we were able to take in.

Being able to watch the growth of three Great Horned Owls in our yard, two of whom have chosen to stick around all year has been a daily joy.
Taking part in a socially distanced birthday party for my awesome Mom.
Travelling with incredible friends to the mountains for a boys day out. The ability to have friends close by that you can rely on without having to ask is something I have missed.

We were able to finish off the year with a Christmas that certainly was not the one we were hoping for, but we still managed to get in the spirit.

It has been eight years since we went out and cut down our own tree. And it was fun being able to turn the axe over to our son Steven and let him do the work.
We also got a chance to play with making ice candle holders and setting them out along the driveway in the snow. Beautiful to enjoy, sad that we couldn’t use them to greet a large gathering.

Alas here we are, another year of opportunity in front of us. If all goes well we will spend the majority of the year in our current location then head off to Prince Edward Island to experience our third Canadian winter in a row in a different spot. After that, who knows?

We are still getting beautiful sunrises and sunsets. We just have to wait a bit to put water instead of houses in the foreground.

All the best to all of you and may the New Year bring whatever you need to help you be happy.

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.

1 comment on “Hope

  1. Anonymous

    Nice way to wrap up 2020. Cheers to HOPE
    in 2021 and all of lifes experiences before us.
    Kev and Karin
    Fantasic photos Peter;))

Leave a Reply

%d bloggers like this: