Ken & Kim

Ken and Kim are semi-retired and have recently downsized after 30 years in their family home, spending eight months sofa surfing, house/pet sitting and short term rentals in holiday let cottages around Wales and southern England - and also managing a family reunion with our daughter in Switzerland. We both drive and have our own cars so remote locations aren't an issue.
We both lead fairly quiet lifestyles; walking, reading, photography, family history research, films and TV in the evenings, jigsaws, painting/sketching and art - but we also love travelling (we married in Sri Lanka) and good food and are enjoying exploring more of the UK. As a family we've had the usual selection of family pets to look after - rabbits, guinea pigs, fish, cats etc; dogs came later.
We're non-smokers, from South Wales, together for 40 years. We are both vaccinated and had boosters November 2023. Ken's had a couple of doses of Covid, in 2022 and May 2023.
Kim was employed as a senior lecturer until taking early retirement in 2005, when she started dog walking/sitting as a small business. It was so popular we often had to turn away new enquiries as there were more than enough to keep us both busy; we'd have some boarding with us and walk others from their homes locally. The pandemic lockdowns changed everything and now Kim only walks 'the regulars' and also does selected pet sits.
Ken was employed as a Chartered Quantity Surveyor for 25 years which helped with his DIY and home maintenance, then became a freelance Architectural photographer in 1999, converting the double garage for studio/home business use, and for the last fifteen years has mixed both, as well as working as a film extra, spiritual healer and general dogsbody. As a freelance he's able to take on commissions to suit other commitments and has continued more or less as usual through the pandemic. He had a DBS Certificate (November 2018) for his role as a Support Artist (film extra).
Our house sitting started when a friend wanted to go to India for three weeks in winter 2011 and needed someone to look after her cottage and two cats. Since then we've looked after houses and pets on an informal basis, usually for up to a couple of weeks, treating them as we would our own.
Busy year last year with a 10 day dog/house sit in mid-Wales, after a third Essex cat/house sit (two weeks) after our Christmas 2021 there (3 weeks), also . We've both done solo house/pet sits this year, Kim has a few regular commitments locally over the summer but we do have some availability from the autumn onwards.
Look forward to hearing from you
Ken & Kim