Alex & Lucy

// About Us

My partner and I share a great love of the simple things: nature, beauty, food, friendship, creativity and a sense of home: I guess you could say we are hobbit-like in nature. We are two kind, happy, nature-loving and gentle people with a love of woodlands and views, as well as farmer's markets and crafts.

Being 'home-bodies' who take much joy in sharing the simple things, the task of tending to plants or animals, and gently experiencing and caring for the home of another, ideally in a special place possessing its own unique charm, represents a beautiful adventure to us...

We have two adorable, gentle and loving Siberian cats; a uniquely hypoallergenic breed. Ours — Pangur the orange one, and Freda the white one — are housecats, used to travelling with us, and are mentioned positively in my Airbnb reviews. We sometimes take them outside on a harness and lead, which they love. We have stayed in numerous short lets with them, and have always received our deposit back in full, along with glowing reviews.

I (Alex) come from Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, Canada, where I grew up in a gorgeous mountaintop house with traditional country-style kitchen and Aga and adjacent woodland. Lucy is British and is currently in the process of illustrating a children's book.

// Our Experience

Previous experience includes pleasant housesits in: Devon, Newcastle upon Tyne, Bath, Ojai, Spain and Stroud before, with excellent responses from the owners. I (Alex) have housesat in Canada, Devon and London before as well taking care of pets and plants.

We are mature, resourceful, compassionate individuals who know how to take care of a home. Extremely reliable in relation to security after years of living in London! Both of us have taken care of plants and animals before - including cats, dogs, chickens, newly planted trees, and allotments. We are both animal lovers; Alex has lots of experience and passion for dogs (his family have always kept a dog, including Patrick, who was his canine best friend before passing away aged 16), and one of Alex's favourite things in the world is walking a dog in nature.

We have some experience with small furries - rabbits, mice, (even a tortoise) etc, and Alex with birds, and could happily manage a ferret or even relish the challenge of a (non-deadly!) exotic. We also have experience with chickens and sheep, have helped out a little with horses, caring for greenhouse plants, garden watering etc, and are up for a challenge within reason. We have an appreciation and respect for ecological values.

// Our Credentials

We both take our commitments seriously and have a love of living things. We have clear CRB/DBS checks, are non-smokers, are used to taking our shoes off indoors and being mindful of keeping things as we find them, and understand the trust involved in allowing others to take care of a home — we cherish our own and treat other people's with extra care. We have our own car, and would be happy to coordinate picking you up and dropping you off (e.g. at an airport or train station) if it helps your travel plans!

Also, in case any of these are useful, between us we have skills in writing, photography, video editing, website creation, and professional marketing. WiFi for us is pretty essential, work-wise.

If the fit is right, we would be honoured and delighted to take care of your home. We look forward to connecting with you!

With warmth and well-wishes,
Alex & Lucy