Year off around Australia

Find our way here with no problems. We pull up well away from the house as instructed and get to met Jacky and Marty, who welcome us and quickly have us setting up our caravan in our chosen position. Jacky and Marty are a very easy going, friendly couple who have us feeling at ease straight away. Once we're settled, they take us through the feeding regimes (morning and afternoon) of the animals we're looking after for them while they're away. We're taking care of 15 adult kangaroos, 12 sheep, 1 possum, 1 cat, chooks and fish in a pond. We are also looking after Jacky's daughter's 3 cats - they are in Clare, so we'll drive in each day to attend to them. Jacky and Marty drive us into Clare to go and meet Ashleigh and her 3 cats, Ollie, Archie and Iggy. We get shown by Ash, how to look after the cats in their own home - all nice and straight forward. Once we return to Jacky and Marty's place, we have time to relax and enjoy a drink and a chat before going and being shown the afternoon/evening jobs. Once this is done, we have tea with Jacky and Marty, they have organised garlic bread and pizzas (meat lovers for Rog and I, and a gluten free vegetarian one for themselves). Then we have fresh sorbet that Jacky 'whips up' in their Ninja machine - very yummy. After this, it's dark outside so we can see the last of the day's feeding job - we go feed Bilby the brush tailed possum. We now say our goodnights - and head off back to our caravan to sleep. We'll move into the house tomorrow - after Jacky and family have left to go on their holiday to Canada. Roger goes and has a shower (in the house) before bed.
8/03/25 Saturday. This morning sees us up and ready, had breakie etc, to go with Jacky 8am and be shown the morning job list requirements - how they're done. Again, seem straight forward enough! 10am sees Ashleigh and her partner Paula arrive to collect Jacky and Marty - the 4 of them are travelling together to go to Oslo in Canada to visit Max and his wife Katie. Max is Jacky's son and Ashleigh's brother, so it will be a wonderful family get together ❤️ They're all very happy that Rog and I have come along to housesit and animal mind - so they all can go. Once they have left, Roger and I settle ourselves into the house. Then we go for a drive into Clare, we return mid afternoon. I then drive Jacky and Marty's car to go and do Ashleigh's cats - I get back an hour or so later. Roger has been preparing and started cooking a lamb roast while I was away. We do the afternoon jobs together before having our roast tea. Then we go use the outdoor spa that Jacky and Marty have kindly got set up for us to use. Haha - it's great, but it's like having a bath tonight, we haven't worked out how to get the jets (spa bubbles) going! Roger's going to google before tomorrow tonight! After our lovely bath - we shower, I go first! Once we're both organised, we go feed Bilby the possum. He's very cute - and as he's nocturnal, we get to see him out and about in his cage. Now we relax inside, watching some TV, and I'm writing this up before bedtime.
9/03/25 Sunday. We get up around 7.30am - not my best sleep, as 1st night in a different bed. Sure I'll sleep better tonight as the spare bed in Jacky and Marty's home is very comfy. Roger and I have decided to have our breakfast in Auburn - supporting a CWA fund-raiser, so we do our morning animal care schedule and get organised to go for the drive. Roger can't help himself- he has some breakfast before we go. Leave before 9am and return 1pm.
It's a hot day - so we keep checking on the chooks (give them some water sprinkling so they have damp ground to scratch in) and Tonka the ragdoll cat who is out in his outdoor enclosure - appears happy lying around in the shade with a breeze. We have our lunch - cold meat and salad for me, meat and salad sandwiches for Roger. We get 3 loads of our washing done throughout the afternoon. At 4.30pm I drive Jacky and Marty's car into Clare to feed and look out for Ashleigh's cats. I stay with them for a while - happily watching some TV with the cats watching me! I get back just after 6pm, in time to do the afternoon animal care schedule with Roger. Tea tonight is more leftover lamb roast meat with salad and some boiled potatoes. We tidy up and get into our bathers to go have a spa. Roger has done his 'research' and we do have the spa jets working tonight - but unfortunately in Roger's fiddling with the control panel he's accidently changed the temperature. It's an unpleasant 41° - way to warm after a hot day! Roger works out the temperature and lowers the thermostat to 36° - so tomorrow night 🤞🤞we should be right! Just a brief spa tonight - the time it took to finish my gingerbeer. I have a shower then once it's dark 8.45pm we go out and feed Bilby the possum. We come back inside and have some yoghurt and banana for dessert. Now relaxing, watching TV before bed. Roger has Tonka the ragdoll cat happily sharing the couch with him.
10/03/25 Monday. Roger is up 1st just after 7am - I check if we have anything planned for the morning/day, he responds that no - going to be a hot day. I decide to get up and go for a run before the day gets too warm. Roger has his breakfast and does the morning schedule with the animals while I'm away. When I return from my 6km run, I make up my porridge in the Thermomix. Finish tidying away yesterday's washing and remake our caravan bed. We have a relaxing time in the house - enjoying the airconditioning. Roger brings Tonka back inside (after putting him in his outside enclosure this morning) as he was meowing - we feel to let us know he'd had enough outside. Lunch, Roger makes up his cold meat and salad sandwich. After I finish a lovely phone chat with Raels ( she rang 🤗) I toast a crumpet (large one from Adelaide Market - frozen) then top it with relish, salami, tomato and cheese and pop under the oven grill - yum. Roger researches what we can do from the Fringe Festival guide magazine - ends up he books us for 4 shows over 3 days in the gorgeous nearby town of Auburn. We'll be doing this -straight after we finish this housesit. I catch up on our budget books, re-sew a hat strap back on Roger's sunhat. Roger decides to come in with me today when I go to feed Ashleigh's 3 cats. We go in the ute so he can bring in the rubbish and recycling that can be taken by Ashleigh's fortnightly council collect. While I'm tending to Archie, Ollie and Iggy - Roger drives to Woolworths and gets some groceries before returning to collect me. Once we get back to our housesit - I start preparing tea with the Thermomix, a Chicken Cacciatore. While this is cooling down/resting - we do the afternoon schedule with the animals. Have tea, tidy up and get in our bathers to go have a spa. Tonight it's good! Spa jets and lovely temperature 36° (be perfect if cooler weather!). We take it in turns to have a shower afterwards (I go first). Finish off our animal minding for the day - by going and feeding Bilby the possum just before 9pm. Now relaxing before bed - nothing on TV (worth watching) so I'll finish writing this up and head to bed to read for a while - Rog already in bed.
11/03/25 Tuesday. Roger's out of bed at 7am to have breakfast and be ready to take the ute into Clare by 8am for a booked service at Clare Auto. I get up around 7.30am to start a relaxing day (or so I thought lol - turns out it still was - just a emotional speed hump). Roger has done most of the morning animal 'jobs' before he heads into town at 7.45am. I finish off what he has left for me - feeding hay to the sheep and tidying up after the possum's night antics. I now enjoy pottering about - sorting stuff in the caravan and catching up on things. It's late morning when I get a text message from Stacy that 'rattled me' (everyone fine 💕) - just keeping me up to date with their flight plans for their Canada trip. Flight Centre (their booking agent) has notified them of another change (there's already been a couple!) in flight times -Stacy mentions they're earlier for their departure and sends me a screenshot of the changes. I freak 🤪 as I pick up straight away that the first flight (of 3) is quite different from original date! If it is meant to be what I'm seeing - I won't be getting my family reunion in Canada! I get confused - as it doesn't make sense with what I thought we had planned. Long story short (after me being wobbly) - it is an agent error and will be sorted. Glad I noticed it really!
Lunch today for me, is last night's leftover pasta dish. Roger arrives back after his morning happily wandering about in Clare while the ute worked on, with the ute serviced no worries. He makes up some meat and salad
sandwiches for his lunch. We have a quiet afternoon reading and researching. 4.30pm I head into Clare with Jacky's car to go feed Ashleigh's cats and spend some time with them. I watch a Netflix movie while there, and return back here around 6.45pm. Roger has already done the afternoon animal regime and has tea cooked and ready. Chicken Kievs with salad and boiled spuds. We both follow this with yoghurt and banana. Now we go and have a spa together, before I come back inside 1st to get ready to call Stacy - Stacy has messaged, and she'll call me as she is still on the phone with Flight Centre. I have a shower, then about to go with Rog to feed the possum when Stacy calls. I'm doing well at missing the animal jobs here today! Turns out that Stacy is still waiting for the flights to be sorted - not straight forward like you'd hope. Flight Centre consultant has assured Stacy that with the amount of time until these flights (July) that they'll get it done. Stacy will wait to hear back and follow up. Stacy and Robert, well and keeping busy - nice to have a chat with Stacy.
Next, I'm just catching up on this before bedtime.
12/03/25 Wednesday. We get up around 7.30am. Have our breakfasts, do the morning animal schedule. Going to be a warm day - and we're happy to just stay about here. I decide I need to go for a walk, my Serra Terror training is not up to speed for sure! I head off at 9.20am, leaving Roger happily working on maintenance tasks with the ute and caravan. I get back around 12 noon. Get changed out of my 'sweaty' walking clothes and get my lunch sorted - a toasted crumpet put under the grill with zucchini pickles, ham, tomato and cheese. Rog has his meat and salad sandwich. Relax for afternoon - catch up on some messenging - Jacky (housesit) and Lynden (Auntie Thelma's funeral). Roger has had a couple of quick trips into Clare today, 1st for a fuse for the ute, 2nd to go to the Op Shop for a saucepan lid. I stay put, until I drive in Jacky's car to tend to Ashleigh's cats. I watch another Netflix movie while I'm there - going to have to pull up my junk eating, Ashleigh has left me too much chocolate, chips, biscuits, cake for me to indulge on while I have a cuppa! Get back to Roger around 6pm - he's already done the afternoon jobs and has tea sorted too. Steak with boiled vegetables - that's all I need tonight. Next spa time, then shower time, feed Bilby time, tidy up and relax time - we are establishing a happy routine here before bed.Read more