Almost an indoor pool.

Looking back i was reminded that something happened  that made me think back to when we lived in South Africa over 40 years ago. We had a lovely house with a swimming pool. Coming home from work on a hot day and diving into the pool was a real treat.

After we moved to England we no longer had a pool. To be honest we also no longer had as many really hot days either.

The thing that reminded me was one morning when I woke up and discovered that we now had an indoor swimming pool.

I went through to the utility room where we have our washing machine, boiler, etc. and as I opened the door my feet were flooded.

The entire room was under at least 2 inches of water.

OK not a swimming pool but enough to make me remember our old pool.

I am not a great handyman but I knew what needed to be done.

Turn off main water supply.

Clear water from the floor.

Turn water back on and identify the leak.

Turn water off again and go and buy a replacement connector for where the water supply connects to the inlet hose on the washing machine.

Fit it and pray!

It worked! Took me about 3 or 4 hours but in the end it worked!

No lasting damage done. Thank you God.

Then I got to thinking what if this had happened while we were away from home of a week or longer?

We would have returned to find the entire house flooded, all the carpets needing to be replaced, no doubt some electrical equipment damaged, walls needing to be re-painted and so on.

In other words it would have cost thousands and been a major inconvenience even if the insurance agreed to cover some of the cost.

That is one of the reasons why we never leave our home unoccupied when we are away.

What about you?

Could your home be flooded, broken into or suffer some other catastrophe while you are away?

By using Christian House Sitters FREE service this need never happen because we can normally arrange for someone suitable, reliable and with references to look after your house and pets free of charge.

This service is available worldwide!

For more information have a look at our website

http://www.Christian-housesitters.com

God bless you,

Ray

We are part of the registered charity

TLC Children’s Trust

UK Charity number 1156786

http://www.tlc-childrenstrust.org

WordPress are adding adverts to blogs. They are not always shown but if there are adverts on this page please note they were not placed by me, not approved by me and do not imply my recommendation

Good advice from a friend

Click on the video to watch the story unfold

If you are thinking of a vacation and want someone to look after your home please visit our website and register as an owner. It is FREE.

Register as soon as you know your vacation dates, don’t leave it to the last-minute, as that way you will have a much better range of sitters to choose from.

If you want to be a sitter and to enjoy a rent-free vacation then we can also help.

Have a look at the website for the details. CLICK HERE

God bless you,

Ray

We are part of the registered charity

TLC Children’s Trust

UK Charity number 1156786

www.tlc-childrenstrust.org  

 

 

WordPress is adding adverts to blogs. They are not always shown but if there are adverts on this page please note they were not placed by me, not approved by me and do not imply my recommendation

I just had to share this picture

I just had to share this picture. It came by email with a message saying:

“This is what I feel like.

Thanks to Christian House Sitters I am able to take my wife and children on a vacation.

Because I work for a Christian missionary society we could not have afforded it without your help.

Thank you for making such a difference.”

If you are thinking of a vacation and would like to stay somewhere rent- want someone to look after your home please visit our website and register as an owner. It is FREE.

Register as soon as you know your vacation dates, don’t leave it to the last-minute, as that way you will have a much better range of sitters to choose from.

If you want to be a sitter and to enjoy a rent-free vacation then we can also help.

Have a look at the website for the details. CLICK HERE

God bless you,

Ray

We are part of the registered charity

TLC Children’s Trust

UK Charity number 1156786

www.tlc-childrenstrust.org

 

 

WordPress is adding adverts to blogs. They are not always shown but if there are adverts on this page please note they were not placed by me, not approved by me and do not imply my recommendation

Crazy, funny, international laws

There is a lovely quote in Oliver Twist when Mr. Bumble, the unhappy spouse of a domineering wife, is told in court that “…the law supposes that your wife acts under your direction”, replies: “If the law supposes that,” said Mr. Bumble, squeezing his hat emphatically in both hands, “the law is a ass – a idiot”.

I enjoy finding old laws that are a bit odd or unusual.

With Christian House Sitters offering people rent-free accommodation all over the world may I suggest that you brush up on local laws before you travel.

Although to be honest most of the following are not enforced. I have gleaned them from a range of different sources.

Enjoy and laugh

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In Tennessee, shooting at an animal from your car is forbidden, with one exception: it is not illegal to draw your weapon on a whale. Good luck finding one in that part of the world…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kansas. If two trains meet on the same track, neither shall proceed until the other has passed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A law in Nevada forbids anyone from placing a park bench in the middle of the road.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In England dying is illegal in the Houses of Parliaments – This has been voted as the most ridiculous law by the British citizens.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A law in Alaska forbids motorists from driving around with a dog attached to the roof.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you’re taking a drive in South Berwick, Maine, it’s important to note that parking in front of a Dunkin Donuts is against the law.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Imagine you’re in Florida, and you fancy a ride on the back of an elephant. Well, don’t forget that you’re still required to pay for your parking.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It is Illegal to Wear a Bullet Proof Vest While Committing Murder in NJ. For those of you planning violent crimes in New Jersey, according to New Jersey statute 2C:39-13, a person has committed a crime if “he uses or wears a body vest while engaged in the commission of, or an attempt to commit, or flight after committing or attempting to commit murder, manslaughter, robbery, sexual assault, burglary, kidnapping, criminal escape or assault.” In other words, the vest could bump your offense from third to second degree.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Did you know that if you take your life into your hands getting behind the wheel in China, and more specifically in Beijing, you must under no circumstances stop for pedestrians? You could be arrested.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In Missouri it is illegal to drive with an uncaged bear.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Californian law forbids women from driving a car dressed in a bathrobe.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In Oklahoma, it is against the law to have a sleeping donkey in your bathtub after 7pm

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In Ohio, you can be fined if you’re caught going around a traffic circle more than 100 times.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Do you fancy a Sunday drive around Denver, Colorado? If you’re unlucky enough to own a black car, you’ll have to go on foot. Driving in a black vehicle on Sundays is not permitted.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Are you planning some time away?

Would you like rent-free accommodation?

Would you like someone to look after your home and pets while you are away. Free of charge.

Have a look at our website. www.christian-housesitters.com

If you have any other questions that are not answered on the website please use the contact page and I will do my best to answer you promptly.

God bless you,

Ray

We are part of the registered charity

TLC Children’s Trust

UK Charity number 1156786

www.tlc-childrenstrust.org

WordPress are adding adverts to blogs. They are not always shown but if there are adverts on this page please note they were not placed by me, not approved by me and do not imply my recommendation

This made me laugh

A  kind friend sent me the following which she found in the Diocese of Salisbury Magazine

Genuine holiday complaints printed in parish magazines…

 

“We found it was not like the sand in the brochure – your brochure shows the sand as yellow but it was white.”

“On my holiday to Goa in India I was disgusted to find that almost all the local restaurants sold curry – I do not like spicy foods.”

“We booked an excursion to a local water park but no-one told us we had to bring our swimming costumes and towels.”

“The beach was too sandy.”

A guest at a Novotel in Australia complained his soup was too think and strong. He was inadvertently slurping his gravy at the time.

“Topless sunbathing on the beach should be banned. The holiday was ruined as my husband spent all day looking at other women.”

“We bought designer sunglasses for five Euros from a street trader, only to find out they were fake.”

“It took us nine hours to fly home to England from Jamaica, but it only took the Americans three hours to get home.”

“I compared the size of our one-bedroom apartment to our friends’ three-bedroom apartment and ours was significantly smaller.”
“
“The brochure stated: ‘No hairdressers at the accommodation.’ We’re trainee hairdressers – will we be OK staying there?”

“I was bitten by a mosquito. No-one said they could bite.

“No-one told us there would be fish in the sea. The children were startled.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Are you planning some time away?

Would you like rent-free accommodation?

Would you like someone to look after your home and pets while you are away. Free of charge.

Have a look at our website. http://www.christian-housesitters.com

 

 

If you have any other questions that are not answered on the website please use the contact page and I will do my best to answer you promptly.

God bless you,

Ray

We are part of the registered charity

TLC Children’s Trust

UK Charity number 1156786

www.tlc-childrenstrust.org

WordPress are adding adverts to blogs. They are not always shown but if there are adverts on this page please note they were not placed by me, not approved by me and do not imply my recommendation

Letter from a Cat – Reminder

I was browsing the news on Google when I saw a wonderful article about a cat that uses a zebra crossing to safely cross roads. I will put a link to the video and the full story at the end of this blog post,

It brought to my mind a blog post from 4 years ago and I felt it was time to re-post that entry (with a few edits)
I love animals, always have done so when I received an email that claimed to have been written by a cat I was naturally fascinated.

The email was sent to Christian House Sitters as a thank you from a cat whose ‘owners’ had been away on vacation.

 

Here is what the cat wrote:

 

Hi,

My name is Calypso and I wanted to say a big thank you to Christian House Sitters for the way that you have improved my life.

I have staff (they mistakenly think that they own me but actually they just work for me) and from time to time they have a habit of deserting me. They say that they are going on their annual vacation and I see them excitedly packing their suitcases and getting ready. They look really happy but I have learned that it is bad news. It means I am going to be dumped at the cattery for 2 weeks. Now don’t get me wrong it is a very good cattery and they seem to try their very best but I ask you, do I look like someone who should be locked away in prison?

I have tried to explain this to my staff. I have even tried pulling stuff out the suitcase when they are packing but to no avail.

Once I decided to climb into the  case and join them on their vacation in order to find out what it is all about but I was discovered and ended up in the cattery again. But this year it all changed!

I saw them packing and I felt really depressed but instead of taking me to prison they had arranged for substitute staff to take their place. They called them House Sitters. They were great. Gave me the attention I deserve, fed me my normal food, in the normal place and at the normal time and I had a great time.

Vacation is no longer a word that brings dread to my heart. Thanks for sending the House Sitters. I am telling all the other cats in the street to share the good news with their staff.

Yours thankfully,

Calypso the Cat

If your cat or dog is trying to tell you something it might be saying that you should click on this link CLICK HERE

If you are thinking of going away and would like a sitter let me know asap. Do not wait until the last-minute.
Remember it is a FREE service.

Just visit our website and register as a home owner. It is quick, free and easy. CLICK HERE 

Remember

• It is far safer to have someone in your home while you are away.
• Less chance of being broken into.
• Less chance that something in the home will become faulty leaving you to return to a disaster
• Your pets will be much happier
• You will save money
• You will be blessed and be blessing another Christian.

God bless you,
Ray

We are part of the registered charity

TLC Children’s Trust

UK Charity number 1156786

www.tlc-childrenstrust.org

Here is the link I promised to the article about the cat crossing the road.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3778106/Spot-Chauffeur-claps-delight-cat-stops-traffic-scurry-zebra-crossing-him.html

 

WordPress are adding adverts to blogs. They are not always shown but if there are adverts on this page please note they were not placed by me, not approved by me and do not imply my recommendation

Flooded Room. Almost an indoor pool.

Something happened this morning that made me think back to when we lived in South Africa 36 years ago. We had a lovely house with a swimming pool. Coming home from work on a hot day and diving into the pool was a real treat.

After we moved to England we no longer had a pool. To be honest we also no longer had as many really hot days either.

This morning I woke up and discovered that we now had an indoor swimming pool.

I went through to the utility room where we have our washing machine, boiler, etc. and as I opened the door my feet were flooded.

The entire room was under at least 2 inches of water.

OK not a swimming pool but enough to make me remember our old pool.

I am not a great handyman but I knew what needed to be done.

Turn off main water supply.

Clear water from the floor.

Turn water back on and identify the leak.

Turn water off again and go and buy a replacement connector for where the water supply connects to the inlet hose on the washing machine.

Fit it and pray!

It worked! Took me about 3 or 4 hours but in the end it worked!

No lasting damage done. Thank you God.

Then I got to thinking what if this had happened while we were away from home of a week or longer?

We would have returned to find the entire house flooded, all the carpets needing to be replaced, no doubt some electrical equipment damaged, walls needing to be re-painted and so on.

In other words it would have cost thousands and been a major inconvenience even if the insurance agreed to cover some of the cost.

We never leave our home unoccupied when we are away.

What about you?

Could your home be flooded, broken into or suffer some other catastrophe while you are away?

By using Christian House Sitters FREE service this need never happen because we can normally arrange for someone suitable, reliable and with references to look after your house and pets free of charge.

This service is available worldwide!

For more information have a look at our website

http://www.Christian-housesitters.com

God bless you,

Ray

We are part of the registered charity

TLC Children’s Trust

UK Charity number 1156786

http://www.tlc-childrenstrust.org

WordPress are adding adverts to blogs. They are not always shown but if there are adverts on this page please note they were not placed by me, not approved by me and do not imply my recommendation

Pets Left At Home Alone

I love animals and always enjoy a good laugh so I was delighted to get a few pictures showing what animals can get up to when they are left alone.

I can’t credit the photographers as I have no idea who took them.

I would like to say that they were emailed to me by a dog who was complaining that his family had gone on vacation and left him behind.

Yes a paid sitter pops in twice a day for about half an hour but according to him that is simply not good enough. He says he is part of the family and feels unloved and confused by being ‘abandoned’

As a result when his owners get home they could expect something like this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes you do deserve a vacation!
No it is not always suitable to take your pets with you.
Yes being at home is normally less stressful to them than being dumped in kennels or a cattery.
But it can still be stressful.
So what is the answer?

One easy answer is to use our FREE service. Wherever you live in the world we will be happy to try to arrange for a reliable person to come and stay in your home, look after the home and your animals. Yes that is right it will not cost you anything as i said it is a free service.

Likewise if you would like to travel but find accommodation too expensive we can help you find rent-free accommodation looking after other people’s homes and pets while they are away and so enabling you to travel and have vacations you may otherwise not have been able to afford.

For full details have a look at our website www.Christian-housesitters.com

God bless you,

Ray

Christian House Sitters is part of the registered charity

TLC Children’s Trust

UK Charity number 1156786

www.tlc-childrenstrust.org

WordPress are adding adverts to blogs. They are not always shown but if there are adverts on this page please note they were not placed by me, not approved by me and do not imply my recommendation

Time for a laugh. Travel Fun

My thanks to the kind person who sent me the following true stories from travel agencies. They brightened up my day and will hopefully do the same for you. Sorry I can’t credit the original source as I have no idea who compiled them.

I had someone ask for an aisle seat so that their hair wouldn’t get messed up by being near the window.

A client called in inquiring about a package to Hawaii. After going over all the cost info, she asked, “Would it be cheaper to fly to California and then take the train to Hawaii?”

I got a call from a woman who wanted to go to Cape Town. I started to explain the length of the flight and the passport information when she interrupted me with “I’m not trying to make you look stupid, but Cape Town is in Massachusetts. “Without trying to make her look like the stupid one, I calmly explained, “Cape cod is in Massachusetts, Cape Town is in Africa.” Her response … click.

A man called, furious about a Florida package we did. I asked what was wrong with the vacation in Orlando. He said he was expecting an ocean-view room. I tried to explain that is not possible, since Orlando is in the middle of the state. He replied, “Don’t lie to me. I looked on the map and Florida is a very thin state.”

I got a call from a man who asked, “Is it possible to see England from Canada?” I said, “No.” He said “But they look so close on the map.”

Another man called and asked if he could rent a car in Dallas. When I pulled up the reservation, I noticed he had a 1-hour lay-over in Dallas. When I asked him why he wanted to rent a car, he said, “I heard Dallas was a big airport, and I need a car to drive between the gates to save time.”

A nice lady just called. She needed to know how it was possible that her flight from Detroit left at 8:20am and got into Chicago at 8:33am. I tried to explain that Michigan was an hour ahead of Illinois, but she could not understand the concept of time zones. Finally I told her the plane went very fast, and she bought that!

A woman called and asked, “Do airlines put your physical description on your bag so they know who’s luggage belongs to who?” I said, “No, why do you ask?” She replied, “Well, when I checked in with the airline, they put a tag on my luggage that said FAT, and I’m overweight, is there any connection?” After putting her on hold for a minute while I “looked into it” ( I was actually laughing) I came back and explained the city code for Fresno is FAT, and that the airline was just putting a destination tag on her luggage.

I just got off the phone with a man who asked, “How do I know which plane to get on?” I asked him what exactly he meant, which he replied, “I was told my flight number is 823, but none of these darn planes have numbers on them.

“A woman called and said, “I need to fly to Pepsi-cola on one of those computer planes.” I asked if she meant to fly to Pensacola on a commuter plane. She said, “Yeah, whatever.”

A business man called and had a question about the documents he needed in
order to fly to China. After a lengthy discussion about passports, I reminded him he needed a visa. “Oh no I don’t, I’ve been to China many times and never had to have one of those.” I double checked and sure enough, his stay required a visa. When I told him this he said, “Look, I’ve been to China four times and every time they have accepted my American Express.”

A woman called to make reservations, “I want to go from Chicago to Hippopotamus, New York” The agent was at a loss for words. Finally, the agent: “Are you sure that’s the name of the town?” “Yes, what flights do you have?” replied the customer. After some searching, the agent came back with, “I’m sorry, ma’am, I’ve looked up every airport code in the country and can’t find a Hippopotamus anywhere.” The customer retorted, “Oh don’t be silly. Everyone knows where it is. Check your map!” The agent scoured a map of the state of New York and finally offered, “You don’t mean Buffalo, do you?” “That’s it! I knew it was a big animal!”

However you travel we can make your vacation much more enjoyable.
FREE accommodation all over the world.
FREE a reliable person to look after your home and animals while you are away.
Find out more at www.Christian-housesitters.com

God bless you,
Ray

Christian House Sitters is part of the registered charity

TLC Children’s Trust

UK Charity number 1156786

www.tlc-childrenstrust.org

WordPress are adding adverts to blogs. They are not always shown but if there are adverts on this page please note they were not placed by me, not approved by me and do not imply my recommendation.

Travel Fun

 

I enjoy travelling and experiencing new places. I also love a good laugh so was delighted when a kind friend sent me the following, apparently true, stories.
I hope that they help to lighten your day.

A photo of Windsor Castle taken when we were house sitting in the area

A guide at Windsor Castle was struggling to make herself heard over the roar of low flying aircraft coming into land at nearby Heathrow. She was interrupted by a tourist who demanded what was wrong with the town planners, and why had they built the castle so close to the airport.

~~~~~~~

The highlight of a cruise liner’s visit to the Alaskan port of Valdez was a guided tour of the southern end of the great 800 mile pipeline through which, the guide informed them, some 1.3 million barrels of oil came daily from Prudhoe Bay in the north. When he asked if there were any questions, someone solemnly enquired, `How do they get all those empty barrels back up to Prudhoe Bay?’

Houses of Parliament / London

Lord Hailsham

~~~~~~~
A group of tourists escorted around the British Houses of Parliament suddenly found themselves in the presence of the then Lord Chancellor, Lord Hailsham, resplendent in full wig and gown. Spying behind the group the figure of Neil Marten MP, the Lord Chancellor called out in greeting`Neil’ with dignified vigour. And all the tourists did.

~~~~~~~

The story is told, apocryphal no doubt, of the DJ working on a small and remote radio station in Scotland midway through his programme late at night on 1 October 1977. News came to the station that Bing Crosby had died (the station producer happened to be on the phone to the States and picked the word up almost as it occurred). The DJ thought he could possibly be the first person in the UK to publicly announce the death, so he put on a long track and rushed off to record library to get an old recording to play. Upon returning, nervously excited by now, he put the first record onto the turntable without looking at it and broke into the record then playing with a sombre voice: ‘I am deeply sorry to have to inform’ you listeners that I have just received news from America of a great tragedy. The legendary Bing Crosby is dead. As a humble tribute, I would like to play one of his songs,’ and as he switched over to his Crosby ‘selection’, the melody was beamed out, ‘Heaven . . . I’m in Heaven…

~~~~~~~

All through the night London police were combing the underworld for the three youths who escaped over the wall from Wormwood Scrubs jail, London. Mrs Johnson was picking blackberries on Wednesday afternoon when she saw a length of black rope thrown over. A wooden ladder followed, and three men dropped on to the grass in the lane which divides Mrs. Johnson’s garden from the prison wall. ` I thought they were dodging out for a cup of tea, and intended to go back again,’ said Mrs Johnson. `I did not bother to raise the alarm.’ – Daily Express

~~~~~~~

If you have some funny stories about your travel experiences please send them to me.

If you have not been able to do as much travelling as you would like because of the cost or worries about leaving you home and pets unattended we can help you. Christian House Sitters offers a number of FREE services such as rent-free accommodation all over the world and people who will look after your home and pets FREE while you are away.

Yes that is right we can arrange for someone to look after your home and your pets FREE of charge.

We can also help you find rent FREE accommodation all over the world.

Have a look at www.Christian-housesitters.com

Share this opportunity with your friends, your family, your church and be a blessing to them.

God bless you,

Ray

Christian House Sitters is part of the registered charity

TLC Children’s Trust

UK Charity number 1156786

www.tlc-childrenstrust.org

WordPress are adding adverts to blogs. They are not always shown but if there are adverts on this page please note they were not placed by me, not approved by me and do not imply my recommendation