Colin H.

Currently I am not available. I leave Europe on the 3rd August and will be in Australia from the 5th August. I will be back in France next year in May. If you need a housesitter then, please contact me (colin.hargreaves at gmail.com).

My wife, Marian, and I would be very happy to look after your home and pets. We have been house sitting for many years, mostly in France, but also in the UK and Australia. We started in 2016, sitting a chateau and a lovely Weimaraner dog in Ste Néomaye, Deux Sèvres, France, for 10 weeks, and we were asked back again in 2017. We had a lovely experience. Having done many house sits since then, with a variety of companies, we can provide many more references than just those on this site.

We love house sitting as a way of visiting new places off the tourist track and meeting new people. We have stayed in many parts of France - the South Coast, South West, Deux Sevres, Brittany, Burgundy, the Alps and Paris, and are always looking to explore more. We have a car registered in France.

When our children were young, we had dogs (border collies), cats, goats, hamsters and white mice! For a few years we lived on a farm with sheep, cattle and chickens. We are happy to look after many pets. We both enjoy gardening; my wife is a very good gardener, tending the flowers and vegetables. She definitely has a green thumb. I tend to cut the lawns, and do the pruning and sweeping where necessary. We have had our own pools and looked after other people’s pools, both salt-water and chlorine; Aussies love their pools!

I do volunteer community transport driving, taking people to hospitals etc. For this I have had to complete many questionnaires, police checks, health checks and personality tests to check that I am suitable. Australia does not have the system of using taxis for hospital visits, that there is in France.

Many years ago I taught mathematics in France. Then, I worked in England and later Australia, as an academic for 25 years, and moved on to running my own business for 15 years. We used to live on a farm in outback Australia, but have now moved to town.

My wife and I were brought up in the UK and came to Australia in 1987; we now have both British and Australian citizenship. Both of us are non-smokers and we have full driving licences. We are now both retired and enjoy travelling.

We both love art and music and often visit galleries and go to concerts. The piano is my instrument. Marian used to play the viola, but now plays the ukulele. She used to be a guide at the National Gallery of Art when we lived in Canberra, the capital of Australia.

This year, we flew on April 28/29 from Australia to Aberdeen, Scotland, where our French car was garaged. We have now driven over to France and have house sits booked until the 23rd July. Marian may then fly back to Australia but Colin could stay on as he has a long term visa.

We would be very happy to have a chat over the phone, Zoom, Skype or Facetime. We are now on French summer time. (Updated 22/05/23)
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