As housesitters we’ve been very lucky to stay in some amazing houses. We’re currently in a lovely place past St Albans over the Hawkesbury River near Sydney.
We’re tucked away in a beautiful valley overlooking a lake. On a few occasions recently we’ve seen pelicans in the lake and kangaroos nearby (yes, we’ve had them in our driveway!). While there are other houses nearby we can’t see them and we never hear other people.
We have a productive vegetable garden, fruit trees and chickens producing more eggs than we can use (see last week’s post about the Henhouse Rebellion).
Days are warm to hot and nights are cool. In the morning we wake to the valley shrouded in fog sometimes so heavy you can’t see the nearby hills.
Nights are beautiful. As it’s been a new moon recently with cloudless skies the stars have been magnificent. We’ve been able to see the Milky Way again. It’s wonderful to look up into the sky, see the band of stars in the Milky Way and understand we’re looking through the plane of our galaxy and then look 90 degrees away and see deep space with very few stars. I often hear of people experiencing this who get a feeling of how small they are but for me it gives a sense of being part of something huge and incredible. Yes, I’m only a small part of it all, but I am a part.
Today we had some friends visit. We’re grateful for that as it’s no trivial undertaking. It involves a couple of hours travel time for them but when they arrive and are struck by the beauty and wonder of the place we’re living in, it’s a great reminder how lucky we are.
Our deepest thanks to a couple of people who we didn’t know before we undertook their house-sit. Moving into their home we’re having a wonderful “working holiday”. I hope they’re enjoying their holiday as much as we’re enjoying ours.