Just Humans Being...

“Wisdom demands a new orientation of science and technology toward the organic, the gentle, the elegant and beautiful.” ~ EF Schumacher ~ Schumacher wrote his book "Small is Beautiful" in 1973 and for us - it is still relevant today.  We haven't had internet at home for nearly a month and it's interesting how we first saw it as a big issue and ventured out daily to get a signal to keep on top of messages, but as time's gone on - we find ourselves not bothering and instead embrace a gentle and quieter life...apart from when digging out old CDs for a bit of music now and again! We realise how wonderful it is to have time away from the world and the little impact the fearmongering propaganda really makes to our lives. We have no interest in news, but unfortunately many people on social media are fully immersed in it's misery and like to shout out about it. Having time away from all this is great.  While technology is moving faster and faster - with AI and the pus...

It's nice having the time to update the blog, tweak some of the settings, learn and re-learn how to do a few things! We often think it would be great to write more regular posts as we did some years ago, but book reading has become a much bigger part of our lives - especially as our internet signal is not always great at home...so as we are pet sitting, we really thought we'd be writing more! Instead, we have been venturing out everyday, exploring old haunts and new places with our little chum and we also seem to have taken on a new client! It never ceases to amaze us - how the universe works and what we are all capable of manifesting. We had put the thoughts out there and along came the person we were looking for, so although we wished our work was closer to home - we wonder if deep down inside we are both still very much connected to the Roseland area and so  "home" continues to be here. The intention to unravel ourselves from this part of Cornwall just hasn't h...

When we think about all the wonderful opportunities that come our way, we sometimes have to pinch ourselves...what an incredible life we have created together! This is the beautiful place we are taking care of at the moment and although it's been a while since we were last here, it has felt like coming home and our furry friend has been very happy to see us. The huge garden is a peaceful haven for wildlife and it's a joy to wake up each morning to hear and watch the birds and squirrels feed, potter and play. There is also an abundance of butterflies and bees...being surrounded by nature is very much home from home for us, as our Cornish home is also a quiet haven with many birds, bees and butterflies.  Woodpecker Red Kite Our lovely furry buddy... enjoying some snuggles. Our roles here are to firstly doggie sit (feeding, walking and snuggling), then take care of the vegetable garden, feed the birds and look after the house. We do love all our work - helping others comes natural...

New opportunities have presented themselves again and the time has come for us to move on. Since coming to Cornwall in 2002, we have lived in some amazing homes and have promised ourselves over the years that we will continue to stay and live in places with beautiful views. We love the view from the kitchen door here and this will always stay with us...especially early mornings and seeing the sunrise. This year has been quite wonderful for us...being in the right place at the right time.  We have found joy in gardening...preparing beds, growing vegetables and fruit, as well as clearing and weeding.  Enjoying the peace of the Cornish countryside, connecting with nature and continuing to slow down.  We are both absolutely committed to this way of life...living simply and eating well.  With this in mind, we are moving again - staying in Cornwall and becoming the new guardians of a quirky little cabin in a community of lovely folks. We are looking forward to having our o...

Making that journey along an unfamiliar road is scary, leaping into the unknown and choosing to do something new and different. Saying YES to everything can really be exhausting, though once you get into the flow - it gets quite addictive. Consequently, we have ended up working more than we imagined and have given away more money to charities, moved house and are moving again. Life takes so many exciting twists and turns and we have stopped worrying whether we are doing the right thing. Over time, saying yes has got easier and now it's second nature. On the odd occasion we look at each other and wonder what the hell we are doing, but mostly we just laugh hysterically and go for it! Here's Shonda Rhimes giving an interesting and inspirational talk about her year of saying Yes.  My Year Of Saying Yes To Everything  We have both noticed a real shift in the way we see and deal with situations. No longer fearful of the worst case scenario, we find it easy to co...

What an incredible year we have had... We downsized to spend 12 months in a sweet little house with the most stunning views of the sea. We were treated to an amazing holiday in Canada, thanks to our kind and beautiful friend Richard... It was fantastic to spend time with Richard and his fabulous family...  We adore them all very much and will always be grateful to him for his incredible generosity! We had lots of new work opportunities come our way, which have kept us extremely busy and have enabled us to continue living here - The price for a bit of luxury! We now work in more stunning properties and we also spent the summer season at the youth hostel with a lovely team... All the kidlets are happy living their alternative lives...  2 of them own a caravan, 2 of them live in that caravan, 2 of them gave up their flat to do a long term house sit and all of them have exciting plans ahead. We have come to realise that for...

I love the summer. It's my favourite time of year. This year has been particularly bountiful with regards to long periods of uninterrupted sunshine and I have needed no encouragement whatsoever to step outside and sensibly and gradually expose my body to the rays. Over a period of many weeks I have gradually bronzed in a way that has been beyond my grasp for many years due to the whims and vagaries of the British summer. Finally, after careful immersion I have achieved a level of poise and confidence not unlike say mild smugness. Now don't get me wrong, it is by no means a deep tan, a swarthy layer of earthen masculinity but it is most definitely noticeable to those who may have whispered the words "pasty" or "wan git", It has been not just a surprise but a crushing blow then to discover that my new found glow has not only been completely ignored, but my lovely wife (who too possesses a not unenviable tan herself has been the centre of attention be...

You took every opportunity that came your way? What would life look like if you said YES to everything? We decided at the end of last year to start taking each opportunity presenting itself... We have always been pretty good at doing this, but somehow got caught up in our comfort zone and found ourselves becoming indecisive,  dithering about and constantly flipping back and forth - weighing everything up and making excuses for why we couldn't do things... We realised that in order to move on - we really needed to stop doing this, so w e made a decision to change. We have embraced this way of thinking and so far, our lives are taking some very interesting twists and turns. We wake up every morning full of excitement and realise we no longer feel any fear for new challenges, instead we are filled with determination to make the most out of every situation.  So what are you waiting for? If you want to make changes in your life - you really do have to step out of your...

With lots to tell! Kay and Sime xx

Last weekend we needed to catch up on some sleep, too many late nights took their toll & we were grateful to not be caring for Bebe - relishing the opportunity to lie in bed until the afternoon for 3 days on the trot... Such a treat! We've enjoyed sharing our home with 2 lots of friends (something we had to put on hold while Bebe was here), so it's been really lovely.  We've also had some exceptionally tough work days, but continue to be supported by our fresh juices. We just have one for lunch & love the natural lift it gives us, yesterday - we cleaned the big holiday home we look after non-stop for over 7 hours. Admittedly, we were knackered at the end, but we did the work of 4 people on our usual breakfast of super food porridge, then green juice followed by a banana for lunch. We'd taken extra food to eat too, as we knew it was going to be a hard day, but we didn't have time for anything else. After a good night's sleep, we have felt reju...

Us chatting about work, family, etc & a glimpse of the view we have to put up with!!! We've looked after this house for over 7 years, one of the first jobs we took on when we started up our business.  It's now a very successful holiday let, attracting groups of people from all over the world & we spend most of our Fridays there... Which is nice! Kay & Sime xx

Over the years, our life has become simpler...  We work less, buy less & do less.  Last week, we spent a wonderful few days with our kidlets - all of them, here, together, enjoying each others' company.  Feasting together, playing board games, sharing stories, talking pretty much non-stop, laughing & exchanging our (late as usual) Secret Santa gifts - Perfect! As always, the Secret Santas' have oozed with imaginative creativity - much more fun than spending hours & money buying countless gifts. Our rules are: Only spend up to £10 & it should be home made or second hand - just one person to buy for... Simple!!! There is a lovely warm feeling having our gang around us & we feel topped up with love, hugs & fun.  There's nothing quite like it! The week before was spent celebrating 3 birthdays... Hugo & Jess both turned 18 & Bebe's birthday was sandwiched between the two - she is now 85. When Bebe mov...

Can't believe it's been nearly 2 months since our last post... As always, we have been incredibly busy with work & caring for Bebe, so when the opportunity arises to have some fun - we grab it! Here is a mishmash of photies from the last few weeks... Ending a day trip to Exmoor with a ride on the Lynton/Lynmouth funicular cliff lift. Rose's graduation at Plymouth University. We attended Sal & Ryan's there 4 years ago & no doubt we'll be doing it all over again (though probably at a different university) in another 4 years with Hugo... We are so proud of our beautiful buddy.  Not because she now has an art degree, but because of her self motivation - it's not always been an easy journey...  Going to college with strange kids after being home educated was very challenging for our shy girl, but she wanted to do it & we supported her all the way. A few years ago, she completed a foundation degree in graphic design, she fo...