Long house sits vs short house sits.

Both have challenges, which I will explain.  I have done both - and I am not sure which I prefer.
Currently I am on a 'long' house sit - which has been for approx 10 months, but with a short break.  My owners are in China - and the worker is a teacher so came home for Spring Festival holiday period.  The house is comfortable, and I have my own car here and much of my own 'stuff'.  I like using my own crockery, and as I do different things in the kitchen, I have a few of my own things too.

As my marriage is long over, I do not have a 'home base' - and subsequently have more things with me here than might be expected.  I do have other items in a shipping container at my daughter's home.  I also do a lot of craft, art, photography, so probably have more 'working items' with me which I wouldn't have on a short house sit.

I am restricted because of the small dog that sees me as his mother now.  Weekends away are possible, but challenging as I have to take him to another place, if it suits the other family member, and as my ageing mother is interstate I have preferred to use this alternate accommodation for the dog when I need it urgently to go to my mother.

In a short house sit - I only take what I will need in the few days, or weeks, so much of my 'unwanted' goods go to the shipping container, which I can access quite easily at the moment.

However, I find this sometimes irritating - I do have to plan ahead, so that if there is some equipment I may need I get it in plenty of time.  I do  most house sits close to where I have lived for many years but sometimes I feel the need to get away as far as possible from some not too happy memories.

I have friends who house sit for long periods - and sometime short periods, but there are two of them.  Loneliness is something I manage - and I can see the value of two people in a house.  Especially if both work together on things such as the garden, mowing, housework etc.

Now, I am not complaining - but trying to set out some realities.  There are some things I cannot do in a 'strange house' - I don't like 'playing' with electronics - I can use the television, but I usually ignore the DVD player.  I play radio quite a bit anyway, and prefer to watch a movie on a big screen, and sometimes I do that here as I have a data projector.

Luckily my health has been ok - and when I did have a minor issue, I could manage it by myself.  But I wonder if I was not so lucky and something happened.  I do have family living not far away, but if I had to go to hospital in a hurry there could be complications.  Who looks after the dog - he is a house dog, so needs to get out every couple of hours for ablutions?

Well, it is just 6 weeks before I move on from this place, and I am looking forward to it, but as I write this, my next house sit is rather vague and I don't know where I am headed.  I would like to settle down, but that is something else I need to consider.

My preference?  A long house sit without an animal, so I can 'escape' for a day or a weekend or so.  Mmm.  (The reason most people want a house sitter is to care for animals.)

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