A STRANGER'S HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

There's no such thing as a conventional big day for pet sitters Catherine Gurney and her husband Rob

- ELLA DOVE

Sitting down for Christmas dinner in glorious sunshine and pulling crackers on a balcony under a blue sky might sound like a pipe dream for many. Yet for my husband Rob and me, this is exactly what Christmas Day can look like. But it can also look like roaring fires and bracing British walks - because, for the past eight years, we haven't spent the festive season at home. As house sitters and pet sitters, adventure and exploration is where the magic of Christmas lies.

Rob and I, both 60, began our relationship later in life, having gone to secondary school together then losing touch. Rob had a career in policing, and raised a son and daughter. Meanwhile, I enjoyed the single life, a career in complementary therapy and a zest for travel, working in Jamaica and studying in Canada. In 2012, we reconnected through a Facebook group for our old school. Within a year, we were a couple, living together in South Gloucestershire. We were keen to travel more, so I decided to gradually stop work. Friends told me about TrustedHousesitters, a website connecting homeowners worldwide with people who will live in their homes and look after their pets when they are away. It sounded perfect. We wouldn't get paid and we had to cover our travel costs, but we would receive free accommodation.

LOCAL LODGINGS

We set up a profile and began to apply for house-sits. We started by choosing homes not far from where we lived, so we could get used to the experience. We were thrilled when a couple in Wiltshire selected us to stay in their renovated watermill house and look after their cocker spaniel Lulu for nine days. The property was spacious, with a river winding beneath it and the mill generating electricity; completely different to our modern two-bedroomed coach house.