Blogger - Erica Howe
I’m house sitting at the moment while our friends are off on a holiday of a lifetime! It sounds wonderful doesn’t it? I’ve left the city, living in the Norfolk countryside, in a bigger house with a garden – sounds like a holiday itself? Well, sort of!
It’s funny when you step into the shoes of someone else, live their life for a brief moment. That’s what it feels like when you live in someone elses house. It felt a bit wrong for a while, like was trespassing or living a double life. But, in my second week, i’m starting to get used to it. Actually, enjoying it!
Now, the thing with house sitting is that it comes with a set of rules that you should really follow. Put the bins out on the set days. Check. Water the plants. Check. Walk the dogs. Check. Feed digestive biscuits and raisins to the birds. What???? I’m not joking, this is exactly what we’ve been doing for the last fortnight. And do you know what, i’ve never seen hungrier birds! They love it. At least three times a day i have to replenish the stocks. And it’s all kind of birds too. Fieldfares have been hanging around, woodpeckers, blue tits, great tits, green finches, black birds, wood pigeons, sparrows, the occasional bird of prey too! It has been a breath of fresh air (quite literally) living out of the city, but wow the birds are demanding!
But, what a delight it is to look out of your kitchen window and actually see wildlife, real, live wildlife enjoying your garden, flying above your rooftop and more importantly, relying on you for dinner. I only have a short time left at the house and going back to my town house terrace in the city will take some getting used to.
It is funny when you find out the quirky habits other people have in their own homes, and i was the first person to giggle at the thought of feeding the birds with digestive biscuits and raisins, but I have been converted! Whatever you feed your garden birds (I was on a radio phone-in once and a lady called in to say that her birds like parmesan cheese!!) take the time to enjoy it and relish the fact that they’re frequenting your garden.