Chris H - Retired and Widowed Yorkshireman. Reliable and Sensible

About this sitter

Hi, I am a fit and healthy 68 year old retired and widowed man living near family (daughter and grandkids) in my own house in Lincolnshire, UK. Following a long career as a security consultant, I recently worked part-time as a local handyman. I enjoy fishing and making things with wood. I recently have been doing up a small campervan and intend to travel as much as I can and am keen to see new places and areas of both the UK and abroad - I will probably leave the campervan at home when visiting abroad. I had a small dog that I kind of inherited from my wife, but when I found him a temporary new home to be able to visit my son in the USA this year, I decided to allow the pet-sitter to keep him when she asked - I miss him, but, given my plans to start travelling more, I felt this was the best thing for both him and me. We had several dogs and cats over the years and I enjoy looking after both. I have loads of common sense and would treat anyone else's property with respect. I used to smoke till 5 years ago and now I use a vape and can happily do this outside (vapes do not leave any smell, but I would never infringe on the owner's wishes in this regard). I dont drink except the odd glass of decent red wine on special occassions and sometimes on a Saturday night ! I would say, whilst usually modest, that I am a 'safe pair of hands' and ' a man to be trusted'.

Why they want to house sit

Since my wife died almost two years ago, I have done a lot of thinking, but not much else. I have always enjoyed travelling and I have decided that I now wish to spend a proportion of my life visiting new places and seeing new things - both in the UK and abroad. I feel that 'House Sitting' would be a great way to do this and I know I can meet the needs of many home owners. I am happy also looking after pets and, although very different, I get on great with both dogs and cats for example - I regularly dog-sit my daughters two large dogs these days (they scrag me every time we meet!!) - and we have had 2 cats and many small animals over the years. But, having said all that, at the same time I am equally happy to keep my own company, read a book or watch TV.

Their experience

I am new to house sitting, but I have loads of practical experience and am handy with practical skills, and very experienced with safety and security issues (40 years work in this field, following three years as a young policeman).
I currently offer no references or an up-to-date 'Police Check', but I could obtain either of these if they become important (in UK you can request a copy of your Police record - which will include one where you have nothing recorded - but this takes time to do and involves a fee. You can also similarly request a 'DBS' check which will state your fitness to be around children, but this will have limited value to house-sitting assignments). I can also forward you my 'Linkedin' page that shows my career profile and background.
I have travelled a fair amount with my work over the years as a consultant - visiting places from North & South America, Europe and the Middle and Far East, but very often just seeing hotels and work premises and the journeys inbetween. I have also lived abroad in the past, with 12 months in Holland early in my career and six years in North Cyprus (from where I still did some consultancy work abroad on a part-time basis), where we bought and refurbished a large house and converted it into a villa with a pool.

What can they bring to the assignment

Trustworthyness and reliability.