Back to Australia

Our favorite kind of travel is when we can unpack for an extended period of time, establish a routine, and just live. Of course, doggos are the the icing on the cake!

Dogsitting in the Bush

We didn’t dream we’d be back in Australia so soon. But, shortly after leaving Australia last year, we received an offer we couldn’t refuse — six weeks with two pups on the outskirts of Melbourne. A new adventure was calling.

This trip to Australia availed us to new sorts of unique wildlife. Flocks of colorful, melodious birds escorted us on our daily walks. And in the fields and tucked under trees, troops of curious kangaroos often watched us — many of them with joeys!

A Day in the Life of a Housesitter

Firstly, no money changes hands. This is truly a peer-to-peer service insured by a reputable third party (in this case, TrustedHousesitters.com).

Caring for pets in their own home is truly a wonderful concept. We have been on both sides — as an owner and as a sitter. For the owner, you get peace of mind knowing your pet gets to stay in the comfort of their own home. And everything else — the house, yard, garden, mail, waste/recycling — gets to maintain its normal rhythm too. Additionally, housesitters are there if there are any emergencies. On this occasion, we happened to notice a burst pipe. Thankfully we were there to notify the owners and call for help. I don’t want to imagine what would’ve happened had it gone unnoticed.

For the sitters, it is an opportunity to step into someone else’s life for a little while. We get a chance to love some special pups and sample a slice of life in an authentic locale that we would not have found in any travel brochure. For example, it’s stimulating to drive different vehicles on the opposite side of the road and shop for groceries in different ways. It’s fun to meet other dog walkers and learn about the area and their lives. People are really the same everywhere, aren’t they?

Anzac Biscuits

Ask anyone, one of my daily simple pleasures is tea and biscuits. Luckily for us, our hosts introduced us to Anzac biscuits “bikkies.” They were chewy, snappy, coconutty, sweet, and salty — love at first bite! Not to mention, their dunkability was a perfect “10”.

We learned that Anzac Day is observed each year on April 25th in Australia and New Zealand. Similar to Veteran’s Day in the US, it is a day to commemorate all of the military personnel who have served and died in wars dating back to WWI. “Anzac” is a mash-up of: Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.

Since you can’t find Anzac biscuits in the US, I challenged myself to test a few different recipes before returning to the US.

The winning recipe was the one by the Australia Country Women’s Association (CWA). If you’d like to bake the cookies for yourself, please follow this link to the recipe.

Pickleball

Following our dogsit in the bush, we returned to our former studio in Melbourne. Our hosts always make us feel like family. Having personal connections in a location makes such a big difference when traveling.

Another reason we love our studio is its close proximity to the gym, swimming pool, yoga classes, and now the tennis courts — or in this case — pickleball courts! Did you know Pickleball, that tennis-like game that’s been sweeping the US in recent years was invented on Bainbridge Island, Washington way back in 1965? Well, it’s just coming on the scene here in Melbourne and we were excited to try it out. It was a blast! It was so much faster and more physical than I’d thought. The topper was the excellent people — everyone was so friendly and encouraging! Manohar and I both hope to keep playing wherever we are!

All in all, another wonderful trip down under!

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