House Sitting in New Zealand – Des Hulley's Blog

November 5, 2018November 6, 2018

Bad experience

We are living on a farm north of Dargaville, in a district known as Mamaranui. We are house-sitting (or farm-sitting) for the owners, who are in the South Island for work. We came here on 4 October, and will be here until 2 December. We are enjoying the stay here very much. It is a comfortable home, and I just love the farm!

I had a sore throat the weekend before last. I bought some throat spray, and used that. The soreness went away, but then I had a cough, and pain in the lungs. I bought some LemSip syrup, and that seemed to help for the chest. After about 2 days, it was better.

Saturday I started feeling soreness in the throat again, and by Sunday, it was severe. Food had no taste, and, of course, I cannot smell either. I sprayed my throat on Sunday evening, hoping that it would improve overnight.

I woke up with a very sore throat, and felt pretty miserable. I decided to go to town and see a doctor. I phoned the Dargaville Medical Centre, and they informed me that there is only one doctor there today, but I could come in and wait, as they do have a walk-in medical facility. I showered, and left. Alida stayed at home.

I reported to the counter, where the lady had me fill in the necessary forms, and soon after the screening nurse called me over. She had a look at my throat, and took me directly to see the doctor. The doctor lady had a look, and decided to give me Amoxicillin antibiotics to cure the throat. She also gave me Paracetamol for the pain. I went to the pharmacy to get the drugs. I also bought pies from the pie shop, and a bottle of water. I took the Amoxicillin and Paracetamol in the car before I drove out of town.

At home, I was not feeling too great, so I took the car to the shed where the chickens are kept. While there, I started feeling worse, and decided to return home as soon as possible. I parked the car outside, instead of in the garage, just in case I had to go back to hospital.

As I came into the house, I started feeling really bad. I went into the lounge, where Alida was busy with needlework, and plopped into a chair. She asked if I was alright, I told her I was feeling really bad. Then I started feeling nauseas, and got up to go to the bathroom. As always, it is too late, but luckily I had not eaten or had anything to drink since the previous evening, so I made it to the toilet bowl before anything came out.

It was a horrible experience! I retched and retched, but very little came out. I could not see properly, everything was white, and very bright! Alida asked what she could do, I asked her to make some scrambled eggs, so that I could get something in my stomach. I thought the reaction was because I had taken the tablets on an empty stomach. I sat down on the bathroom floor, feeling very flat, and it was an effort just to lift an arm.

When the food was ready, I stood up, and stumbled to the kitchen, where I took a few bites of the food. I then went back to the lounge, and sat down. My eyesight became worse, there were things floating around, and everything was very bright, but in a hazy sort of way. There was a lot of white, and I could not see the objects in front of me, only vaguely seeing the objects in my peripheral vision.

I asked Alida to take me to the hospital. I was passing out, and knew that if that happened, Alida would be unable to get me into the car. I stumbled out to the car, and she followed. She left her oxygen concentrator, her purse, etc. and came out to the car. We drove off the farm, I opened the gates, because I knew it would be much quicker than waiting for her to do it. While travelling in the car, I felt this terrible itching! My arms were red, and itching! The more I scratched, the more it itched! It was maddening! My neck, legs, everywhere started itching! I tried not to scratch, rather rubbed the skin, but it was driving me crazy!

We went straight to the hospital, I explained to the lady what the problem is, and they almost immediately took me through to a bed. There was a barrage of nurses and doctors coming in and looking, and asking many questions. They put a drip in my hand, with some solution dripping into my veins. Finally, one of the doctors asked me to follow him to his room, where he again asked many questions, and examined me, took blood pressure, etc. My blood pressure was very low, 95/56.
I again started passing out, and told him I was going to vomit. Alida passed me bucket, and I retched and retched.

The doctor then decided I should be taken up in hospital. They put more stuff into the drip, one of which I heard was a steroid. I lay on the bed, shivering and shaking from the cold. The nurse thought it strange, because she said my body was hot to the touch. I could not control the shaking, it was quite embarrassing.

After a while, I started feeling better, and the doctor came in, said I should get up, and walk around a bit, so that they could see if I am going to be alright to go home, otherwise I would have to stay overnight in the hospital. I was not keen on this, as it meant Alida would have to spend the night alone on the farm.

At around 18:30, a nurse came in, and took readings again. They were satisfied that the Amoxicillin was out of my system, or at least that the concentration was now so low, that there would not be further reactions. They said I could go home.

We came home, and had pies for supper. I went to bed around 21:00, and slept well.

July 21, 2017July 22, 2017

Dairy Flat

Dairy Flat

We received a message on Kiwi House Sitters web site from a lady who wanted to know whether we are interested in house sitting for them in Dairy Flat, while they are away on holiday. We were available for that period, and started talking to the owners.

I had always said that I would love to stay out on Dairy Flat, and so I was very keen to do it. We made a date, and went to see the owners. The lady was at home, and she showed us around. It is a very nice house, large, modern, and very comfortable. They have 2 meduim/large dogs, which we need to take care of. The dogs are very well mannered, and love people!

They were happy with us living in their home, and we loved the house! They left for their month-long holiday overseas, and we moved in. It is very relaxing here, it’s easy to keep clean, and I do not need to do any gardening. The weather has been appalling, since we moved in. There has been a lot of rain, and the garden is permanently flooded! Being mainly clay, it remains waterlogged for a long time. There is no chance at all of mowing the lawns!

The grounds are very large, probably around 4 acres. There are stables, where they keep their horses, but the horses are not on the property. They are being taken care of by some other people.

In the evening, as dusk settles in, hundreds of birds come to roost in a row of large bamboo plants lining a paddock. They are very vociferous, and it creates quite a din! The crescendo increases as it becomes darker, and then, as if on a signal, they all pipe down, there is a couple of chirps, and then quiet!

We are close to the North Shore Airport, in fact, we are right in line with the only runway. On days when the weather is conducive to flying, there is a constant stream of small aircraft overhead, either taking off, or landing, depending on the wind direction. I like airplanes, and so it is a treat for me.

There is a lovely pool in the back, just off the deck. However, being winter, and with all the rain, the water is very cold! I am definitely not going in there! The hob in the kitchen is gas fired, the ovens are electric. The water heaters are also gas fired. The wooden floors are beautiful, polished, and in very good condition. 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 2 large family rooms, a lovely kitchen, and a large dining room. There is a double garage, where the car is kept while they are away. In the back, there is a wood fired pizza oven, and a large outdoor table. They tell me they have lovely get-togethers there, as the husband is an expert pizza maker!

The younger dog is a Golden Labrador. She has been trained as a Guide dog for the blind, but she has turned out to be too energetic to lead a blind person. She has been removed from the programme, and allocated to a permanent home. She has not been with the family for long, only about 2 months now. Both dogs are female, and they enjoy each other a lot! They play most of the time, running, chasing, tug-of-war, etc.

The dogs have collars, with a unit affixed. There is a wire running around the perimeter of the property, which emits some signal. When the dog approaches the perimeter, the unit gives a warning buzz. If the dog ignores this, and approaches the perimeter, the unit shocks the dog. This is a very good deterrent, and the dogs soon learnt that they are not too approach the fences!

The past weekend, Dedré and family came over after church for lunch. I explained this to Steve, and he said he wondered how severe the shock was, if there was any shock at all! We decided to find out! I took the collar off the dog, and gave it to Steve. We walked down the driveway, and approached the gate. When we came to within about 4 metres from the gate, there was an audible buzz from the unit, and a slight vibration. We retreated, and it stopped. I still wondered whether there was actually a more severe reaction. Steve held the unit, and cautiously approached the gate again. It buzzed again, but he continued going forward, then “Wow!” And he threw the unit away! I laughed, but was still not convinced that it did actually deliver a shock! The look on his face should have told me! I took the unit, and walked toward the gate. Wham! I also dropped it, as the electric shock banged through my arm!

I have to say immediately, that the shock is not severe at all! There is no cruelty to the animals, it is just an unexpected shock! It does not hurt at all, just causes a fright to whoever, or whatever has the unit!

We are enjoying it here! Chief priority though, is to keep the property and animals safe!

The Bamboo hedge, where the birds roost in their hundreds!

June 23, 2017July 22, 2017

House sitting in Kaihu

I received a call from a lady in Auckland. She is looking for house sitters for a house on a small farm in the Northland. She needed someone to look after the house and cat, for 2 weeks. I was very keen, and it fitted in with our other house sitting commitments. I told her we were keen, and we made the necessary arrangements. We all agreed on the plans.

On Sunday, 18 June 2017, we left Hatfields Beach around 10:00, and headed north on SH1. At Brynderwyn, we turned inland, toward Dargaville. The ride was beautiful, the scenery was breathtaking! We stopped along the way, and had coffee from the flasks.

We arrived in Dargaville, and easily followed the instructions sent to us by the lady. We soon arrived at the farm. She said to look out for a big green letterbox, and she would hang a white pillow slip from the letterbox. It was easy to find!

We drove up the long driveway, and arrived at a small farm house. She came out to greet us. We had not met her before, but she is about our age, so we found it comfortable to talk to her. Her car was already packed, and she was ready to leave. She showed us the inside of the house, and the do’s and don’ts. Then she and I went outside, and she showed me the garden, and the laundry etc. When we were sort of comfortable, she said goodbye, and left for Auckland.

We unpacked, and got comfortable. I was very keen to see the creek, and so I went for a walk. It is a lovely small creek, which apparently has trout and eel. The water was clear, although the stream was pretty fast. I was not sure where the farm’s boundaries were, so did not venture too far.

I took a lot of photos, it really is a nice place. It is by no stretch of the imagination modern, but it is comfortable, and the house is very solid. There is a nice fireplace, and heaps of chopped wood! We kept the fire burning slowly through the stay. It keeps the house nice and warm.

We look after the old cat, Jendy. She is very friendly, and took a liking to us from the start. She is easy, and not demanding, like some cats I know!

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday saw cloudy skies, with some rain. We are yet to see exactly where the sun rises! I tried to do some fishing in the creek, but had no luck.

I awoke Thursday morning at 02:30, with heavy rain falling! This continued, until around 08:00, raining off and on, and sometimes quite hard rain falling. It stopped around 08:30, and did not rain for the rest of the day.

I went down to the creek to see if the water level had risen. I was not prepared for what I saw! The creek had transformed into a seething mass of chocolate coloured water, foaming and rushing along at high speed! The water level had risen by about a meter, maybe more! The spots where I had tried to fish the day before, was covered by water!

I took a long walk around the perimeter of the entire farm. It is 32 acres, and it took me about 2 hours. It is very beautiful, and I just love it here!

The sun broke through at about 16:30, so I took more photos. It was the first time we had seen the sun since Sunday!