As Mandalorians would say ‘this is the way’, and we found our way to travel in these very uncertain times – Trustedhousesitters. It combines two things high on our list of favourites – caring for animals and travel. As we are a wee bunch that might come out as wild I wasn’t sure if anyone would even take us to care for their homes and furry friends but the Force was on our side (we are very much into Star Wars at the moment đ).
Our first sit ever – Lincoln!
Now Lincoln is not that far, but it’s not that close to Edi either. Or we just needed a good excuse to split the journey and explore some other ‘planets’ on the way. What was on the way – not to be missed – Alnwick Castle. There is much to see in Alnwick Castle, but for all the Harry Potter fans in the world, probably only one is of real interest – The Broomstick Training.
Are we Harry Potter fans? Always! Did we learn how to fly on the broom? Hell yeah! Great teachers, great fun, but do note, it is not for Muggles.Â
Alnwick Castle also made a page to help with home learning (and we always greet such efforts with thumbs up) – want to know more about Nicolas Flamel and did he really discover the Philosopher’s Stone? Discover all on the subject of Alchemy? Check it out here.
We didn’t stay long, but we did fall in love with Northumberland. A wee sneak a peek into the very calming feel of historical market town Morphet on the River Wansbeck, raised the idea that this might just be the perfect place to put down roots. Once roots will be on our menu đ Apparently it is not certain where the name Morphet originates, but from two options – ‘moor path’ connecting England and Scotland and ‘murderers path’ referring to some slaughter that took place nearby, we went for the ‘moor’ variations as more appropriate.Â
Next stop – Lincoln, or to be precise Branston, a village close to Lincoln where our first ever (hopefully in line of many) pet sitting took place.
Almost immediately the beauty of having a garden, nearby woodland and a peaceful village when raising two boys, became more than obvious. In line with that, I have also added experiencing different lifestyles, to one of the very important perks of traveling while caring for pets. And life on a farm is one lifestyle we like very much!
We liked it so much that from a list of things we really really wanted to see, we ended with one visit to the center of Lincoln and one to Daisy Made Farm (absolute must for the ice-cream lovers) along with exploring the Whisby Nature Park.
At that moment it time, it felt better to keep everything simple – immerse into stillness, care for our old and new pets, pick fresh veggies, play with creation of new meals, and above all enjoy the magic of fire before turning in for the night.
The short visit of Lincoln ended up somehow mostly focused on our sense of taste. Due to Covid rules we left Lincoln Cathedral and Lincoln Castle behind us and roamed the streets, immediately falling in love with Steep Hill. Famous for its independent businesses it made our tasting buds very happy indeed.
From teas and the most delicious decaf coffee ever (that smells and tastes like the real thing but I can still have a good night’s sleep after) in the Imperial Teas of Lincoln (with the good news that they do deliver home as well), to Candy Floss flavoured Marshmallows (that sadly can’t be delivered to Edinburgh) to some super yummy hot chocolate. Just be ready once you go down, you might need to go up back too. The street that was named the fourth steepest street in England is quite vertical.Â
Some other senses were activated on the Daisy Made Farm. Apart from delicious ice-cream, we enjoyed cuddles with farm animals (not that our boys didn’t try cuddling our sheeps at home as well but they were a bit less inclined to do so than Daisy Farm animals). Not to forget the mini golf. Because we do have a few champions in the family that get very excited and a bit competitive near mini golf terrains.
On the homeschooling/unschooling note, slowing down gave us the chance to perceive more. Watching up close and personal how a spider wraps a fly in a burrito and then sucks the life out of her, or making flour out of wheat with bare hands and some rocks…children learn everywhere. Or as they say ‘not all classrooms have four walls.’
What we learned – we love living so close to nature. As time slows down, everything becomes lighter and the body rhythm tunes with nature’s – waking up with sunlight and having a really good restful night of sleep.
It was a great experience, a brilliant way to travel and get to know people and places and learn so much first hand. We absolutely can’t wait for our new Trustedhousitters adventures!
If you are up for more adventures, join us in exploring Scottish Moray County, Edinburgh or Stirling.