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Holidays

Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

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Original poster

FREE - HOLIDAY IN LONDON (Aug 6-20) AT OUR HOUSE

83 replies

SofiaAmes · 25/07/2005 01:47

It's that time of year again when we go on holiday to Italy and need someone to water the plants and feed the goldfish while we are gone. Last year two different lovely mumsnetter families came and stayed in our house while we were gone and had a great time.
We have a really nice large house which is, of course, child friendly. It's a no pet, non-smoking house.
All you have to do is water the plants every day and cover the cost of the cleaner once a week.
We're gone Aug 6 - 20.
Any takers?

OP posts:

maomao · 26/07/2005 12:39

Ah, I thought this might be your thread, Sofia! How are you? So you are going to California then???

Twiglett · 26/07/2005 12:41

ha and there's me thinking its a stylish statement .. nice to know you're human like the rest of us, despite your fantastically beautiful house

giraffeski · 26/07/2005 19:50

Message withdrawn

dot1 · 26/07/2005 21:35

SofiaAmes - that's so kind! But it's probably more trouble for you than being much help as we'd only be there from the Saturday to Monday and I can't get any more time off work at the moment. Thanks anyway though - that's really thoughtful!

niceglasses · 26/07/2005 21:49

OOO - I might be interested, or has someone grabbed it already and am being dim?? Er, I have 3 children though, from 4 to just gone 1. Won't be offended if this is too much.

I've often wondered if anyone wanted to stay at my house whilst we are away.....Whitley Bay right on the coast north of Newcastle....nice beaches. Might try next time.

Am waffling now

marthamoo · 26/07/2005 21:59

You're leaving that beautiful house? Are you mad?!

(That means I can't come next year )

mancmum · 26/07/2005 22:07

if this is still going, I would be interested... me and DH and 2 kids 2 and 5... kids well trained by DH who would be with them all the time... please give me a CAT if still available... references and deposit available!!

Original poster

SofiaAmes · 26/07/2005 22:42

niceglasses, we have 7 bedrooms (1 is the lodger's and 1 is my office, so 5 that are used as bedrooms). You would be welcome to come with ALL your children (unless of course you want to leave them at home with your dh and have a real holiday.

I may take you up on staying at your place some other time. My dh is from Hartlepool and his mother smokes like a chimney and the hotels in the area are dire but we still have to visit mil once in awhile and I think you aren't too far from there....?

mancmum, you are next in line after niceglasses. (I feel like a school teacher lining the kids up for sweeties)

OP posts:

Original poster

SofiaAmes · 26/07/2005 22:43

marthamoo, you'll have to come to los angeles instead!

OP posts:

Janh · 26/07/2005 23:21

sofia, it is so nice to see your house finished! - what a fab job you 2 did on it!

I would have been at the head of the queue (except that I'm way too late of course) cos I was planning a trip to London your first week, but I can't come at all now becuase I have to work

niceglasses · 27/07/2005 08:52

SofiaAmes, am seriously interested, so thanks. Guess you would like to take up refs etc? Shall I contact you via e-mail?

mancmum · 27/07/2005 08:54

sorry but have to cancel my place in list tragically --- was emboldened to ask under influence of wine last night but was also wrong in my dates....someone will have a fab time there... beautiful house and thanks for considering my drunken application!!

SoupDragon · 27/07/2005 09:06

Why doesn't the lodger water the plants and feed the goldfish? I'm curious

oliveoil · 27/07/2005 09:08

Er are you not worried that you get a weirdo? Or someone who decides that they would like to squat thanks?

Not that there are these types on Mumsnet but someone could masquerade as a lovely family. Or is that just me being a cynical old misery arse?

SoftFroggie · 27/07/2005 15:35

would be interested in your place-to-be in California, if you ever fancy looking for a house-sitter for there!

chonky · 27/07/2005 15:40

I love your house - it's stunning.
I hope you don't mind me asking, but how did you do the walls in the master bathroom? Are they tiles, or specialist plaster?

sorrel · 27/07/2005 15:45

sophia- just in case previous applicants drop out,I am available for the first week. It would just be me and dd 10. Dh is away working that week.

Original poster

SofiaAmes · 27/07/2005 16:28

Gosh, all the questions...this must be what it's like to be famous...
Watering the plants takes quite a bit of time (probably close to an hour a day when it's super hot and there is no rain) and my experience has been that paying lodgers or roommates (or husbands) are generally not reliable in that department. On the other hand last year's mumsnetters were excellent at it so,...
And feeding the goldfish needs to be done by a child so there is lots of snot and spit on the food which seems to make the fish happy and grow big and fat....

Walls in master bathroom are honed indian sandstone purchased from these guys . I got all my stone from them and they have great prices and beautiful materials.

niceglasses, CAT me and we'll make arrangements.

No I don't worry about weirdo's. I guess I'm a bit of a hippy at heart and just like making people happy and always think the best of people until proven otherwise. Funnily enough, I recently rented out my guest house in la to people I found over the internet and never met. They were a little nervous about givng money to someone they hadn't met, so googled me and all they found was loads of mumsnet posts....they decided no one could make all of that up and therefore I had to be for real.

sorrell, will put you next on list if niceglasses drops out.

Once I've got this all sorted i'll post pictures of the house in la and you can all start planning your summer holidays!

OP posts:

sorrel · 27/07/2005 17:41

sofia- please feel free to CAT me if needed. Hope all goes well for you.

SoupDragon · 27/07/2005 17:43

@ the goldfish food

CountessDracula · 27/07/2005 17:48

sofia have you got a sprinkler? On super hot days we use a virtually fixed sprinkler on our beds/pots it is so much easier just to move around every 5 mins

Can't wait to see LA house!!

CountessDracula · 27/07/2005 17:48

(gorgeous pix btw!)

WideWebWitch · 27/07/2005 19:14

Sofia, I'm sorted now and will be staying with mil so thanks but count me out. That's funny about googling you and getting mumsnet!

niceglasses · 28/07/2005 08:54

SofiaAmes, have contacted you via e-mail. Many thanks again.

Original poster

SofiaAmes · 28/07/2005 10:55

cd, yes we do have a sprinkler, but garden is so big that it only covers a small portion of it and when it's really hot, everyone waters their gardens and the pressure goes down and the sprinkler only covers a few square meters!
And then there are the terraces...

Really it's because we're trying to sell the house and need it to look extra good all the time. Otherwise I'd just let the plants wilt a bit, or spend some money and put in a watering system.

Haven't got your CAT yet niceglasses, but I'll keep an eye out for it.

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