I've been based in Kenya since 2014, working in wildlife conservation along the Great Rift Valley. Housesitting started as a practical solution — it let me move between field contracts without the overhead of permanent accommodation — but I've grown to love the rhythm of it. There's something grounding about being trusted with someone's home and animals.

I'm at my best on rural properties with land. I've managed farmsteads with dogs, goats, chickens, geese, and in one memorable case, a pair of donkeys who refused to be separated. I'm practical, handy, and I don't mind isolation — I've sat properties that were a 40-minute drive from the nearest town.

When I'm not sitting, I'm usually in the bush. My work takes me to remote areas across Kenya and Tanzania, which means I'm comfortable with generators, borehole pumps, and the kinds of minor repairs that rural African properties inevitably require.