Bill the Housesitter

06/12/2024

After an 18 month hiatus, I'm going to dip my toe back into the housesitting game.

As always, I will not charge for my services.

BUT after several horror house-sits, houseshares, and even one leased fully-furnished rental, I am going to be a bit more choosy.

I don't need to housesit, but as it says in my blurb, I miss being around animals.

Please contact me if you're looking for a housesitter: I'll consider any location.

Pic: Bill The Housesitter, June 2020, Darwin NT (Garramilla, Larakia country) G’day. I’m Bill The Housesitter. I’m a very experienced house-sitter and am available for short, medium and…

23/11/2024

I'm leaving the swearing at Facebook below in because it's just taken ten minutes to recreate this post in my web browser. Facebook would much prefer you use their app or an app, but I don't for multiple reasons. The chief reason:

It takes up a buttload of storage after you've used it for a while. If you're a serial user of Facebook who suffers from lags on your device or warnings you're running out of storage, go to your devices settings, go to Apps, and invest some quality time in clearing the caches on your hungriest apps.

Or simply uninstall and reinstall your app. Me, I use a web browser whenever possible and resist new apps.

Guardian Australia is currently lightly harrassing me to install their apps because I haven't. It's more like passive-agressive abuse than harrassment. I'll let it go for a while but at some point I'll shirt front them and yodel, "OI! I just started paying $20 a month to support independent media, but was looking to the side benefit of no more daily beggar emails. Get back your feckin' 10 yards!" 😘

Housesitting. Five years mostly full-time. It got lonely. I listened to a lot of ABC Sydney ABC Brisbane ABC Gold Coast and such.

New lineups have been announced. They're pretty good with one or two exceptions that stick out like dogs' bo****ks.

Here's one:

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For f*ck's sake, Facebook: are you deliberately crap at reposts? Is it marketing policy, or are your code cutters a bunch of virginal incel dicks who don't like sharing? Or people.

Sort your shirt out.

[Copy + paste]:

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Elated and outraged in equal measure.

Really looking forward to Chris Bath being back on the radio. I tuned into her evenings show from all over the country when she was on, and she dubbed me 'Bill The Gypsy's back in about 2017 - which I've kinda embraced and run with.

Much to some ABC Australia producers' and presenters' consternation. Stuff 'em if they don't get it. Looking at you, afternoons presenter in a certain jurisdiction. And Melbourne Overnights - those guys are interesting and informative but so painfully vanilla.

But ABC Sydney have got rocks in their head and have really done the wrong thing by Ms Bath, Mr Reucassel, and others who should be the big stories.

Instead they're overshadowed by the torrents of outrage and justified criticism the station is copping for dumping Sarah MacDonald. Hopefully they see the light or are dragged kicking, screaming, or apologising into the light.

Either by popular demand or managerial overlord decree; I'm ok with either.

Not to put too fine a point on it, ABC Sydney: pull your individual and collective heads out of your 🍑🍑🍑s.

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Now it's going to drop the link, isn't it? You're gonna make go back and copy the link and reinstate it just for making a change. Let's find out.

Yep. Facebook, why don't you and ABC Sydney get together at one of those wankfest financial sector pickup bars in Martin Place and hold a joint removal of your bonces from your dates party. Dates as in your chocolate starfishes, not your squeezes.

www.facebook.com/reel/2606078689727472

18/11/2024

“I’ll see you when I’m looking at you.”

15/10/2024

Serious questions for my Scottish and Caledonia-adjacent friends (and by adjacent, anyone can chime in and please do).

Generally speaking, not definitely, and not stereotyping - much - who would you rather sit and shoot the s**t with over a pinte, a coffee, or a rosehip dandelion tea aperol alco-free spritzer?

Someone from:

A. Auld Leekie
B. Home of ya man the Big Yin
3. Home of the Tangerine Blonders (Dundee United)
Vier. Aberdeen, Aberdeen. Prettiest toon ah'vv evah scene (the song, no value judgement)
E. The BordererS - no not Jim Patterson, but the people of the Borders
Z. Any islanders

F - Y add your own.

Your time starts now. This is a bit of fun but also kinda serious for me.

Bill The Gypsy
Bill Quinn, Australia
Walyalup WA

25/09/2024

From our music division.

Folk On The Road – Endless Sky: A Personal, Musical Love Letter To Mparntwe – A literal life-changing experience… well, that’s a bit melodramatic, Bildo. How about it set yo…

25/09/2024

We have (probably) all been the cat and the kitten.

Today? Definitely both. Just come back from breakfast where I was mostly the kitten, but when a few people walked in, I was quite assuredly the cat.

Meow! 🐈 😻 🐈‍⬛️ 😺 🐱 😸

19/04/2024

More pics from that regular Darwin NT gig.

19/04/2024

From four years ago, at Lee Point (Darwin, NT).

Sadly, I believe the little one is no longer on the planet. 😞😢

But I looked after these two for two weeks at a time for many months.

Greetings from the Northern Territory, Australia.

19/04/2024

Readying myself to take a dip back into housesitting paired with some travel plans for 2024.

Thinking it will be a good idea to remind myself of some good experiences that not so much got me into housesitting but kept me there. Despite some tough gigs!

This morning during breakfast at the Hi-Way Inn near Daly Waters, NT.

Where I've come from, where I am, where I'm going to. 🤠🥵😃

📷 Carisa, Hi-Way Inn, Stuart Highway, Jingili land.

21/03/2024

After a couple of troubling experiences in WA in 2023 then a failure to launch with a headcase in SA who couldn't even be bothered to read one page of Ts&Cs AND failed to mention her initial dates weren't required (while I was in the $30 Uber ride en route to a meeting with her she'd forgotten about), but can you commit yourself for eight months in advance?

No, "Gwenevieve", I can't. But tell me more about your dog.

A: Very anxious, doesn't play well with others, please cross the road if you see another sentient being coming towards you.

Right, "Gwenevieve". So YOU'RE anxious, YOU need to cross the road, and YOU need to stay away from others.

And you definitely didn't read my Ts&Cs.

Goodbye, "Gwenevieve". Find another housesitter. It ain't me.

That said, I am available again in very limited areas if you've read my list of reasonable conditions. Mostly in WA and the NT. Maybe NSW. Still no charge.

Experienced, mature housesitter with loads of references

20/03/2024

I've been a trivia buff all my life, but in a "Gee, that's interesting" way, not a "No, no, you're wrong; they were the 36th state of the union, not the 37th state. You see in 1776 when the blah blah blah snooze snore" way.

When I was running trivia, my joy was vicarious. To hear laughter, see smiles, groans at my bad jokes. ("This country has an abnormally high incidence of unfortunate schmelting accidents!" - if you know, you know. Trivia In The Trams At The The Dickson Tradies.​) ​The thrill of a team when they won, the good-natured rivalry and banter.

When I was bumming around the country for all those years in the naughties, it was simple human companionship.

Now it's the fun and bantered and shared time together. $8 off my next chicken parmy is not a goal for me. Even the $33.33 from last night at Torrens Arms Hotel ​with QuizzaMe Australia ​- it's nice, but I'd have happily been relegated to second or third place and had as much fun as I did.

And after the quiz, people from the next table we'd been raggingbon and vice versa all night came over and had a beer with us, including M. who I'd subbed in twice on his bowls team at Hawthorn Hawks Bowls Club ​(SA version; sorry if that's the wrong one) about six weeks ago - but we both had to do the, "Terribly sorry, but your first name is...?" 🤔🤭🤣

Thanks, all. Especially the host with more than most, Justin McPheeber. No wait... Umhmm... see comments. 😉

05/02/2024

Yeah, well. If you never never try, you never never know.

Sorry to not connect you with those tix, Katie C. 🤷‍♂️🙄🙋‍♂️

03/02/2024

G'day to new followers.

And Katie C., I tried every channel at my disposal to contact you to give you four tix to the cricket, but you've got your comms locked down tighter than Fort Knox. 😢

Hopefully we can sort you out with a consolation prize, if you give us some way to contact you.

25/01/2024

Seems hard to believe my last housesit was less than a year ago. I had the sublime (see below) and the ridiculous in Boorloo/Walyalup, WA before heading east and now call Tarntanya, SA home. Of sorts. For now.

I've hung up my boots as a regular modus operandi, but late last year, an incredible force of nature in the form of a human introduced themself to me at a social gathering and somehow in the space of five minutes, I may have two gigs this year. Ts & Cs apply.

Starting this month, I am going to be coming and going from Tarntanya/Fleurieu at irregular intervals. I may be in your locality. (In fact, given I just travelled 8000+ KMs from Tarntanya -> Meanjin -> Boorloo/Walyalup -> Tarntanya including 4600kms driving coast to coast: I probably *was* within cooee of many of you. 🤯

Make me an offer I can't refuse. As always was and always will be, charges are $0.00 a day, 50% loading for weekends, and 136% loading for public holidays.

Subject to the most eye-watering list of reasonable demands. 😁

OR if I'm in your neck of the napes or vice versa, give me a yodel. The Milky Bars are on me.

Bill Quinn
Tarntanya, Kaurna Country