Professional babysitters we all know of. And there are housesitters available for families going on holidays. Sometimes it is possible to manage this within a large family. Thus, a burly young athlete was able to take over a house and see to the wellbeing of four demanding dogs, two tricky cats, a possible pony, which didn't materialise, and all the daily chores. A hero.
A case is soon coming up where grass is to be mowed weekly, all dead leaves swept up, while the younger contingent has the task of collecting daily any whole acorns, green or ripening and put into a lidded bin. No scrap of paper on the work-table is to be moved. At night the badgers, foxes and wild cats are to have their regular allowance of monkey nuts, bread, and, in the case of two semi-wild or merely scrounging cats, a little bread and milk.
But the most demanding case of all concerned the herbs. While one person fed the predatory Burmese cats (they are in and out the cat-hole at feeding time) others were entrusted with the couple's most precious garden and culinary treasure - two huge earthen pots crammed with healthily-growing basil plants. Not the hardiest of herbs, you know, but delicious and singularly delicate. Or that is what was drummed in.
They were put on a nice table in the garden, well surrounded on the surface with daunting coarse sand. No blue pellets. Nightly watches were kept. First thing in the morning they were inspected. And after two weeks of carefree roaming on the Continent, the grateful owners find their treasure in at least as good condition as they left it. And not one leaf purloined by the herb-sitters.
Apart from grateful familial thanks, and presents galore, there was the huge surprise and heartfelt sacrifice of receiving from them the first, warm, sweet fig of the season. From their own garden, of course. Figs from abroad, as we get them, are so often leathery of skin. Incidentally, the kindly feeder of the two Burmese cats was rewarded, one morning, by a gift of two rats, Dead, fortunately.