Then, last autumn, a friend asked if we’d house-sit her dogs in Devon while she went to a wedding. For one tranquil weekend, we walked on the beach, and curled up by the fire in the evening. That led to house-sitting for her friend in Dorset, which also went well. Encouraged, I paid an annual £99 fee to join a house-sitting website, where, in exchange for looking after people’s pets, you stay in their homes free of charge. Within a few days, I’d arranged a 10-day house-sit in Sussex, looking after a labrador named Buzz while his owners were abroad.