Well hello there, friend!
I’m Cheryl — writer, traveller, horsewoman, longtime rescue volunteer, and full-time believer that life doesn’t end after divorce, debt, loss, starting over at 50, or starting over again at 60.
Actually, sometimes that’s when it finally begins.
Long before housesitting and wandering around Europe with a backpack, I was a 20-year-old Canadian who moved to Madrid to work as an au pair. This was before the Internet existed in every pocket, when finding overseas jobs meant boarding a plane and hoping for the best. I flew to London, found an agency, handed over about fifty bucks, and somehow ended up living in Spain.
That little adventure planted the travel bug early.
Years later, life looked very different.
I suddenly found myself single, struggling financially, and trying to hold things together while caring for three horses and two large rescue dogs in the incredibly expensive Greater Vancouver Area. What started as a personal survival journey slowly became this blog.
Back then I wrote a lot about stretching dollars, cheap meals, downsizing, debt, budgeting, pets, and surviving life as a single woman on a small income.
And honestly? I still do.
Because many women — especially older women — are quietly trying to rebuild their lives while the world acts like they should already have everything figured out.
Over the years, my little animal family grew older. One by one, I said goodbye to the dogs and horses who shaped huge chapters of my life. Today my last horse standing is Cajun, my mischievous 22-year-old Quarter Horse, who still keeps me humble.
When my last dog passed away, I already knew what came next.
I had spent years dreaming about becoming location independent someday. I wanted freedom, simplicity, fewer possessions, and more experiences. So I took the leap into housesitting and long-term travel — including walking the Camino de Santiago, which felt symbolic in more ways than one.
A new chapter. A new road.
These days you’ll usually find me:
- housesitting somewhere new
- wandering through small towns in Europe or Latin America
- volunteering
- figuring out how to travel affordably as a senior
- pet sitting adorable animals around the world
- or writing about the strange, funny, exhausting, and wonderful realities of starting over later in life
My blog now focuses heavily on:
- housesitting and how to get started
- budget travel for older women
- nomadic living
- money-saving tips
- simple food and recipes
- surviving financially on a lower income
- travel mishaps and adventures
- pets, rescue work, and animal stories
- and rebuilding a meaningful life after loss and major change
I’m also a lifelong reader, mostly vegetarian (I confess! I’m actually a pescatarian with a weakness for salmon), former scooter rider, and someone who still loves cozy mysteries and old episodes of Murder, She Wrote.
Writing has always been part of my life too. I published my mother’s cookbook and memoir about living with Alzheimer’s Disease, had novels traditionally published, and wrote for magazines and businesses long before blogging became a thing.
But this blog?
This one is personal.
It’s where I write honestly about reinvention, freedom, financial survival, grief, aging, travel, courage, animals, and building a meaningful life without a big income or perfect circumstances.
Because sometimes the best adventures begin after everything falls apart.
This blog has evolved a lot since 2017, but if you’re curious, my very first post — “Let’s Jump In” — is still hanging around here somewhere.
So grab a coffee and stay awhile.
And away we go — welcome to The Lifestyle Digs!