Mayday, m'aidez, we need help!

We are a family Franco-Anglaise with two and a half children, a dog and three chickens, mice, a mole and two mummyfied rats.
We live in an old farm 10 minutes from the sea and are waiting for 2012 so we can have a rest - meantime we want to renovate our longere, go sailing on our old gaff cutter, grow organic veg, eat the eggs our hens lay and buy the odd fish and dead animal. It's only snowed once here in a hundred years.

I am what I can best describe as an artisan; third artist, third craftsman, third sailor; basically I design and build things and make art, and have done so for the last 30 years and then when I have the time I go sailing and dream of building a wooden boat.
Isa was a part-time director of children's activities, particularly in relation to organic/bio agriculture and now, between looking after our garden, chickens and children, runs a traveling show for young school children, showing them about how things grow.
The major renovation here has not yet started so there isn't much to show, but I have included in the photo's below some shots of a few of the things I have built in the past, as well as photos of our life here.

Our Home;
What can we say about our home? Perhaps if you have specific questions you could send them through to us, but meantime here goes; As you can see from the photos, most of this property hasn't changed since 1800 or before, however we are living in the Farmhouse which was built in 1833 and which although still very much the previous owners decor is warm (thanks to getting a fire re-installed) dry and habitable, in a 1970/80's no fireplace kind of way. We have a spare room which you would be welcome to use. This is not a large farm house and in the winter months it will be necessary for us to get on well in order to share it. The summer would be easier, we have a large garden and a field, it would be a lovely place to camp and it would be easier for visitors to have more space. The village of Plouegat-Guerrand where we live, is situated about 10k from the sea and is pretty much equidistant between Morlaix and Lannion, two very attractive north Brittany towns. The coast is beautiful - of course. We hope that this information does not put you off, but think before anyone makes the effort to come all the way here, it is best you know what it is like.

Renovation Work:
The work we are doing at the moment (aside from establishing a vegetable garden and Orchard and wooden boat maintenance in the spring) is a bit of this and a bit of that, as funds and planning permission are still pending. However my work plan at the moment is to renovate the garage building, (the one perhaps you see me lying in a hammock under, back in the summer!). This will involve putting on a new tin roof, renovating the rotten woodwork, weather boarding certain sections and laying a concrete floor. With this done it frees us up to move stuff around and start work on some other parts of the property, in particular to start renovating the barn in order to make a simple farm Gite for people to stay in - which we hope will become part of the GR walking route the property is on. The other biggish job I would love to tackle is the erecting of a largish agricultural glass house, for growing things!

Questions we have for you?
We are curios to know how good your french is? Isabelle's daughter Yuna doesn't speak English so it would be good (but not essential) if you speak some French.
How are you traveling around? Public transport around here is almost non existent (a few buses' a day) and although there are two bars in the village and a baker and a butcher there isn't much else, if you need nightlife for instance, it's a drive into town. (we do have a couple of bikes though if that helps)

So with all that said, if you fancy joining in the fun during the next few years then please get in touch.

bon chance and bon voyage

Ben and Isa

Brittany

Baby work/ building work/ sailing and maintaining a wooden boat.

English French

spare room or in a tent - you choose.

RE: accomodation, we hope to build a simple Gite in the longere so if you come and help on that project then you will be able to sleep there!