NB: I am now looking for a couple of people to come and help finish building a yurt here. Woodworking skills are a plus, but not essential. Also help with goats, a pig and chickens :)

My name's Alex, i'm 29 years old and originally from East Devon, althought i've lived my time in Montpellier, Paris, Bristol and London
I am now living on 30 acres of beautiful fertile land in a valley situated in 'Le Perigord Verte' a beautiful quarter of the Dordogne in the South West of France. I run a business selling antiquarian and collectable books online as well as the beginnings of an organic farm and hopefully somewhere along the line a Yurt rental business.
The land has several fields, a mineral water source and cliffs. It backs onto hundreds of acres of forest and there are large rivers (Dronne/Dordogne) nearby for swimming, canoeing, rock climbing, cycling or picnics. There are also farmers markets (the local produce and cusine round here are wonderful) local bars and shops, but mainly just a lot of nature!

To sit on rocks, to muse o'er flood and fell,
To slowly trace the forest's shady scene,
Where things that own not man's dominion dwell,
And mortal foot hath n'er, or rarely been;
To climb the trackless mountain all unseen,
. . . . . .
This is not solitude; 'tis but to hold
Converse with Nature's charms, and see her stores unroll'd.

BYRON

There, in the Broad, within whose booky house
Half England's scholars nibble books or browse.
Where'er they wander blessed fortune theirs:
Books to the ceiling, other books upstairs;
Books, doubtless, in the cellar, and behind
Romantic bays, where iron ladders wind.

JOHN MASEFIELD

I went to the woods because I wanted to live deliberately, I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, To put to rout all that was not life and not when I had come to die Discover that I had not lived.

Henry David Thoreau

Perigord Verte, Dordogne

I am looking for several different areas of work;
1) Help with running the book business, including cataloguing, organising, answering emails, postage and packing.
2) Work on continuing the beginnings of an organic farm; including digging vegetable beds, raising animals, weeding, watering, harvesting (among other things we have a number of walnut and apple trees)
3) Household chores such baking, cooking, cleaning etc (if thats your thing)
4) Building projects such as; more permanent summer accomodation for workawayers, a treehouse, flying fox, chicken hut, pizza oven etc
5) I'd like to find people - artists - interested in making large mosaic walls and natural 'Goldsworthiesque' forest sculptures.
6) I'd also very much like to find keen gardeners to create a herb garden and landscaped flower beds (again if thats your interest!)
7) I'm looking for a Mechanic & Builders at present, who want a cheap holiday!

English, French

The accomodation consists of a number of option;
1) A large ex-army 'tipi' style tent for the brave, which has rugs, beds, lanterns, candles, furniture etc + many other two man tents and bedding, matresses.
2) An attic room in the house with beds
3) A comfortable sofa bed infront of an open fire in the main living area
4) A Single futon bed in front of the same fire

People are welcome to come and stay for short periods of time (1-2 weeks) initially, then much longer if we feel that we all get along.
I generally have 1-2 workawayers staying, as well as two adorable black kittens and a puppy. I have other friends in the area and there are regular parties to go to during the spring and summer months.
The area is truly breathtaking, and there is canoeing, rock climbing, markets, sight eseeing and many other things to do as well as relax in the forest and look at and for nature.