Simon

United Kingdom
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Travel information
I am currently
Travelling
Activities i am interested in:
.... exploring southern Martinique. Les Trois Ilets, Anse Mitan, Anses à L'Ânes...
Description
June 2023 and I thought I should update this. January 2023 I spent a couple of weeks near the Mar Menor (not Workaway) so France is not my only choice of destination. Also spent the whole of May in Malaysia. Revisited the PADI Open Water course after 27 years to help with some marine conservation work.

Open to European opportunities for summer/autumn 2023 (warmer places for autumn) then somewhere further afield over winter.

Being lucky enough to retire early in life my original plan was to move to France and take on a small renovation project. For various reasons this is currently on hold and I'm contemplating travel/work opportunities for this Autumn/Winter 2022. Currently France and the Caribbean are my preferred destinations although most place sunny have their attraction!

I'm not the kind of person to sit around and do nothing. Equally, I couldn't see myself travelling as a typical tourist as this is both expensive and can become boring doing all the typically touristy things. Rather, I'd like to go places and do creative/productive stuff. This is what feeds my soul.

I'd love the chance learn more about boats, sailing and marine conservation. It's a long shot but if you have an electric boat project, it's something that interests me, also, off grid living.

My most recent accomplishment is my RYA Power Boat Level 2 - Powerboat Handling qualification, achieved earlier this year in the rather nice Beaulieu sur Mer.

I have worked alone for the last 16 years so happy in my own company but that said, give me company and I can rabbit on for hours "... a constant stream of consciousness" as one friend once described it!

Sorry but I'm not a cat person (allergic), dogs and horses are more my thing and although I've never owned either I do have a passing interest in their psychology (think Cesar Millan and Monty Roberts). I have ridden but not in a while and would enjoy the opportunity to get back in the saddle.

I'm a non-smoker.
Interests
Water sports
Technology
Sustainability
Self development
Sailing / Boating
Nature
Outdoor activities
Mountain
Fitness
DIY & crafts
Carpentry
Cooking & food
Architecture
Adventure sports
Languages
Languages spoken
French: Beginner
More details about my language interests
I've described myself as a beginner in French, although I have dabbled in it for many years I wouldn't be comfortable describing myself as intermediate... yet. It is something I always try to work on when I visit France.
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Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn
I'm interested in:
Gardening
DIY and building projects
General Maintenance
More details about your skills
My first career was in IT Operations and Support, including Disaster Recovery Planning, and later on it also involved a lot of people and organisational culture activities.

I retrained as an electrician in 2006 and spent just over 15 years as a domestic electrician. I also had a side hustle helping friends with their corporate seminar and events business. This involved everything from providing transport, set building, event support services. I also acted as cook/housekeeper on some executive retreats.

I am a keen DIYer but never got the chance to get stuck in to a bigger project. I am a creative and practical person and consider myself a problem solver.
Age
59
What else ...
Although I worked for many years at the bleeding edge of technology I would now describe myself as a born again Luddite. I use tech but only when it has an immediate use or serves a specific purpose. Having worked in IT Disaster Recovery I like resilience in my life and there are too many aspects of modern life where people are utterly dependant on tech.

I like old stuff, be it mechanical, structural, or whatever. I enjoy finding out about old stuff, repairing it or upcycling it including learning new skills to be able to do such things.
Some more information
- Smoker
- Driver's licence
- Allergies
  Cats
- Special dietary requirements
  I am a real omnivore so couldn't live in a vegan/vegetarian only environment for more than a few days. I particularly like fish and seafood and would relish the opportunity to be catching it.

Friends

Photos

My woodturner install, signed off by local Building Control

My TV stand, I upcycled from an antique drill press.

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Perhentian Islands, May 2023, just completed my PADI open water again (last done 1997) with these lovely people!

March 2023, thought I'd have a go at reupholstering this little chair. The tricky bit, the back.

July 2023, another personal first, bonded resin surface on an old concrete conservatory base.

May 2023, one of the old temples by the clan jetties, George Town, Penang.

Feedback

19 Dec 2022

Left by Workawayer (Simon) for host (Come to the Côte d'Azur, help ...)

My first workaday and I spent a total of six weeks with Brigitte. The first two in Bourgogne which was a convenient stopping point as I was driving from England. Laubaron is a fabulous old Manor House, the home of her son Stephan and his family and this is where I stayed while working at her other property, Giblain. There was also the company part… read more of the time with three other workaayers. The bulk of the work was assisting Stephan with the yoga room roof insulation preceded by some quick fix electrics to get cables in place and get some lights to the other part of the building for the halloween party... and some of the best pizza courtesy of the freshly christened new bread/ pizza oven! The down side to this art of my trip was a sore throat that I could not seem to shake but it was a lot better than the cockerel's.

As I was a man with a car, Brigitte was my passenger down to the south with a two day layover in Grasse and the simple joy of picking and salting olives from the garden.

And finally I arrived here, Brigitte's home in the hills above Roquebrune Cap Martin, definitely in the south and with much needed sunshine! In my initial message exchange with Brigitte I had if there would be enough to keep me occupied as I can get bored easily.... I should not have worried. Where you are blessed with common sense and practical skills, there is always plenty to do and I think I became a bit of an expert on French electrical water heaters.

Brigitte is a real force of nature and never seems to slow down. She appreciates hard work but is not shy of rolling up her sleeves and getting stuck in herself, in fact, there weren't many occasions when she wasn't getting stuck into some task or other! And the stories, so many fabulous stories that seem to come out of nowhere... we're in the car and having a conversation about an antique bed of her great grandmother's, a passing comment from Brigitte about this relative "cutting her head" and my then realisation it was more than that! So many conversations about so many subjects but also the recurring theme of sustainable and off grid living and power self sufficiency. If this is an area of interest to you perhaps you should introduce yourself!

This was a fabulous place and my four weeks were spent there in November and December. I met some wonderful people beside Brigitte, her family, her friends, the other residents here as well as other workwayers. Living and working alone I had become something of a hermit so it was great to interact with so many nice, warm and interesting people while simply being en France!

There are some many memories, tinged with sadness that the experience ended but that is life. So much remains to be done there so perhaps, one day, I will return.

(Very good )

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