Help needed digging new garden in Aegina island, Greece

Detalles

• 

  Descripción

  PLEASE WRITE TO ME ONLY IF YOU HAVE READ THIS PROFILE CAREFULLY FIRST, AS I HAVE HAD MANY OFFERS FROM PEOPLE WHO OBVIOUSLY HADN'T!
  
  I am looking for a very quiet, reliable and independent helper with gardening experience, preferably over 30 years old, for a period of anything from two weeks to all summer, depending completely on compatibiIity and also on my summer plans, which may include periods away, during which the helper would house-sit, feed cats and look after garden during my absence.
  
  I am about to move to a new country home /new rental on the island of Aegina, where I've lived for 17 years. I dug a large organic vegetable garden at my present home, using only hand tools, and from very poor soil, beginning three and a half years ago, but was then given notice this past November and am moving into another rental by mid-May (in 11 or 12 days). The new place has an uncultivated smallish field with poor soil in which my new garden will be dug. See more below under 'Help needed' for details about the gardening.
  
  I am used to living alone (and for decades) and need someone with their own projects to attend to when not carrying out help shifts and, ideally, someone who likes to get away from the house and go to town and/or to the sea frequently, neither of which are far from my new place. Non-smokers preferred, but smokers can leave premises easily to smoke. An online meeting would be essential before anything could be arranged. More details about co-habitation below under Accomodation.

• 

  Tipos de ayuda y oportunidades de aprendizaje

  Jardinería

  Cuidado de animales

  Ayuda doméstica

  Ayuda informática
• 

  Intercambio cultural y oportunidades de aprendizaje

  I am fluent in GREEK, both spoken and written, and a native English- speaker who has also published articles in English. I play traditional music from various regions of Greece and also from Asia Minor, as well as some Ottoman classical (and other) music on the violin.
  
  Volunteers would be welcome to listen to music from my large collection of traditional music from Greece and Turkey (and would also hear me playing), and to peruse my collection of books about and guides to Greece (written in English). I would also be willing to give a lesson or two in the Greek language, time permitting. I would be thrilled to have visitors/house-sitters who also play such music from these parts.

• 

  Ayuda

  As stated above, I need someone to dig garden beds for me in a garden area with poor soil--just a field now. I will be bringing my finished compost with me, and will also likely have some manure delivered, both of which will need to be dug into the soil. As I'd be getting a very late start this year with planting, seedlings would then need to be transplanted into the new beds. So I need a strong,competent worker with gardening experience, preferably with organic vegetable gardens. I will also buy some flowering plants in large pots which will need to be put in after amending of the soil. And after watering my gardens with hoses for decades, I would also like to have someone put in some drip lines for automatic irrigation, so I'd welcome a vounteer with knowledge of drip systems, but that's not essential.
  
  I will also likely also need some help moving furniture around and hooking up my washing machine,with general cleaning, shopping, etc. Help hours would be up to the helper, though surely most would prefer early mornings/late afternoon, what with hot summers here in Greece (this one coming on fast now).
  
  I would provide very healthy meals made with ingredients in large part organically grown, including organic coffee. I eat some dairy products (but minimally, and only from goat or sheep's milk). Some of my meals include some seafood or some chicken, the latter bought from a shop that buys only from smaller companies that do not engage in factory farming. I also eat "Bio" (organic) eggs. I'm not prepared to cook separate meals for vegans, or beef and pork for meat-eaters.
  
  If the Workaway helper were to house-sit for me for periods during my absence, they would pay during those periods for their own groceries, but chores would be minimal-- mainly keeping the house and verandas clean and tidy, the two cats fed, garden watered, etc. The exchange then would be mostly for cost-free use of house and utilities.

• 

  Idiomas hablados

  Greek: Fluido
  Inglés: Fluido

• 

  Alojamiento

  There are two bedrooms in the house, so there could be the option of the helper using one of them but there will also be beds both on the large veranda in front of the house and out in the field in back of the house that is to become the garden, which has three pistachio trees in it. Tenting there would also be an option. Apart from the two bedrooms, there is a large long main room with kitchen on one end that opens onto the front veranda, which is quite spacious and even has an outdoor oven as well as a grill. The house is very tastefully built, with wooden doors and window frames, and tile floors. The bathroom is tiled and modern. There is one neighboring house, which, though very close to the rental, is occupied by an older couple who, I've been told, are very quiet. The surrounding area is paved country road with very few houses on it, one distant sea view and other views of low hills. The walk to the bus stop (I own no vehicle) is one kilometer (about 15 minutes at most), and the bus ride from there on main road to town only ten minutes. It is also possible to walk one half-hour from the bus stop via back roads to the sea and emerge at a good swimming spot just north of the port /main town of Aegina (also called Aegina).

• 

  Algo más...

  The island is beautiful and offers a lot to see and do, though bus routes limited. For those without vehicles, there are plenty of nice places to walk on the island, including extensive pine forest. Aegina (town/harbor) is beautiful, with neoclassical architecture, a long pedestrian street, a pedestrian walkway on the waterfront, a fish market and good grocery stores, various tavernas and cafes, traditional kafeneia (old-style Greek cafes) and a relaxed atmosphere. Small enough to walk around and see everything in an hour (at most). The coastlines offer beaches and coves of various types and sizes, and there is plenty of unspoiled nature up in the hills, with nice sea views. The small, very undeveloped, wooded island of Angistri is a short ferry ride away, with schedules that allow for day trips. Slow ferries (car ferries) to Athens take 1 1/4 hours, and hi-speeds 40 minutes, though expensive. Many daily schedules for both, so day trips are entirely possible.

• 

  Un poco más de información

  • 

    Acceso a Internet

  • 

    Acceso a Internet limitado

  • 

    Tenemos animales

  • 

    Somos fumadores

  • 

    Puede alojar familias

• 

  Puede acoger a nómadas digitales

  Yes. The house will have Wi-Fi, though maybe not till third week of May, and good connection.

• 

  ¿Cuántos voluntarios puedes hospedar?

  Uno

• 

  Horas esperadas

  5 hours/day

Comentarios (3)