Profile information
Host rating
100 %
Last replied
11 Jun 2025
Reply rate
85.7 %
Usually responds within 1 day
Feedback
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Badges (3)
Details
Description
I’m a physicist, economist, and artist with a passion for sustainable, independent living. After years working in Japan, I bought a former water mill in the Dordogne, France, nestled in a forest 6 km from Thiviers. I’ve been an environmentalist since age 14, living intentionally to minimize waste and maximize connection with nature. I’m talkative, love turning ideas into action, and embrace mistakes as part of growth. I enjoy cooking, filmmaking, meditation, yoga, and learning (currently Spanish, permaculture, and traditional cultivation methods). My cat, Pinky, is a shy house companion, so sadly, no dogs can join.
The Opportunity
I’m preparing my home for guests with lots of children and need help to make it a welcoming, fun, and safe space. I’m looking for a creative, hands-on person (or couple) to assist with cleaning, gardening, laundry, housework, and crafting kid-friendly projects. You’ll work 4 hours a day, leaving plenty of time to explore the area, pursue your own projects, or join me in learning about sustainable living. If you’re interested in long-term collaboration, there’s potential to co-create a vegetable garden or contribute to my dream of restoring the mill’s water power.
Tasks
Housework: Cleaning, laundry, and organizing to prepare for guests.
Gardening: Tidying the grounds and possibly starting a vegetable garden in rich river valley soil.
Kid-Friendly Projects: Creating fun activities (e.g., nature crafts, scavenger hunts) to keep children entertained.
River Activities: Helping set up and supervise safe use of an inflatable boat and stand-up paddleboard (to be purchased).
Optional: Assisting with cooking or barn reconstruction if you’re inclined.
Who I’m Looking For
Creative, reliable, and comfortable with kids (experience with children is a plus).
Practical skills in cleaning, laundry, and gardening.
Enthusiastic about sustainable living or curious to learn.
Able to work independently and adapt to a rural, nature-focused lifestyle.
Bonus: Interest in permaculture, yoga, meditation, or languages (I can offer lessons in English, French, German, or Japanese in exchange for Spanish practice).
What I Offer
A private room in a beautiful, converted water mill surrounded by forest, with the best air and starry skies for stargazing.
Access to the river for boating and paddling, plus biking and wildlife spotting (birds, squirrels, and more).
4 hours of work per day, leaving time to explore, create, or relax.
Shared meals featuring local Dordogne cuisine (I love to cook but welcome help).
A chance to learn about permaculture, sustainable living, or languages, and to join meditation or yoga sessions.
A supportive environment to experiment with your own ideas for independent living.
Details
Location: 6 km from Thiviers, Dordogne, France.
Duration: Flexible, from a few weeks to longer-term (especially for garden enthusiasts).
Accommodation: Private room, shared kitchen and bathroom.
Note: No dogs due to Pinky’s needs. Bikes available for local travel.
Start Date: As soon as possible to prepare for guests.
Why Join Me?
Life is too short to stay stuck in the grind. Here, you can breathe fresh air, connect with nature, and contribute to a meaningful project while having time to pursue your own passions. Whether you’re escaping the “rat race” or just seeking a change, this is a chance to live differently in a stunning corner of France. If you’re practical, creative, and ready to make a home kid-ready, let’s chat! Contact me to discuss details and share your skills.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Art Projects
Language practice
Help with Eco Projects
Teaching
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Help with Computers/ Internet
Interests
Self development
Technology
Sustainability
Writing
Performing arts
Photography
Plant care
Music
Languages
Drawing & painting
Gardening
DIY & crafts
Cooking & food
Carpentry
Art & design
Water sports
Outdoor activities
Sailing / Boating
Yoga / Wellness
Nature
Beach
Camping
Fitness
Cycling
Adventure sports
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
I can teach English, French, German and Japanese. Many years teaching experience with kids of 10 to 17 and professional adults ranging from "top managers" to "hobby speechologists".
Help
Some things I would appreciate help with:
Shutters and wooden furniture oiled/varnished, some window frames painting. The entrance bridge has been enlarged to allow larger wheeled vehicles to pass - a draw bridge would be a nice solution for some person who knows about the engineering involved! The barn columns made of concrete need extending so that they reach the roof - a temple to replace the barn is a nice thing to work towards.
I have several pairs of iron gates which need to be mounted on home made concrete columns - foundations for columns and setting these straight - .
Some building work, lots of gardening, a lot of tree felling or hedge cutting. Cooking help would be great too.
I have 50 fir trees which need to be reduced in height to let sunlight into the grounds. The branches need to be mulched and then used for paths.
I have created a natural cool pool on a foundation which I discovered is just 530 million years old. Volcanic rock forms the edge of this pool and if I have lots of help then I would like to build a sauna right beside this so that we can jump from cooking hot into freezing cold and then back again.
Gathering walnuts in October is a regular job, drying them and storing them properly.
Languages
Languages spoken
German: Fluent
English: Fluent
French: Intermediate
Japanese: Intermediate
Portuguese: BeginnerThis host offers a language exchange
I have attempted to "exchange" language with others but those who have never taught their language seriously are very little help not knowing how to speak slowly, repeating until the knowledge is passed on. It is a dream that there is a 50% exchange and whoever is better will always make more progress to the disappointment of the other. With a group of 3 or more a game can be played where vocabularies of several languages can be improved at once. It has to be FUN to retain the interest of those who are weak.
Accommodation
Holiday home rooms available outside the months of July August. A caravan is on site and can be placed on another 7500sq metre site which can accommodate lots of wind projects.
What else ...
Internet wifi around the house. More castles in this area than in the rest of France together. Swimming, fishing, biking, hiking, star-gazing, visiting caves, horse-riding, tennis and French cuisine.
I am hoping to get some help for 4 or 5 hours a day in exchange for accommodation and excursions visiting the beautiful countryside. I can provide simple meals if no one else prefers to cook.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
The wifi works all around the grounds of this 6000 square metre site. There are lots of places to sit and surf without distractions - I am doing it right now - outside in the shade.
Space for parking camper vans
There is space for three or four cars - a campervan can also stay - it is shaded, but they would have to sort out making it level themselves. A very larger camper which is over 3 metres in height is possible at the minute
Can possibly accept pets
I love to see people travelling with their pets. The one exception is dogs. I have travelled with my friend Harry the crow around Europe . Now I am living with four Moscovy ducks.
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Feedback (4)
is a difficult name to pronounce, but the man himself is easy to work with. Like most Japanese people he is very obedient and tries his best to follow instructions. We had a very strange mishap with the Volvo car - it locked itself (!!??!!) with the keys still in the ignition - so three days of his stay were wasted trying to get into the… read more
It was such a pleasure to have such a happy family staying with me. Each of them made a… read more
Photos
Feedback
is a difficult name to pronounce, but the man himself is easy to work with. Like most Japanese people he is very obedient and tries his best to follow instructions. We had a very strange mishap with the Volvo car - it locked itself (!!??!!) with the keys still in the ignition - so three days of his stay were wasted trying to get into the… read more
It was such a pleasure to have such a happy family staying with me. Each of them made a… read more
