House sitting in Sierra Magina, Jaén, Spain

Details

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  Description

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  House sitting 15 - 27 August,
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  We're looking for a house sitter, single or couple, for a few days in August, from 15th - 27th.
  (We can't accept anyone earlier, because we have family visiting until the 15th.)
  It's really quite important that you speak at least some Spanish, because here we're a long way from "Tourist Spain", and not many people speak English, or anything else, apart from Spanish.
  Also very much better if you have your own transport.
  Your duties would be basically to be nice to Cleopatra the cat, to water the plants every evening, and to let our two hens out every day, making sure they're happy, fed and watered, and kept cool if temperatures are extreme.
  Obviously you can eat any eggs that are laid, or veggies that are ripe, or anything we leave in the fridge, but otherwise food will be your responsibility.
  It will be HOT, and dry. It can reach 40° on some days, and temperatures don't go down much in the evening, so the best time to walk or do any sort of activity is first thing in the morning.
  The town swimming pool will be open, but if you don't have transport, you have to walk back up to the house afterwards!
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  We (I'm Spanish and my wife is English) are the proud owners of a little hovel in one of the most picturesque places in southern Spain, in the Sierra Mágina, in Jaén.
  We've been using workaway for several years now, in Spain, as volunteers, and have met some wonderful people.
  In 2021 we decided it was time to try to make our own place a bit nicer, and we've had some fantastic helpers.
  We've improved the house a lot, although occasionally we still think of things to do!
  The area of Spain we live in is not at all touristy - a car is very useful here, the streets are very steep, but it is possible to walk up and down to the shops, and a local bus arrives in Bedmar from Jaén.
  In the past we've had volunteers arrive by BlaBlaCar from Málaga, from Granada and Jaén, on the bus, from Madrid, by train, from France, hitch-hiking... Let us know where you're travelling from and we'll try to find you the best way.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Art Projects

  Language practice

  General Maintenance

  House sitting
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  Interests

  

  Sustainability

  

  Yoga / Wellness

  

  Nature

  

  Hiking

  

  Plant care

  

  Languages

  

  History

  

  Gardening

  

  Books

  

  Cooking & food
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  We can help you improve your Spanish and your English.
  The Sierra Mágina is a beautiful mountain range with plenty of walks, and also good for climbing. The whole area is virtually unknown to foreign tourists, but we're very close to Úbeda and Baeza, both world heritage towns.
  We can feed you well, and teach you how to cook lovely food!
  Lorraine puede ayudar a mejorar tu inglés si quieres. Si hablas español y no comprendes lo que aquí hemos escrito, por favor, escribanos para más información.

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  Help

  At some point in 2025 we hope to continue with house improvements, and we'll be looking for people who are happy to help us with manual tasks. There's a big plan for a mosaic on the patio walls, and we also occasionally need house sitters, to look after Cleopatra and water the plants, while we're away on holiday.
  Lorraine is now learning Ukrainian, so anyone who could help her there would be very welcome, and the search for a Greek speaking helper is also still active, because Duolingo just isn't enough on its own!

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  Spanish: Fluent
  French: Intermediate
  German: Beginner
  Greek: Beginner
  Italian: Beginner

  This host offers a language exchange
  Lorraine would love to meet someone who can make her speak Greek! Been studying for years, but no way to practice.
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  Accommodation

  Upstairs, private double room with double bed, shared bathroom. OR, downstairs, single room. The stairs are very narrow! We'll provide breakfast, lunch and dinner, but might not always be around to cook it (would be nice to share cooking - we have both cooked professionally, but good to have a break sometimes!) No smoking in the house.
  We prefer to start at about 10am, and work through to about 2.30 - 3 pm.
  We are really not very strict about these hours, but please, if we say 9am breakfast, don't stroll in at 9.15, and then stand outside smoking afterwards until 10.30, instead of helping to wash up!!! (Washing up is something we expect everyone to do.)
  We normally do Spanish style big lunch at 3, and small snacks in the evening.

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  What else ...

  Our house is in the village of Bedmar. From the village there are buses to Jaén and to Úbeda, and at 8am there's a wonderful train from Madrid to Jódar-Úbeda, just near us. (It then continues on to Almería.)
  We might be able to take you somewhere by car, depending on what we're doing.
  It's a very small village, just a few bars and shops, not much going on, but perfect if you like walking, rock climbing or just relaxing somewhere peaceful.
  We now have wifi and mobiles work fine here. We love listening to music, and Serafin usually uses the telly to watch the news in the evening, or football.
  In the summer it gets VERY VERY hot. But there is a really nice, big, cheap, public swimming pool. Also a great gym, very reasonable prices.
  In the autumn, winter and spring months the weather is usually dry and sunny, winter can be pretty cold at night, but perfect for walking. Sometimes we get rain, but not often, and generally it makes everyone happy, because we always need it!

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Can host digital nomads

  We now have unlimited internet

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  Space for parking camper vans

  We don't have space on our property for a campervan, but there is street parking available directly next to the house.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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