Care help or DIY restoring a 100 yr old house in Ariège, South-West France

  • Favourited 704 times
  • Last activity: 19 Apr 2024

Availability

  2024 

 Min stay requested: at least a week

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Details

  • Description

    Description

    Hello, I'm Lola.

    I'm a Canadian/ Irish/ British theatre actor and have been living and working in France for 25 years. Last year I bought a 100 year old stone house in a town in Ariege in order to look after my mum during her senior years. Another member of the household is Jalia, my little dog. She is very friendly and affectionate.

    Over the years I've had different projects that I've very much appreciated working on with workawayers from all over the world.

    We're friendly people and enjoy meeting new people, exchanging culture, sharing good food... Of course you will also have your own space.

    THIS WINTER - 1 workawayer at a time

    I'm not planning any big DIY projects during the winter months so it would be mostly helping to do the little finishing jobs after having done some major things last Spring through to Autumn. Some sewing would be great if possible, but if not it will be things like putting artwork up, finishing paint touches here and there, boxing in pipes, etc.

    The help would be no more than 5 hours a day and for most of this I'm flexible on times. There are just two moments in the day when I will need a helping hand with my mum. I look after her at home and in the last few months she has started to suffer from arthritis in her knees and is a lot less mobile. I therefore need another set of hands to help steady her when she gets up once in the morning, 10 - 10:30 am, and once in the evening, 6 - 6:20 pm. It's very easy. I do the actual care work. Fortunately, even though Mum has dementia, she is still jolly, enjoys having a laugh and meeting people. There are two days off a week and these days there is a nurse who comes to help me with Mum.

    You would have your own bedroom which also has a sitting area and a desk area.

    ***

    SPRING & SUMMER - Up to 6 workawayers at a time
    DIY, SEWING:

    In the spring and summer I will be looking for some help with:
    - sewing: curtains and cushions
    - pointing a stone wall with lime mortar
    - a little plastering
    - a little drywalling
    - painting
    - removing cement from a small stone wall
    - demolishing a fireplace

    General Information:

    I would be working on the different projects around the house & garden too and when everyone is working together it's nice to share the cooking and also learn recipes from different cultures.

    We have 4 bikes available and there is a train station in our town so on days off you would be able to get around easily. There are frequent trains to the city of Toulouse and, in the other direction, to Foix and into the Pyrenees mountains. The town we live in has some shops, a few restaurants and cafés. There is a food market on Saturday mornings and a flea market on Sunday mornings.

    I speak fluent French so can teach English, French or anything to do with theatre.

    I would really appreciate a helping hand

    Best regards,
    Lola
    (Mary Lynn, Lola is my nickname)

  • Types of help and learning opportunities

    Types of help and learning opportunities

    Art Projects
    Help with Eco Projects
    Elderly Companionship
    Gardening
    DIY and building projects
    Creating/ Cooking family meals
  • Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    - learning French or English and about different cultures
    - learning about theatre
    - surrounding sites: historical / natural
    - hiking, water sports...

  • Help

    Help

    Help needed for:
    - tiling
    - a little plastering
    - demolishing a fireplace
    - removing cement from a small stone wall
    - pointing a stone wall with lime mortar

  • Languages

    Languages spoken
    English: Fluent
    French: Fluent

    This host offers a language exchange
    I'd quite like to learn some Spanish or Italian.

  • Accommodation

    Accommodation

    - unlimited wi-fi
    - bicycles available
    - train station close by

    Winter
    - a bedroom for one person with a sitting are and a desk area

    Summer
    - a large (shared) bedroom in the house with 3 single beds
    - a big tent in the garden with 2 separate bedroom sections and a full single bed with bedding in each

  • What else ...

    What else ...

    Activities and places of interest nearby:
    • The Pyrenees Mountains for hiking
    • Prehistoric caves
    • A big prehistoric open-air park/museum
    • Medieval towns such as Foix, Mirepoix and Carcassonne are beautiful to visit
    • Montbel Lake with beaches, sailing and fishing
    • Ziplining, tree climbing
    • Canoeing on the Ariege river
    • Parachute jumping
    • The lovely city of Toulouse, rich in culture
    • Roman Spa at Ax-les-Thermes

  • A little more information

    A little more information

    • Internet access

    • Limited internet access

      Limited internet access

    • We have pets

    • We are smokers

    • Can host families

  • Can host digital nomads

    Can host digital nomads

    Fiber internet connection.

  • How many Workawayers can stay?

    How many Workawayers can stay?

    More than two

  • ...

    Hours expected

    No more than 5 per day, 5 days a week

Host ref number: 755983574452

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