France
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An amazing colombage (timbered) house and an outbuilding with five bedrooms and cosy rooms, a vast barn, a stream, a plunge pool, fresh spring water and a constant show of wildlife. The estate nestles in a hectare of land in a small valley in the ancient and beautiful landscape of the Pays d’Auge in Lower Normandy, France. An hour from the channel coast and ports, two hours from Paris by train and car.
We are right by an espace naturel, the Coteaux Champ-Genets, known as one of the most important protected natural areas in Normandy, with 15 kinds of orchid, gentian, plus horses sheep and goats.
I am Finnish former garment technologist and my English husband is a professional trainer who goes to the UK regularly for work. We took up residency here just before Christmas 2016 and we are very excited about the possibilities of this place which is located in a small commune with just 100 inhabitants. We have recently been joined by three outdoor cats and got married here in August 2017.
With so much land and garden there is always lots to be done, daily and weekly tasks plus smaller and bigger projects. The vegetable garden is being made much bigger for 2019 - the recently updated cabin over the stream needs painting, the caravan needs repair and cleaning up, and there is a lot of garden space to make pretty!
We have loved hosting people through workaway and we are happy to chat about what is needed at the moment, and projects for next year too. We always arrange a Skype call with whoever is thinking about coming here, so do get in touch!
*️️️️WORKAWAY REUNION*️️️️
Hey everyone who has been so generous in coming to stay with us please come to the WorkAway Reunion June 2020. No work planned, just music and games and good times meeting great people from around the world.
Gardening
Building
General Maintenance
Cooking / shopping
Other
Help with Eco project
Help in the house
Animal care
Between the two of us we speak English, Finnish and some Swedish, German and French - if you want to practice any of these we are happy to help! We offer a place for quiet reflection in a peaceful setting.
We are looking for people who enjoy the quiet countryside and are willing to do what needs to be done to continue creating this beautiful space for nature and people.
Minimum two weeks, maximum 6 months. Our preference is for people to stay for a month or more as that gives good time to get to know how things work here.
Projects for the first and second quarters of 2019 include:
- Vegetable garden, various actions to ensure a good crop for summer season
- Repairing cement steps and terrace
- Daily up keep of the house
- Helping to clear site of scrub and small trees
- Clearing and restoring stone step area around an old plunge pool
- Restore the little cabin over the stream, including replacing some panels and repainting
- Clean and prepare a caravan for use
English, Finnish, intermediate Swedish, beginners French and German.
There are bed-spaces for 2 people in shared room in the main house between November and March and a range of places to stay in the Summer.
Kitchen and living room space in the main house is shared. Breakfast and lunch are provided and the evening meal preparation is shared by everyone staying here, so expect to experience a range of cuisines, from as many places as there are workaway people! The main house has WiFi.
The small towns of Vimoutiers and Gace are 10 minutes by car, approx. 30 minutes by bike. There are four bikes available for use (and an amazing countryside to explore) and there are regular trips to the boulangerie and local markets.
We are two hours from Paris, by train (Lisieux or l'Aigle stations) and car; two hours from Dieppe and one hour from Caen Carpiquet airport (flights from London Southend).
We normally arrange to collect and return people to Lisieux or l'Aigle.
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
More than two
Maximum 5 hours a day, 5 days a week
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Cultural exchange:
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Communication:
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