Help fix our house and transform our garden in Corfu, Greece

Informationen

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  Beschreibung

  7 years ago we bought a property and a piece of land in a beeeaauutiful location in Corfu. It is a big house split into 4 separate apartments and about an acre of undeveloped land. Our goal is to finish fixing the house up to rent out rooms over the summer season and to turn the garden into a beautiful space with different hang out areas, an outside kitchen, pond and a productive organic garden based on permaculture principles. At the moment the house is connected to mains electricity and water but we plan to move towards being completely off grid! So far all our hot water comes from solar power...
  
  We have started letting rooms out during the tourist season and hope to extend that this year. We are planning to build an outside kitchen for everyone to use (*update, March 2022, this is now completed) and some new garden beds are planned too. Experienced carpenters as well as anyone with electrical knowledge would be particularly welcome, due to the specific projects we are prioritising, but enthusiastic, 'give-it-a go and learn from experience' type individuals who don’t mind getting their hands dirty and get excited by the beauty of the natural world are also very welcome!
  
  SPRING 2023 - we have alot of spring cleaning and refreshing that needs to be done and are planning a 'dream team' working party for 2 weeks/the first half of April. we have space for 6 workaway volunteers to help us with this. We will be sanding and painting inside and outside. The driftwood archway needs reinforcing, and a pergola needs finishing, along with significant cleaning after the winter. There will also be the chance to help out one day a week at a local horse rescue centre further along the lake. Spring is a wonderful time to visit Corfu although the weather can be a little unpredictable, most days are sunny, the spring flowers are blooming.
  
  AUTUMN 2023 - we are keen to take the next step in landscaping the gardens before winter closes in, continuing the project of creating a 'desert garden', that is very resilient against the weather extremes, and that requires little additional watering - we will be digging, and moving earth, and planting, as well as various maintenance work inside and around the house. also helping out one day a week at the nearby horse rescue centre. We have space for 4 volunteers to be part of dream team 2 this year during October.
  
  Please do not request placements outside these times as we do not have the capacity.
  
  This is a very quiet, rural part of Corfu, surrounded by olive groves, neighbouring a lovely taverna, 5 min walk from Halikounas beach, 15 min walk to the base of a small mountain/big hill and is next to Korission lagoon which is surrounded by a nature reserve with lots of walking paths through it. The closest village, Agios Matthaios is a wonderful traditional place on the side of the mountain 6km away and really you're never too far from anything on an island! people stay here for the quiet nature and proximity to the beach - there are NO nightlclubs or shopping malls or even shops near to us!
  
  We are an english family with some greek ancestry ( the name Pyrgos means 'fire tower' in greek!), working on our dreams of one day being as much greek as we are english! We work in England most of the year but spend as much time as we can in Corfu and aim to be able to live there sometime soon - it's a hard place to stay away from! We're all very laid back, friendly people and want the experience to be as much fun as it is hard work.

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  Arten von Hilfe und Lernmöglichkeiten

  Kunstprojekte

  Gartenarbeiten

  Heimwerker- und Bauarbeiten

  Zubereiten / Kochen von Mahlzeiten für die Familie

  Hausarbeiten

  Handwerkliche Arbeiten
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  Kultureller Austausch und Lernmöglichkeiten

  Corfu is an incredible island full of beautiful beaches, amazing food and incredibly friendly people. Life here is lived in the slow lane with a lot of time taken sat outside cafes and bars with a coffee or a beer chatting breeze in the sunshine. There are so many different foods to try and its all sooo fresh, I've never had a tomato anywhere else that's tasted quite so good! There are a lot different seasonal festivals ranging from the ones specific to a town to whole island celebrations and visitors are always warmly received.

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  Arbeit

  So the focus for the coming 12 months will be improving the garden beds along with some re-painting of outside railings and areas. Woodworking experience is eagerly sought! Not least because I am keen to learn and improve my very beginner ability (Jane). Any creative design input is greatly appreciated! And then there is always lots of garden maintenance - cutting grass, and hedges, weeding planted areas, watering as well as planting and tending of the planted. we just found a new source of horse manure so have become a bit obsessed with shifting as much as possible to our garden to rot down and improve the very poor and sandy soil - lots of shovelling required.
  Skills are a bonus and if you let us know your expertese we may be able plan a project around that you can offer. But none of us are particularly experienced with this sort of stuff either, we are learning so much as we find our way, so really enthusiasm and a willingness to contribute are the key things to bring with you!
  Also we love people who like to cook as much as we do! We are vegetarian, and love to experience other peoples' favourite dishes from around the world. We expect that volunteers will take turns at cooking regularly. meat and fish eaters are very welcoime.

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  Gesprochene Sprachen

  Englisch: Fließend
  Greek: Grundkenntnisse
  Französisch: Grundkenntnisse

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  Unterkunft

  You will share a studio for 2 people, with a bed, a balcony, and bathroom, fridge and kettle - we may ask you to share with one other volunteer - advance information guaranteed. The hot water comes from solar panels and there is plenty of it. You can eat with us (vegetarian) usually DIY breakfast, and one cooked meal a day with a midday DIY snack. We are literally 5 minutes walk from the beach which is a glorious long 5km stretch of sand. This is a very rural area, the nearest shops are several km away - 45 minutes walk to Agios Mattheos although its usually easy to hitch a lift.

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  Was noch ...

  There is lots to explore in the immediate locality if you like nature and to be outdoors. The beach is very popular for kite surfing and boards can be hired there and there are other lovely local beaches to discover, each very dfferent. There are ancient buildings and places to visit if you have a sense of adventure, willing to find your way using local buses - we are happy to drive you to the main road to access public transport. Most people enjoy this area for the peaceful and beautiful nature. It is easy to rent bicycles or moped from nearby town Moraitika
  Spring ad Autumn are pre and post season tourism so not everything is open or running and volunteers should be prepared for that. out of season is our favourite time here as we have the beach to ourselves and everywhere is so quiet and peaceful!

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  Etwas mehr Information

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    Internet Zugang

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    Eingeschränkter Internet Zugang

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    Wir besitzen Tiere

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    Wir sind Raucher

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    Familien möglich

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  Kann Digital Nomads unterbringen

  Wifi signal is reliably strong in some parts of the building. Workaway visitors share ensuite double rooms with a table and chairs on the balcony suitable for working at. We can be flexible about when jobs are done although it is practical to work morning or evening due to the intense summer heat.

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  Platz zum Abstellen von Camper Vans

  large green space at the front of the house which would be fine for a campervan.

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  Hier sind Haustiere in der Regel willkommen

  maybe... by discussion please! We are definitely animal lovers and have our own menagerie in the UK, so open to the possibility of well behaved and social dogs, cats and ? other accompanying equally well behaved and social workaway volunteers! We often have our own very elderly dog and cat with us.

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  Kapazität - wie viele Workawayer maximal

  zwei

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  Arbeitszeiten

  Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week

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