Help around our family farm and immerse yourself in local life of Saltspring Island, Canada

Details

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  Description

  Hello! My name is Lucy and I live on the beautiful Salt Spring Island. It is myself, my 6 month old son, and my friend Georgie living on the farm with a menagerie of animals. We have 2 dairy cows and a calf, and are expecting more cow babies in October 2024. We have 4 horses, two of which are ridable, and interested work-aways can have the opportunity to do so. 5 pigs, with piglets expected to drop March 2024 , chickens who give us fresh eggs and meat, 10 geese with goslings to come this spring, and hopefully soon quail!
  
  Our days start with morning farm chores, feeding the animals and milking the cows. We also are planning this spring to plant a wonderful veggie patch and flower garden so we may harvest fresh food and bouquets all summer long! We have many exciting projects on the go, and some of our past projects include building a chicken coop, a milking stanchion, and a goose house. We hope to experiment with building a cob structure this summer!
  
  The help we seek will be in supporting us on the farm, from helping with morning and evening feeds, to milking cows and socializing with animals, training and exercising horses, as well as help with childcare for my 6 month old baby. In exchange we offer room and board in the main farm house, with our two lovely dogs. We cook a hearty breakfast every day and a large dinner in the evenings. Of course we offer food for lunches too, but their size are usually dependent on our work schedule for the day. We have an open fridge policy here, so if you get hungry, you are welcome to snack or cook yourself anything you fancy. We are a meat-eating home, and try to source our meat from local farms if it hasn't originated from our farm itself.
  
  On your off- days you can expect to enjoy the islands wonderful lakes, beaches, mountains and explore the tourist sights of the island. Evening events in the summer are diverse and include outdoor concerts and BBQ cook-outs, as well as ecstatic dancing, phosphorescence night swims, and camp-outs... and not to forget the islands famous Saturdays market and Tuesdays farmers market! Pending valid drivers license, we may have a vehicle for you to use on your island exploration.
  
  Exploring Vancouver Island is easy as it is only a short ferry ride from two different island terminals (Vesuvius Bay and Fulford Bay). We take trips frequently to Vancouver Island and Vancouver which you are welcome to accompany us on.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Farmstay help

  Babysitting and creative play

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance
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  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

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  What's this?
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  You will learn how to maintain basic care for animals of various types, and potentially be involved in AI breeding of cows, 'sowing out' pigs (female sows about to give birth), how to milk dairy cows, how to work with horses, how to manage various poultry species (geese, quail, chickens). Also how to build structures, how to garden vegetables and fruit.

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  Projects involving children

  This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

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  Help

  - Feeding the animals in the AM & PM
  - Milking the 2 dairy cows in the AM & PM
  - General upkeep of the farm

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent

  This host offers a language exchange
  We adore celebrating languages from abroad. We speak a low level of French, Russian, Spanish, Thai, Italian, and are eager to explore others.
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  Accommodation

  We live in a heritage farm house. We have 2 guest bedrooms. You will share the kitchen and living room with us, but have your own bathroom to share with other work-aways. Check out the photos of the house for a better understanding.

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  What else ...

  Saltspring has many beautiful hikes and beaches. We live a 10 minute walk away from the town, which in the summer has a wonderful market every Saturday. On your off- days you can expect to enjoy the islands wonderful lakes, beaches, mountains and explore the tourist sights of the island. Evening events in the summer are diverse and include outdoor concerts and BBQ cook-outs, as well as ecstatic dancing, phosphorescence night swims, and camp-outs... and not to forget the islands famous Saturdays market and Tuesdays farmers market! Pending valid drivers license, we may have a vehicle for you to use on your island exploration.
  
  Exploring Vancouver Island is easy as it is only a short ferry ride from two different island terminals (Vesuvius Bay and Fulford Bay). We take trips frequently to Vancouver Island and Vancouver which you are welcome to accompany us on.

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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 have high-speed Wi-Fi suitable for meetings, content upload, and streaming. We have separate rooms available for use as office spaces during times when anyone needs 'desk-time' to work on their independent projects.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  We are not familiar with the requirements of campervan travelers, but we certainly have space to park, and an easy access bathroom with shower. We will look into the electricity hook up requirements for facilitating campervans better.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  Hours expected

  Maximum 5 hours a day, 5 days a week

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