Enjoy island life and help on our small acreage on Galiano Island halfway between Victoria and Vancouver BC, Canada.

  • Favourited 310 times
  • Last activity: 30 Dec 2023

Availability

  2024 

 Min stay requested: at least 2 weeks

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Details

  • Description

    Description

    Hello all Workawayers

    As of today, February 2nd, we are booked up for this summer 2022. If there is any change to that status we will make note of it.

    We hope that 2022 will allow for more interaction with new Workawayers and we look forward to that, although at this time in January 2022 we are not sure if we will be able to host considering the big upsurge in Covid cases in the province, the country and the world. Our island is small and we do not have much of a medical clinic here and need to be very cautious.

    Randy and I live on a small acreage on Galiano Island, BC, one of the Southern Gulf Islands. My background is in architecture and landscape architecture. Randy's background is in teaching and special needs. We are both retired now.

    Over the last 25+ years we have tried to preserve our small fragment of the natural landscape of a West Coast rainforest. We try to manage it as best we can yet enjoy our food and decorative gardens without destroying the natural beauty of the Galiano environment. Check out Galiano and see if you don't want to make it a stop on your travels.

    There are some good woodworking/DIY projects to be done. I've a workshop with tools and a helping hand would be great. Some construction remains on the front porch and the materials have been waiting in the yard for over a year now. Our old gate and fence down by the road needs a bit of a reworking and repair. 20 years of use have shown the need for a refit of it. There is always lots of gardening work to do and the summer sunshine on Galiano makes anything you do outside pleasurable and satisfying.

    However, last summer we were seriously affected by a 'heat dome' which sat over BC for 10 days in late June and some places reaching 50°C ... normally we are having a warm summer if it goes over 23° and we were closing in on 40° here on Galiano at the time. Crops were good and we were able to water enough but many plants actually burned in the heat.

    We have had wonderful experiences with Workaway starting in 2018. Last summer we were only able to have one Canadian Workawayer who returned for a second visit and stayed three months.

    Cheers and hoping for a great Workaway in 2022
    Jón and Randy

  • Types of help and learning opportunities

    Types of help and learning opportunities

    Language practice
    Gardening
    DIY and building projects
    Help around the house
    General Maintenance
    Help with Computers/ Internet
  • Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    We live on a wonderful island, Galiano, halfway between Victoria and Vancouver BC, Canada. We could share our knowledge of native plants and the West Coast landscape with you. Galiano is an area governed by the Islands Trust and has many protected park areas. There are many wonderful hiking trails to investigate as well as what you might learn helping at the property. Across the road from the house is Georgia Strait and its sandstone beach with tide pools and marine life, migrating birds, Orcas, Sea Lions, Otters ... Bald Eagles flying overhead ... With a background in architecture and landscape architecture we can learn together as you share time with us.

    If your interests also include drawing, painting, sewing, or leatherwork there are equipment and materials here for you to use as well as lots of inspiration in the forest and on the ocean.

  • Help

    Help

    We are now beginning our fifth year as Workaway hosts, it has all been a fantastic experience ... 2018 ...Val - David - Paco - Jerome - Niklas ... 2019 ... Yanni - Daniel - Jonas - Matthew - Lewis - Vinnie - Adriano ... 2020 ... Niclas ... 2021 Chris ... and in 2022 ?

    Now we are at January 2022. Spring will begin with projects in the garden, clearing away the winter and readying the soil for the seed and small plants … in the sunshine with the sound of the Bald Eagles ...

    There are always carpentry projects as well, repairing the deer fencing, building gates, working on a deck railing, painting, splitting fire wood … there is a good selection of power and hand tools so if a Workawayer is familiar with tools and can assist me or in some cases work on it on their own (with guidance)

    The property (1.5 Acres) there is a need for the maintenance of the woodland as the central part of the property is a fairly steep hill which is left in its natural state - tall trees and an understory of native plants - minor maintenance is done here to keep it healthy and natural ... the upper third of the property is the residence and studio with gardens and planted trees and shrubs ... Minor maintenance of the buildings and gardens and some small construction projects may be anticipated here. We are looking for young men 25-40 yrs with the interest and the ability to assist with the above noted types of projects. We wouldn't mind a Spanish lesson either.

  • Languages spoken

    English: Fluent
    Spanish: Intermediate
    French: Intermediate

  • Accommodation

    Accommodation

    There is a small Studio building on the property adjacent to the house which you will have for the duration of your stay. The washroom is located in the main house adjacent to the front door. There are no cooking facilities in the studio and you will share meals with us at our table. If you like to cook we can share a bit of that too. There a a few art supplies in the studio that you may want to make use of. As well there is a WIFI connection that you will be able to access.

  • What else ...

    What else ...

    Galiano is a wonderful island and there is a website for it To get here you have to travel by BC Ferries. From Vancouver you travel by rapid transit and bus and take the Southern Gulf Island ferry from Tsawwassen to Sturdies Bay, Galiano. From Victoria you travel from the Swartz Bay terminal (very near the airport) to Sturdies Bay, Galiano Island. This ferry ride is a beautiful one traveling through the islands. Galiano is a very forested island with much wildlife - plant and animal. There are many hiking trails and wonderful beaches to explore. Our property is a fair distance from the ferry terminal so we would have to pick you up. Many people here bike around but we do not have any bikes to lend if you are so inclined (we may be able to search one our if you are really keen) There are only two of us here and no pets. We work starting early in the mornings and the afternoons are for enjoyment. We often share meals with our friends and you will be welcome to join in.

  • 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

  • How many Workawayers can stay?

    How many Workawayers can stay?

    One

  • ...

    Hours expected

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

Host ref number: 122869415897

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