Profile information
Host rating
Not yet rated
Feedback
-
Email verified
Country info
Badges (1)
Details
Description
Hi there, We, Antal and Connie, are a couple living in the north of France on a 150 year old farmhouse with our four cats and a small flock of chickens .
We have left our old life in The Netherlands behind 4 years ago in search of a more sustainable way of living. We have since then started to revitalize this space to make room for organic food production and are slowly growing our growing space. We do this part time. The other half of our time is spend on building projects which we do for clients. This is fun too and needed as we also have bills to pay :-) Our main focus is building out our growing space so we can grow more nutrient rich organic food for our-self and our community. We donate our surplus to people in our community who do not have access to affordable organic produce.
We would like help in getting more raised beds made and filled in our vegetable garden and with planting and transplanting our vegetable plants. All materials are on site and tools are plenty on hand. There is also general garden tasks and we can explain a lot about soil health, organic vegetable growing and diy tasks if you are interested in those things!
Types of help and learning opportunities
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Farmstay help
Interests
Sustainability
Pets
Charity work
Farming
Books
DIY & crafts
History
Plant care
Photography
Languages
Gardening
Cooking & food
Drawing & painting
Carpentry
Astronomy
Animals
Nature
Camping
Outdoor activities
Water sports
Hiking
Cycling
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
We speak Dutch, English, French and some German. We cook all sorts of different meals and are happy to share that knowledge. We can also share small homestead knowledge and market gardening as well as soil health and permaculture principles. Basic and advanced building techniques can also be explained. But most of all we like you to enjoy your stay and enjoy our surroundings. There is beautiful countryside, a few exceptional cathedrals and some nice cities within an hours drive ( Reims being the best known) We have a very large garden you can enjoy, there is a large bike track nearby ( axe vert ) but most of all... it is very very quite. Around us are working farms so we are not isolated but the pace of living here is just very relaxed. Our village is small without any bakery or cafe. The next village over is a bit more lively and Guise is about 10 minutes with some restaurants and a cafe or two. No nightlife here to speak off :-)
Help
We are in the process of building as much raised beds as we can and filling them with a hugel style mixture. All materials are already on site. We also have two poly tunnels. One is all finished and working, the second one is build but needs some finishing and filling so we can start using this one as well to grow twice as much heat lowing crops and herbs.
The are also numerous other things we could use help with if that is more preferred. We have a large knowledge about starting and raising vegetable plants, harvesting en conserving our produce and pickling and jam making.
Connie has a lot of knowledge of herbal remedies and the use of fresh herbs in food and tea. Antal has been building for a large part of his life and has a lot of knowledge to share if interested.
We like to cook! Everything from French classics to Thai and Indonesian food and all in between. There is enough room for your own ideas and we are flexible with any schedule, we just love some extra hands here and there to get our dream done a bit faster :-)
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Dutch: Fluent
German: Intermediate
French: IntermediateThis host offers a language exchange
Especially Connie is always keen to learn languages. She was a PA at a multinational for many years and has a keen interest in them.
Accommodation
There a multiple options for accommodation on offer. We have a level drive where you can park a camper van with electricity provided. We also have a nice large tent we can pitch on our lawn. Our daughter uses it every year in the summer. If the weather is not all that nice we also have a bedroom in the house with private bathroom. Breakfast, lunch and dinner is provided and we can accommodate most options if there is a need. Most of the time breakfast and lunch are sandwiches and soup etc. We have a normal menu but if you prefer we can adjust and provide vegetarian options for instance.
What else ...
Our local area is really limited in public transport. We can provide pickup from a train station if needed and also provided transport for day trips if you have no transport of your own. The best way to enjoy our region however is if you have transport of your own. The is a no smoke policy inside the house/tents and we do not feel comfortable with recreational drug use. We respect our surroundings and our neighbors and live a relaxed and quite life. We would as you to also be a bit mindful of that when you come to stay with us.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
We have a 8 Mbit high speed fibre internet connection with good wifi and if you need to work in a office space you can use our home office
Space for parking camper vans
We have a drive you can use to park your camper van but its probably a bit too small for a motorhome. We have a large field you could use but there are no facilities there.
Can possibly accept pets
We welcome pets. A dog is usually fine with our 4 cats as long as he/she is friendly. Just drop us a line if you are unsure if it will be a good fit, we might just have to make a few adjustments for you to have a great time here
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
My animals / pets
Cateau
Photos
