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65 %
Last replied
9 Jan 2024
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Hi,
My name is Mieke and I moved to Portugal about a year and a half ago. My dream has come true and I am so grateful for this wonderful opportunity.
I live in a small but cozy house with my two cats, Lucia and Hermelientje. My two cuties.
When I saw the house on the real estate website I immediately fell in love with it. The whole property, house and garden has a warm and a welcome feeling. It felt like coming home.
The propriety and location are perfect, for me. It’s location is not isolated and at the same time it’s very quiet. The only traffic is the farmer on his tractor that would pass by, the sheep that go from meadow to meadow and if it is very busy about three cars a day pass by.
The house is of course a detached house and is located in a beautiful area: nature, nature and more nature. From the terrace at the front of the house there is a view of the Serra da Estrela.
At night there are, in and around the garden, foxes, wild boars (harmless), owls and other animals that I can't point out. And when night falls, the bats come out. I find it very fascinating.
The house is surrounded by calmness and nature.
Yet ordinary life is also close by. The city center is at a kilometer and a half, I think. The village has 320 inhabitants.
Small but beautiful. The heart of the community is the local cultural center and is open on weekends for drinks, conversations and socialising.
Oliveira do Hospital is 6 km from the house. It is a comfortable city and has everything: department stores such as Lidl, Continente, Aldi, ... and also small grocery stores, lots of nice bars and cafes with tasty pastries, a delicious ice cream shop, a gym, ... whatever you want, actually.
The house and the location are perfect for people who appreciate tranquility, and for those who like a bit of a pleasant hustle and bustle from time to time.
And there are a lot of beautiful praia's nearby!
I would also like to tell you a bit more about the workaway projects I would like to have some help with: the garden and the wine cellar.
The 5000m2 garden is spacious and at the same time is not too big.
The garden has a lot of potential and is a blank canvas at this stage. Everything still is possible.
Some parts of the garden are grown with mature fruit trees, while in other parts there is not realy anything going on.
I would like to grow my own vegetables to live as sustainable as possible and not be dependent on the big cooperatives.
Earlier this year I tried to make a vegetable garden, but I don't like the result. It's 'flat'; there's no heart and soul in it and there's no variation. Rather, it's like a good attempt at copying and pasting the same idea over and over again. So I'd like some help with having good ideas and variation in the structure so that the vegetable garden makes a vivid impression.
I would like to have vegetables all year round so I can take my wicker basket, go to the vegetable garden and pick fresh vegetables packed with vitamins and minerals. Nature offers it all. I feel so much pride in my plants when I can share their many fruits with others.
In addition to the vegetable garden I would like to have my garden with medicinal herbs. I love to make my own medicines. The fact that I have all the herbs close by when I need to help my body or emotions to overcome an illness reassures me. I love helping other people if they don't feel well, are being or becoming sick, or feel the need to be supported with herbs, ...
I don't want to be dependent on big pharma or the big corporations that rule the world.
I adore the combination of practical and aesthetic and I love romantic spots in the garden with arches and roses and benches.
The house also has great potential. I think about the old wine cellar. It's a big space but needs some work. No structural work. I put some pictures in my profile. I would like to do something with this large space but I would give it a different destination, off course in respect with the old one.
So the property has a lot of potential. Do you like to work in the garden, do you want to design the garden, do you like to create a vegetable garden? Or do you have more affinity with medicinal herbs? Do you prefer to take care of an interior?
Or would you like to petsit from March 24th to April 9th? That would be fantastic! I'm going to Bosnia to visit the pyramids and I'm looking for a reliable person to take care of my cats.
A bit about me.
I work online for my organization (translated into English: Mourning and loss Flanders) and I’m also a writer of books about mourning. Once a year, I go to my home country to work as a professor at a Belgian university and – first and foremost – to visit family and friends.
I love reading, going to the gym, watching a movie at the local cultural center, having a coffee at one of the local terraces, I like to spend the afternoon at one of the nice praia’s nearby, and I love to walk in my garden! Every time I'm amazed about the abundance of fruit the garden gives me.
I love talking to inspiring people and I feel gratitude when I can inspire someone.
I like conversations with depth. And equally I like silly jokes. Life doesn't have to be too serious, isn't it.
I have autism (ASD) and I often see it as a good thing. I'm passionate about the things I do, I often think out of the box, I like peace and quiet, I like to be around people with a good atmosphere, I love open communication, ... But I'm sure you recognize yourself in this too.
And no, people with autism are not insensitive at all, but many of them are very sensitive, and that is certainly the case with me.
But, a disadvantage about my autism is that I can't always shake off the many impressions of the day. I love being around people and I like to spend the afternoon or the day togheter, but the downside: it costs a lot of energy, even if the day was perfect and super fantastic. I need some me-time to reload. After that, I'm back to be my cheerful and enthusiastic self.
And don’t worry about routines. The only routine I need are my two coffees in the morning.
Need to know more about me, my cats, the project, the area? Let me know!
Types of help and learning opportunities
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Central Portugal is a beautiful place. You will sample every day life in Central Portugal and meet the locals and expats.
Help
I'm looking for a petsetter from 24/03/24 until 9/04/2024;
I would like to have some help in:
- help to create a vegetable garden;
- help to create a garden with medicinal herbs;
- help in making some romantic spots in the garden, with arches and roses and benches;
- weeding/clearing of the garden;
- help to transform the old wine cellar into a new a different space, but in respect of the old destination.
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Dutch: Fluent
Afrikaans: Intermediate
Portuguese: BeginnerThis host offers a language exchange
Thanks to the region where I grew up and lived all my life until I moved to Portugal, I can conversate with someone who speaks South African. South African and the local and specific Flemish dialect that is my mother tongue are very closely related. Give me a day or two and it will be fluid. I would like to know more about it. I also love other languages and find the similarities and the differences very fascinating.
Accommodation
I have a tent available, mattresses (single and double mattress), blankets, pillows... so that your stay can be made enjoyable. Of course you are completely free to bring your own tent or camper and set it up on the site.
The terrain is fairly flat, so you can easily place a large tent, a camper, etc. in it. Of course there is electricity available and you can use all facilities: kitchen, fridge, oven, bathroom, shower, ...
As for petsitting: if you wish, you can stay in the house and have your own room.
The terrain is fairly flat, so you can easily place a large tent, a camper, etc. in it. Of course there is electricity available and you can use all facilities: kitchen, fridge, oven, bathroom, shower, ...
You have a private sleeping place.
As for petsitting: if you wish, you can stay in the house and have your own room.
What else ...
In your free time you can make very beautiful walks and hikes in the Serra da Estrela. It’s landscapes and nature are breathtaking. It has many lakes where you can swim. Out of season it is very quiet.
And I would love to show you the huge rose quartz hidden in the Mountains. It’s about 2 or 3 meters long!
In the area there are many dolmens and menhirs, picturesque villages, there are weekly markets with fruit and vegetables, and also with homemade goods. The neighboring villages of Seia and Tabua host a weekly movie. Or do you prefer the outdoor cinema? It would be my pleasure to guide you around.
Let me know your preferences of activities so I can give you the right highlights.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
This host has indicated that they love having digital nomads stay.
Space for parking camper vans
I have a tent available, mattresses (single and double mattress), blankets, pillows... so that your stay can be made enjoyable. Of course you are completely free to bring your own tent or camper and set it up on the site. The terrain is fairly flat, so you can easily place a large tent, a camper, etc. in it. Of course there is electricity available and you can use all facilities: kitchen, fridge, oven, bathroom, shower, ... As for petsitting: if you wish, you can stay in the house and have your own room.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Hours expected
Maximum 3 hours a day, 5 days a week
