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Last replied
30 Dec 2024
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Description
Hi we are Noemi and Ian (44 an 61) Noemi is Swiss, Ian Irish. We live not far from Saint Girons, a small market town in the Pyrenees. We have a house and garden and near by in the same village a second house which we are renovating as a guest house . "Bussie" in which Ian lived in for seven years, a 30 year old converted library bus, has its own spot down by the river and would give a volunteer or two and funky independant home....it has hot running water, a woodstove, fridge, oven, solar end mains electricity etc. I got by well with a dry loo and outside shower (hot ! even in the rain if you are the elemental type ...of course the house is also available.
Noemi' had her own thriving Chinese Medical practice in Switzerland before coming here, she is and an amazing cook , our garden is flourishing under her touch, she has also been experimenting with lime paints and plasters. I trained and worked in architecture before a carrer in film, and theatre (stage design). We are both nature and mountain lovers. I have a good (messy!) well equipped workshop and am generally handy with making and building. We would love some other dynamic energies to tap into our projects .... soon we will cast a limecrete slab ( done now but needs finishing when drier), a raised, insulated timber floor (chestnut beams and flooring to be decided), installing a kitchen and bathroom.......we will also be lime and earth plastering not to mention trimming trees in the winter. The buss needs bedding into the landscape and some repairs.... the workshop needs organising the wooturning lathe installing and the list goes on.....we are not frenetic and enjoy sitting about, reading, watching a movie or whatever. In our experience working/sharing together builds a bridge, there can sense of achievement and learning, we enjoy sharing meals, movies and games (we have a ping pong table) skyjo, quirlkle, rummikub or card games often feature in the evening..... it's a slice of life shared and we enjoy very much the things that you might bring t to our table so to speak.
Before agreeing to a stay with us we will meet you on skype or whatsapp so we all get a feel for each other. We try to welcome people with the feeling that whatever time or tasks will be shared is a fit for both sides. At the moment the things we need help with are mostly building tasks so you will fit in with whatever team /project is in hand - it's hands on stuff, there is a also house sitting possibility from time to time. The walks from the house are wonderful, there is a small village near by and town is 8 km away... we have guest bikes, hitching works well here. Here it's the French mountain country side, its stone houses, wood fires, our friends are from the all world over and mixed ages and nationalities, it's a bit alternative in a good way, people generally have time, smile and share.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Thank you
noemi, ian
Types of help and learning opportunities
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Help around the house
General Maintenance
House sitting
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Learn building skills including woodwork, masonry (mostly lime mortar), painting (we use a lot of lime paint also) and decoration, basic plumbing. Woodturning if wanted. Learn gardening from preparing ground to seeding and harvesting......drying, preserving food, making kombucha......
Help
We enjoy the energy and friendship/exchange that volunteers bring to our home, we like to work mornings leaving time for reading or personal tasks in the afternoons. It helps to have some clothes you can get dirty, though we can lend you some also, boots are useful.....
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
French: FluentThis host offers a language exchange
Noemi speaks german, italian english and french....ian speaks French and English......
Accommodation
We can accomodate people in the house but ideally "bussie" offers some independance and privacy on all sides.
What else ...
If you have a drivers licence thats great, we have a couple of bikes, their is a small village near by(cafe/bar/post office etc.) and its easy to get up onto the mountain for a walk or overnight trip. In summer their is good swimming in near by rivers and we have a small pool.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
Hi, we have wi fi in the house and hotspot works in bussie down the garden which is a magic place to work....
Space for parking camper vans
A bit tricky but there are possabilities .....
Can possibly accept pets
We have a cat in the house but if you were staying mostly in the busshouse a dog could be accomodated.....
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Feedback (11)
Angel worked very well, was very thorough, quick to catch on apply himself… read more
It's a great place to disconect from everything, breath fresh air for a while… read more
I stayed two weeks with them and slept in the Yoga barn/guesthouse with its stunning views on the mountains.
The work included collecting, splitting and storing wood; we have also cemented the walls of the Yoga barn. Ian has a precise conception of which work needs to be done, is… read more
Photos
Feedback
Angel worked very well, was very thorough, quick to catch on apply himself… read more
It's a great place to disconect from everything, breath fresh air for a while… read more
I stayed two weeks with them and slept in the Yoga barn/guesthouse with its stunning views on the mountains.
The work included collecting, splitting and storing wood; we have also cemented the walls of the Yoga barn. Ian has a precise conception of which work needs to be done, is… read more
I want to thank you again for my wonderful stay at your home.
It was my first workaway experience and i think i couldn't jave been in a better place. You made me feel really at home and it felt comfortable.
I loved my room (the yogabarn), with the incredible view on the mountains.
I also enjoyed the work with you Ian, we did… read more
Ian & I did some land clearance, took some scaffolding down, did some rendering and tiled a floor, along with visiting small French villages,… read more
I had no experience with this type of work, but Ian was great (and very patient) at explaining what… read more
The accommodation was luxurious in… read more
As far as our helping is concerned, it was real work (finishing renovation of the house), which meant working almost all day. But it wasn´t a problem for Ian to give us more days off. Ian worked with us, which is not usual on other places. And we can tell it is much… read more
