Painting and gardening in beautiful surroundings in Auvillar, France

Details

• 

  Description

  We are empty nesters who are in our late 50’s and early 60’s. We are active and always have a busy schedule. I work in my office each day between 10h30 -14h30 doing marketing for an IT company and in between work with my husband on diy projects, walking the dogs and working with my horses. My husband is a fountain of knowledge on anything from computers to building work, satellite dishes and mower repairs. He can turn his hand to most building work and is a perfectionist! However we have realised we can no longer keep everything going all by ourselves. We live in a beautiful stone maison de maître with two gites on the edge of a plus village de France surrounded by beautiful countryside. In the summer we rent the 4* gites to many different nationalities. We are used to having people on site but they must be animal lovers and respect our property and non smokers :)

• 

  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Language practice

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance
• 

  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  We will help with English language skills and the workawayers can learn many skills from my husband in DIY/motor maintenance/satellite installation etc… we can also give you information to investigate this beautiful area of France. We are on the GR65 compostelle pilgrims walking route and on the edge of a plus beau village de France. The canal des deux mers is just 8km from the house and we have a UNESCO heritage site 20 minutes away. This is a tourist area with lots to see and our village is the tourist centre of the department.

• 

  Help

  We are looking for one person or two people who enjoy doing diy and general maintenance. We have need for some general gardening like raking and seeding areas of the lawn and tree/lavender pruning etc but nothing major. Window frame painting and shutter repairs is also on the agenda. All required equipment will of course be provided. If wet, indoors work will comprise of rubbing down of wooden patio furniture and re staining or oiling. Removing some old wood from the loft in preparation to convert onto a bedroom and general work around the property.
  
  We lead an outdoor life and have 2 dogs, cat and 2 horses. We expect any workawayer to have a strong work ethic like ourselves and for them to work on their initiatives once shown what to do. We would hope that if a task is given it is completed and tidied up before starting something else. We would like someone who is respectful and genuinely wants to help. We speak French and English. Own transport is preferred as we are in a rural location with no buses or public transport within 8km but we can collect from the local train station. We do have bikes to use if needed.

• 

  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  French: Intermediate

  This host offers a language exchange
  I would like to be more fluent in French but very happy to help someone pick up more English and improve their prononciation or vocabulary. My husband would benefit from beginners French although his French vocabulary is not too bad if it’s to do with a subject like DIY!
• 

  Accommodation

  You will have the use of one of our 4* gites or luxury bnb suite for the duration of your stay which have all the conveniences any luxury holiday maker would expect. We will provide food for breakfast in your accommodation or you can help yourself from our fridge and also lunch, as I do not finish in my office each day until 14h30. I will cook for everyone in the evenings when we will all eat together. I enjoy cooking and like to provide hearty traditional meals with a pudding or cheese.

• 

  What else ...

  On your time off you can investigate the local villages, more than one is a plus beau village de France, go cycling on one of our bikes or walking. You can chose to follow a section of the pilgrims walking route Santiago de Compostella, or the vélo verte or just go for an explore around the local area. There are lots of paths and tracks in which to enjoy the lovely countryside. There is a rich history in the area with chateaux and museums from anything to ancient farming and household equipment to arts des table and villages with significant historical interest. There is also an art and cultural centre in the village who welcome international students as well as mature students to complete art projects in either painting, sculpture, writing or creative studies.

• 

  A little more information

  • 

    Internet access

  • 

    Limited internet access

  • 

    We have pets

  • 

    We are smokers

  • 

    Can host families

• 

  Space for parking camper vans

  Ample parking for camper van in site, but no electricity hook up. Equally there is a camper van park 500m from the house with facilities.

• 

  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

• 

  Hours expected

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

Feedback (4)