Help with our permaculture homestead project in the beautiful countryside in Haloze, Slovenia.

Details

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  Description

  We are a native english and slovenian speaking family (irish/slovenian) who recently moved from London for a new way of life closer to nature. We are not farmers, we have a background in performing and media arts but we are learning fast. We are restoring a traditional stone farmhouse and working with the land according to permaculture principles. We have 18 acres (7 hectares) of land which is a mix of meadows, woodlands and soon to be herb and vegetable gardens. We live on the land in tents in the summer months, cook on an open fire, shower using water heated by the sun and use compost toilets. We have electricity, a water supply and some limited Wifi connection. We are low on infrastructure at the moment and that's where we need help! We are not a working farm but we grow some vegetables and might soon get some goats.
  
  cold weather update: before reading on please jump down to the AUTUMN / WINTER / SPRING SITUATION subsection of the accommodation section to see if the situation suits you - our feedback is all referring to the summer fun we have :)

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Help with Eco Projects

  Teaching

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Farmstay help

  Babysitting and creative play

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance
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  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

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  What's this?
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  Learn with us about permaculture, gardening, building, herbal remedies, improve your english or slovenian, play music, sing. Learn (and help us!) to identify wildflowers, trees, insects, animals.
  
  Learn about growing and looking after trees and orchards and the importance of preserving natural ecosystems and wilderness.

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  Projects involving children

  This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

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  Help

  If you are skilled at building/carpentry/natural building this would be useful (for example we have a partially collapsed stone barn that needs new lime mortar and eventually rebuilding). also we have the shell of a house (old stone downstairs, new first floor / roof space) in which we need to do everything, plastering, fixing old mortar, building internal stud walls upstairs
  
  there are lots of things to do where no previous skill is required including: maintaining woodland, cutting grass, fixing fences, strimming, weeding vegetable gardens, cooking communal meals, moving piles of stuff from A to B.
  
  we have two young children 10 and 3 years old so the ability to get along with children is important - some childcare might be needed

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  Languages spoken

  German: Fluent
  English: Fluent
  Slovenian: Fluent

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  Accommodation

  Camping. Basic.
  
  SUMMER
  
  Around mid September it gets too cold and damp for camping so we will only take workawayers with their own warm camper vans etc.
  
  Bring a tent if you have one. We some small basic tents.
  
  We are "flexatarians" we mostly eat meat-free diet but from time to time we lapse... we are happy to eat vegan etc. if that's what you like to cook (we know its the right thing to do!) .
  
  AUTUMN / WINTER / SPRING SITUATION
  
  We have really closed things down and no longer have a community of volunteers
  also we are sleeping in a nearby (50km) city now as the kids have school there
  
  Its getting colder and wetter and we have no running hot water or heated indoor spaces.
  
  There is one long term volunteer, Kathy on site staying in her van, and her partner joins at weekends.
  I try to get there at least 3 days a week between 09 and 14:00 sometimes later and sometimes overnight
  
  i;m currently preparing a wood stove in a section of a converted shipping container for winter volunteers so that might be an option (the other section is my sound studio) .
  
  Also we have a new roof on our house but this is not yet insulated but is dry and fine for sleeping with lots of blankets etc. at least in the autumn and spring
  
  But just to let you know that its not so fun as the feedback might suggest during the colder months.
  You would need to be quite independent.
  
  We do have a clothes washing machine and a outdoor kitchen where water can be heated for washing and cooking etc.
  
  If these conditions sound OK for you let us know and we can get into the details.

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  What else ...

  If you like hillwalking we are on the path to the famous local mountain Donacka Gora. The locals love to forage and collect mushrooms in the woods around us, we are amateurs but learning. There are not much options for nightlife apart from listening to the owls. The skys are often clear and we like to learn the constellations when we are not staring into the campfire.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Space for parking camper vans

  we have one or two good spaces for campervans and love to host van based travelers #vanlife

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  Can possibly accept pets

  So long as they don't bite our kids or hassle our 4 cats

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  Hours expected

  5 hours a day

Feedback (16)