Netherlands
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We, mother and daughter, run a 15-acres smallholding in the southern part of the Netherlands.
Since our circumstances here have changed quite a lot since last year, we hereby offer you our revised host profile.
On our farm we have some 12 to 14 Icelandic horses (including a beautiful frisky little colt, born this April!); some of them are ours, some are here just for a limited period of time, to be trained.
We also have some chickens (for the eggs), some sheep (our weed controllers), dogs and cats.
Our farm borders on the woods; the environment is beautiful and quiet. A nice starting point for long walks and cycling trips, while yet we are less than a mile away from the nearest village.
My daughter works as a part-time psychologist; the major part of her time, however, is spent taking care of the horses and training them.
I, the mother, (a linguist by education,) tend to most of the other chores: fruit trees, vegetable garden, fences, sawing/splitting wood for the wood stove, etc.
There is always a great variety of things to be done around here, and it will be obvious we are looking for Workawayers who like animals and who are used to - and like to do - outdoors work.
Gardening
General Maintenance
Farmstay help
Help around the house
Animal Care
Staying here you will have plenty of opportunity to enjoy our beautiful Dutch nature and countryside, while at the same time the bigger cities with their cultural input are within easy reach.
The farm itself borders on the woods, where you find walking trails, ponds, and if you are lucky you may spot deer, buzzards and other wildlife.
There are several nice little villages within walking/cycling distance. And if you like some more ‘cultural’ or big-city input, you can there catch a bus to one of the larger towns close by, like Helmond and Eindhoven, where also there are railway stations and trains to other cities like ‘s-Hertogenbosch (20 minutes)- the beautiful old capital of this region- or to any other city in our country. Also my daughter’s boyfriend drives to Rotterdam or Amsterdam almost every day for work, so you can very easily get a ride there on your days off. (Not in this Corona time, though!)
You will have a good bicycle at your disposal, and you may come with either of us when we go somewhere by car. Of course you may also join us to the movies or to other places we visit (for work or otherwise).
And we have a piano, so if you like to play…..
We need some 4 to 5 hours help each day, 5 days a week.
We have quite a few horses here, many of them, though, belong to other people and are brought in for specific training programs by Lara. And though, of course, you are welcome to watch, it will be only very occasionally that Workawayers will be able to help with this.
On the other hand, there are always horses that can do with some extra TLC and that love to be groomed or walked.
In general, however, the work will involve other, very diverse farm chores, such as helping with cleaving/stacking wood, maybe work in the vegetable garden, cutting hedges, anything you can think of that needs to be done on a (small) farm. (Also cooking and/or baking once in a while, is very much appreciated!)
And if you think up something else: feel welcome to share your ideas with us!
Exciting- for us at least- is that recently we were able to acquire some 12 extra acres of land. Among other things, this means we now have the opportunity to build our much-desired ‘horses’ paradise’ with adventurous paths for the horses to roam. Clearly this is also something we may be busy with. Once finished this ‘paradise’ will make the horses’ life a lot more natural and exciting.
And next, coming November we’re going to plant hundreds (thousands?) of trees and shrubs along the new fields, which will then have the winter months to take root and start growing.
All the above means we have a lot of exciting and creative things to do from now on.
For all this, we very much appreciate help from Workawayers who really like - and have some experience in - outdoors work.
We start work everyday at 9, with a coffee break at about 11. Lunch is at about 13.30 or 14.00 o'clock, which for our Workawayers means the end of their working day.
Also, of course, you are welcome to have dinner with us early evenings.
After dinner we usually like to spend the evening having some time to ourselves.
English: Fluent
Dutch: Fluent
Staying here you will have your own room. The kitchen is used as a common area; also we have an additional “Workawayers’ den”.
I have been a Workawayer myself on several occasions, and with those experiences in mind we hope to be able to help you with whatever you , as a foreigner, would like to see and do here in Holland. There will always be things we ourselves do not think of; please feel welcome to ask questions and discuss whatever you would want to talk about.
Please take note: you need to have your own insurance, working here!
Also, we are explicitly looking for non-smoking Workawayers. And please read the Workaway 'rules' to see what's generally being expected of Workawayers.
In these difficult Corona times we follow the rules as issued by the RIVM, so please take note of those to see from what date on a stay at our farm would be permitted again.
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Two
Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week
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