Help with a very old property in Montady, South of France

Details

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  Description

  We are a French-British couple with grown-up daughters who visit regularly, a dog, cats and chickens. We live in a very old, very large former wine domaine. The house and outbuildings are situated just below the 12th century tower of the hill-top village of Montady on the ruins of the castle. The property is unique because of the buildings and its location between village and garrigue. We have organic olive groves, a park that we have planted with melliferous shrubs to encourage biodiversity, a couple of hives, gardens, barns... The property is just on the edge of the village - it is only a 5 minute walk to the village centre or you can walk out the door straight into the countryside. The village is only 6 kms from the town of Béziers with buses daily. We have about 100 olive trees and 3 hives. We do not use insecticides or pesticides. The olive oil and honey we produce is for our own personal use.
  One of our many projects is to turn the old stables into a place for musiciens to practise, perhaps you could help us turn it into more than just an idea !

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Gardening

  General Maintenance
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  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  We speak French and English and would be happy to pratice with you. The work is not particularly difficult and when we are not doing jobs, we would be delighted to help you discover our region : visit cultural and historical sites, taste regional dishes, go to local concerts.... I am an amateur guitarist and my wife enjoys cooking.

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  Help

  We are looking for willing hands to help us with the upkeep of the property : pruning, picking, fencing, gardening, raking leaves, strimming, general light maintenance and various odd-jobs. No particular skills are required, as we do most of it ourselves, we just need help with a bit of everything. A lot of the time we work outdoors but some of the time is also spent clearing and sorting the barns.

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  Languages spoken

  English: Fluent
  French: Fluent

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  Accommodation

  You will have your bedroom and bathroom in our house with access to a kitchenette. Main meals are taken with us as mealtimes are an important moment in the day when we can sit, relax, chat, laugh and exchange points of view over a tasty homemade dish - you can help with the preparing and cooking if you like !

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  What else ...

  Montady is only 6 kms from the town of Béziers which offers transport (bus or train) to many nearby interesting places to visit on a day-outing : Montpellier, Nîmes, Narbonne, Carcassonne, Perpignan... not to mention the lake of Montady which was dried-out in the 13th century in the shape of a cartwheel ("Etang de Montady"). If you like walking, there are plenty of trails setting out from the house following the Midi Canal, through vineyards and garrigue. We benefit from a Mediterranean climate : dry and sunny most of the year (but can be quite cold in winter).

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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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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  Hours expected

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

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