Profile information
Host rating
100 %
Last replied
11 Mar 2024
Reply rate
100.0 %
Usually responds within 2 days
Feedback
6
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Details
Description
We are a family with two young children living in an old farm house. Generally there is a friend or a few staying in the cabin and currently there are 10 chickens, 2 ducks, 3 cats and a dog. We live on a beautiful piece of land that is mostly wooded with some burgeoning orchards, lots of garden and various building projects. We're working towards having a more sustainable home stead, and we have planted over 100 fruit and nut trees and over 80 berry bushes (but still have an other 100 to plant:). We're creating a nature retreat and there are currently three private "cabins" for friends, exchangers or rent with two more "cabins" on the go and a lot more ideas. We aim to be a community gathering space for celebration, learning, art and healing. We've hosted events including a electronic music festivals, a direct action training focused on land defense, alternative building workshops, a Star Hawk gathering on Spirit and Action and a few smaller community events. This year we're organizing a workshop on raising and butchering chickens, some sort of natural building workshop and possibly a Non Violent Communication retreat.
We love having people stay with us and feel that we have a lot to offer. The spaces for exchangers are private and well stocked. There are many different tasks to choose from and its likely that there will be something that will fit our needs and the exchanger's desires. And the space here is magical. There is a river just a 10 min walk away and lots of hiking trails.
These days (having a new born) we're pretty absorbed in our family. We generally love meeting new people, sharing meals and jamming around the fire but our free time lately is less and lately we leave the camp fires before dark. So its nice to have people who are relatively independent.
The nature of exchange depends on the time, the project and the person but we tend towards preferring to exchange fewer hours (3 a day, 5 days a week) and to supply kitchen space but leave food purchasing to the exchanger.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Art Projects
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Farmstay help
Babysitting and creative play
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
We are a community and living and working together is a central part of what we do. This takes, practice, intention and means sharing and playing. Sometimes the property is quiet and slow. But other times there are visitors, friends, work exchangers and passers by who all bring their own enthusiasm, ideas and rich contributions to the social life of this space.
We are always experimenting with new and old forms of gardening, building and living. Most of us wouldn't identify as experts in any of it but we have experience we're happy to share and enthusiasm for trying things together. We love cloning perennials, grafting apple trees, taping maple trees for syrup, foraging mushrooms, fiddle heads and herbs, cooking with local food. We enjoy building the old ways with clay and straw and trying the new ways with aircrete and geodesic domes. We're half way through setting up a aquaponics system in a shipping container and greenhouse.
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
We are working on many different things through the days and are open to establishing a work focus and flow that is mutually beneficial. We always have lots of gardening and planting and managing perennials to do. We are doing landscaping to make spaces beautiful for ourselves and community events. We are always building. Fixing up the old farm house, painting, finishing the plaster on the aircrete dome, building other spaces in the woods on the land (we dream of a sauna). There is always moving brush, wood chipping, taking care of the chickens. There might be stacking fire wood, spreading hay, organizing tools and mowing grass. And there is child care for our 3 year old.
We're pretty open to hosting anyone who feels like a good fit. It is definitely nice to have people with carpentry experience or a willingness to learn. There is a lot of heavy manual labour that its nice to have help with but if moving brush isn't your thing there will always be weeds to pull:)
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Spanish: Intermediate
French: Intermediate
Accommodation
We have a few spaces outside that will be available depending on the needs of the time. There is a renovated school bus and a rustic cabin that both have privacy, a double mattress, stocked kitchenette with a cook stove, sink and fridge. There are outdoor hot showers and composting toilets.
What else ...
There is a stream a walk away in the woods and a pond just before the trees. There is a river 10 minutes walking and an old rail way trail that takes you on hikes in a few directions. 30 minutes walking are the Maitland bat caves set into towering gypsum cliffs. And just 5 minutes walking is a grandmother maples tree that looks after the sprawling fields.
We live 10 min from the Bay of Fundy beaches with the highest tides in the world. We swim at high tide and walk the mud flats at low. We are 5 minutes from the Shubenacadie river that flows into the bay at times and is filled by the bay at others. There are many tourist companies offering rafting trips that cruse the giant tidal bore wave that comes at the tide's turn. Oh! And there is a canoe and a lake 3 minutes away.
Swiming when its warm is a common thing. Its nice to have a suit or be prepared to be nude. Hummm... what else? Bugs can be bad in the evenings. It clay heavy soil so rubber boots are nice when its wet. We have an electric piano and a few guitars and drums you are welcome to use but if you bring your instrument than there will be more available for jamming:)
Lastly... The vibe and work here can vary greatly between day and season. Sometimes its a full social spot and sometimes its just a few hermits. Sometimes there is repetitive labour and sometimes creative art. If there is something that you are particularly attracted to feel free to check in with us to make sure it will be part of your stay.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Space for parking camper vans
We have lots of space for a camper to be parked and can supply an extention cord and water.
Can possibly accept pets
As long as they don't chase our chickens or cats:)
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Hours expected
Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week
Feedback (3)
Aaron has be very helpful, he came to Truro to pick me up to the house and brought me back to take my train.
The area is huge with the family's house, a pond, a farm, a cabin, a yurt and 2 converted school buses with 2 persons leaving in, almost a village! :)
I had my own cabin (enough big… read more
Feedback
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Accuracy of profile:
(5.0)
Cultural exchange:
(4.7)
Communication:
(5.0)
Aaron has be very helpful, he came to Truro to pick me up to the house and brought me back to take my train.
The area is huge with the family's house, a pond, a farm, a cabin, a yurt and 2 converted school buses with 2 persons leaving in, almost a village! :)
I had my own cabin (enough big… read more
