Profile information
Host rating
85 %
Last replied
29 May 2023
Feedback
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Details
Description
Hello lovely people! I live on a small farm with about 1 hectare of land and three old stone barns in a very rural part of the Charente. Small fields, dotted with the beautiful red-brown Limousin cows and interspersed with woodlands can be found all around here. The farm is situated in a hamlet down a peaceful and quiet country lane. I have two donkeys, 3 hens, 2 cats and a dog to keep me company as well as a multitude of sparrows and blue tits. My daily life consists mainly of looking after the animals and doing tasks in my vegetable garden. My approach is to do as mant tasks as possible manually. So I don't own any mechanised machinery for the land. The times before the Industrial Revotution often comes to mind.
Living in this landscape and with this climate, there is an abundance of food that nature provides. At the moment of writing, it is autumn, there are walnuts, chestnuts and apples to collect and plenty of fruits to prepare for preserving.
If you interested to stay here then a reflective approach on how to live a life less harmful to wildlife is needed. So if you're keen to use the bike and public transport rather than the car you will be very welcome. If you have heard of the Arts and Crafts movement and like their principals of avoiding using industrial scale products to craft tools and other items necessary for living then you get an impression what being here is about.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Language practice
Gardening
Animal Care
Farmstay help
General Maintenance
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
The benefits of this cultural exchange are mainly related to the experience of working and living in a rural and agricultural environment. You can learn and practise skills to grow and care for food and learn skills to explore ways how to use resources which are freely available around the land rather than shop bought.
I am an English language teacher and host and teach French students during school holidays. So learning English and French might be of interest to you.
Patisserie is my specialist subject in cookery and I love to make cakes, pastries and deserts!
Help
The help needed here mainly involves doing tasks and maintaining the vegetable garden, keeping the fields free from saplings, clean the donkey stable, feeding the animals and maintain fencing and fruit trees. There's also tasks to be done in the kitchen with preserving and conserving. A 5-hour helping day, 5 days out of 7 is expected. We will do projects mostly together.
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Dutch: Fluent
German: Intermediate
French: IntermediateThis host offers a language exchange
I'm originally from Holland but lived in the UK for decades, raising my two sons and working there as a teacher. Since 2018 I live in France and teach English as a Foreign Language.
Accommodation
The accommodation is in my spacious 4-bedroomed house. There is a bedroom with a double bed for you to make your own and shared shower room and toilet. There is good Wifi connection and the lounge and kitchen is also shared.
What else ...
The often beautiful weather and quiet country lanes lend themselves to walking and cycling tours. The local town Confolens, about 15 minutes cycling distance, is very attractive with the river La Vienne running through it. In Confolens there's also a small cinema and a cultural (mainly music) site located in an old farm. Other cultural activities are organised throughout the year by the local authorities. You're very welcome to join in with the activities I provide for the students such as playing tennis, horse riding, playing board games, role-play, kayaking and swimming in the river.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
The internet connection is good and unlimited. You can use a private space to work from.
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Hours expected
Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week
