Animal, mainly horse care, lots of DIY and gardening in small old stone farm in Mayenne, France

Details

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  Description

  I HAVE BEEN TOLD MY PROFILE IS TOO LONG...SORRY!
  
  PLEASE NOTE I am nowhere near Paris!....... NOT near Mont St Michele or near the sea.... that stops 50% ...still reading?
  google FOUGEROLLES du PLESSIS 53190 that is where we really are.
  
  We have fibre optic so wifi is good.
  
  We have not been available as hosts for a while...but now we are back!.
  
  THE HELP:- We are renovating old farm buildings into glamping accomodation, we have almost finished 2 but there are more still to work on, my plan is a quiet glamping/ camping site to attract walkers, cyclists & people wanting a country break.
  Trying to get the gardens nicer....failing mostly!
  Also its a farm so :- fence repairs & whatever breaks we fix as we go.
  
  Workaway accomodation,
  ** no one is asked to share with a stranger. :- i suggest you bring a torch!
  you can choose, small caravan near the horse barn 1-2 person, a cabin in the garden 1-2 person or a former bakery 1-3 person ( almost ready) all on solar only, enough to charge phones & small devices on usb if bigger you can charge them from the house.
  you can decide if you want to cook what you buy for yourself in your accomodation or eat what i cook as family. Or a bit of both.
  
  ****Absolutely no smoking, no BBQ or outdoor cooking or fires.******
  
  we have a sanitation building with hot & cold water a shower & wash basin & a separate toilet, in the entrance is another sink to fill water containers, wash dishes or wash small clothes. There is a small washing machine for you to use but it only washes cold! Or i have a big 10kilo washing machine in the house good for sleeping bags or big coats.
  We use solar & wind powered clothes drying....its called a washing line!
  
  The farm is in quiet countryside, most of the time its virtually silent except for birdsong, if you are unlucky then there is noise from tractors & farm machinery doing what they do, remember they have to work when the work is needed..
  We have countryside a1dark skys great to see the stars, no artificial lights at all if i turn off the solar garden ones.
  My farm:-
  It is a building site it's not pretty, we do what we can, when we can, with what we have, depending on the weather, its a messy chaos because it's a work in progress with building stuff, stored furniture & piles of broken, damaged & other junk waiting a chance to be taken to the dump, if you can't handle this please PLEASE pass by.
  despite saying so clearly some waw just don't get it so i say again...
  IT IS A MESS it looks awfull as we have a LOT OF WORK TO DO so don't complain you were not warned ok? If you decide its not good enough for you then feel free to walk or get a taxi as i will not take you some place after telling you how it is 🤬. If in doubt don't come here!
  
  you still reading? well done
  
  The village is 1.7 km away on a quiet country lane, no turns off the road from our drive to the village so its hard to get lost!
  Fougerolles du plessis 53190 is not a dead zone, it has a supermarket, sports ground, lakeside recreation & camping park - fishing is allowed but you need a licence from mairee - only a few euros!. bar, resturant, hairdresser, catholic & protestant churches. Pharmacy, medical centre, beauty salon, bakery.
  
  There are miles of marked routes, walk or cycle, i used to ride most of them & things to see on them - i have a free map from the mairee showing them.
  
  Days out:-
  the bus :- about 4 km the nearest in landivy 53190 or about 15km to St hilaire du harcourt 50600 or louvigny du dessert 35720 both have better bus links .- inc getting to mont st michele.
  i can give lifts to & from bus or nearby towns for your days out, or your personal shopping but i am not running about several times a week.
  Or i can loan you a bicycle & you can go out yourself
  
  The property dates to around 1790 - we have parts of a local abbey built into the walls which was demolished & sold off in 1790
  The main farmhouse, a 2nd very small stone house & an even smaller stone former bakery house .
  (a bit like a house version of Russian dolls!)
  Plus stone barns, former forge, stables, huge cow shed, 2 ponds + 2 hectares of land some with fruit trees,
  
  Mayenne dept 53 is in the north of the loire valley area. WE ARE NOT NEAR PARIS i was told the workaway map shows we are, by car its about 2.5 - 3 hours but by train + bus its 4+ hours.
  
  "we" are my adult sons
  dogs, horses, 1 mule, cats & me, I am 64 semi disabled woman.
  my sons speak french as they went to school here, my french is rubbish.
  My youngest son also speaks italien & a bit of german & spanish.
  
  my eldest son he is the main help around the farm & joint carer for his brother, who is autistic, he is not incapable of helping he just needs things explaining in simple steps & he is very shy so can be sensitive emotionally.
  
  MY THANK YOU LIST upto 2021 ;-
  
  Nicola -
  wall pointing, pond repairs, riding out,horse care, helping design & make a protective head guard for my blind dog.(Dog Now dead- cancer)
  Juan - helped dig out the ground & begin laying new concrete & helped paint the ceiling for the outside shower & toilet rooms.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Language practice

  Help with Eco Projects

  Light gardening

  Creative DIY projects

  Animal Care

  Farmstay help

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  Light maintenance
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  they can practice their french or learn a little, get as fit as they want to by walking the dogs or riding a cycle or jogging or how they like,
  learn some DIY skills, *learn about horses,
  * i have many years experience with rescue horses, none are available to ride at the moment.
  we speak english in the house and have english freesat TV and books, so the main language we usually use is english, we do also speak french & have french DVDs and a french keyboard, the area is good for tourist attractions, and there are local markets, bars etc where the workaway can practice their french,
  
  the village is 1.7 kilometers away, it has several lakes, lots of walks etc, a sports ground, library, bars, restaurants, post office, bank, doctors, pharmacy, supermarket etc & there is a **bus stop, , generally there are bus linking towns & some larger villages.. we have a few bicycles, not wonderful condition but if you want to borrow you can.
  ** i have no idea on any bus timetable at the moment. Just

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  Help

  Mum (me) i adore my animals & detest housework, to me it rates with death & taxes as unavoidable but i don't have to like it!
  if i can be doing anything else i will, but it has to be done somehow.
  
  the land is not big but there is still loads needed to do & never enough hours a day to do it,
  
  But its not a boot camp, you are on a working holiday with the emphasis on holiday, we usually find time to have a few outings & if get some extra work done with your help then we are all happy!
  Often we all eat outside under a pagola, if you play an instrument or play your phone, chat, tell stories, learn about each other we have seen more than 1 romance bloom & even a wedding.
  
  NOW the WORK :- YOU do an AVERAGE of 4 hours a day if you want to do all morning & do your own stuff later or work evenings with time to yourself in the day thats fine just so long as I know.
  I do not allow days off in the first 2 days you stay, this is not a free b&b to go to mont st michele etc then go away without doing any work ....we have been stung that way before.
  
  if you want extra days off to go exploring then work a few extra hours on other days to make up
  meals are included except when you are away for the day, but i don't mind if you take a sandwich away with you & if you want to come back late at night thats fine - just be quiet ok?
  f you don't like helping with renovations, farm work , garden work or getting dirty, or dog & cat & horse hairs etc don't pick us,

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  French: Fluent
  Italian: Fluent
  German: Beginner
  Spanish: Beginner

  This host offers a language exchange
  my sons speak english & french they went to school in france, my french is very bad,
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  Accommodation

  , no one is asked to share with strangers.
  
  *A tiny cottage former bakery, solar only so usb power & lights.1 bedroom sleeps 2 + reclining chair or folding bed downstairs
  
  *A cabin in the garden orchard solar power usb + lights 1 bed sleeps 2
  
  A very SMALL caravan near the horse barn, the beds are either 2x single or 1x double. it has solar only usb + lights & it has a tiny washroom & cassette loo. I used to live in while we did early house renovating. Or use the toilet & shower building
  
  * No loo or bathroom so use the new toilet & shower building with hot water nearby
  
  a previous workaway left feedback saying i was a good cook, i wouldn't go that far, i am competant & i can cook, indian, chinese, mexican, irish & british food & do a brill pudding!, but mostly due to a limited budget meals are more along the lines of school canteen than restaurant, but well no one has starved yet ..... i can cope with vegetarian but vegan is difficult but i am learning, if you are very particular about your food i suggest you cook for yourself.
  
  ....BUT... i use the microwave to cook things like pasta & rice, as well as some other foods, if you are phobic about eating microwaved food & think you will grow 2 heads or get cancer from the 'radiation'.... then switch off the computer you are using, chuck away your mobile phone & avoid air travel, as all of them have more radiation than any microwave food.. get over it, get real & don't come here if you don't like it
  
  everyones washing doing gets it done when the machine is on, put yours in the basket provided & i will do it when i do ours,
  I DON'T DO IRONING THOUGH!!! YUK
  
  sorry to be so blunt but a good friend of mine who has been a host to many workaways has had neg feedback left recently & has stopped being a host, i myself want to put off workaways who might not like it here, there is always more asking than places so if you are considering me ask questions to make sure what you get is what you expected ok?
  we are a small still scruffy farm that in places looks like & is a building site, we are not a 4 star hotel

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  What else ...

  Anyone interested i must insist :-
  ABSOLUTELY NO SMOKING ANYWHERE ON THE FARM OR ANY OF THE HOUSE OR BUILDINGS.
  
  i could write loads about the tourist stuff & still miss what interests you, i suggest you look on line, our village is :-
  Fougerolles du plessis 53190, dept MAYENNE
  
  we do have a car so i can arrange collect/ drop off visitors from local stations & for days out we can loan you a bicycle.
  
  Don't forget your health & personal insurance, you are not covered in any way on my insurance, for UK residents get the form from the post office to say you have UK national health cover or france will expect you to pay up front & claim it back - NOTE it only covers for medical expenses, not ambulance or the B&B side of hospital which can be expensive so get extra cover if you can, if you believe YOU wouldn't ever need any health insurance think again! a workaway came off his own bicycle one summer, he had minor injuries & was not badly hurt but still needed medical help & us to pick him & the damaged bike up.
  
  please if you have any recuring or chronic health problems/allergies do let me know, 3 times now i have had workaways go sick with conditions they suffered from regularly, i do understand sickness & i can accommodate it but i also need to know what to expect & any action needed.
  
  Because a friend had problems with a ** rogue workawayer I have decided to follow the advice the gendarmes gave them & ask to see a passport & take some info such as home or person to contact details, the gendarmes suggested this would be useful in case of a workawayer being injured or taken sick, like the workaway who fell into a ditch while on a bicycle, if they had been hurt badly we would have had no details to give to the hospital for example.
  
  **Sorry to have to ask but this rogue person was a nightmare eventually involving interpol - not allowed to travel & as you can imagine it badly upset my friends, bye

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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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  Can host digital nomads

  We have installed fibre-optic phone & internet, we have good wifi

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  Space for parking camper vans

  i am looking into doing a small campsite business so would welcome workaways who can 'test out' & advise what will work best

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  My animals / pets

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