Help with caring for our house and gardens near St Antonin, France
Last activity
: 24 Nov 2024
Min stay requested: No minimum
Workawayers needed
Possibility that workawayers are needed
No availability
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Host ref number: 575752515924
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Feedback (7)
Left by host for Workawayer (Charlotte)
I've known Charlotte for several years and she'd worked here a couple of times. She smart, willing and works hard. She's great in the garden (I watched her attack a huge bramble thicket), can paint and do general maintenance stuff in a building. She's also funny and very musical. One thing I would say, is don't ask her to cook. She thinks she can
… read more cook but she can't. So while she works hard, you make the food. Otherwise she's a great workawayer and recommended.
Left by host for Workawayer (Simon)
Simon contacted us a few days before he arrived. As another host has said, he is polite and willing. He doesn’t speak English – we speak French and English – so clearly English only households in France (sadly they exist) might find it difficult to communicate with him. We gave Simon quite a lot to do and he did it well. He rebuilt a wall for us,
… read more using very heavy stones which tired him out. He also did a lot of grass cutting with the strimmer and brought in quantities of wood from the field. So, if you give him the right work to do, he gets on with it and makes a reasonable job.
Simon also helped in the kitchen, doing some washing up, laying and clearing the table and so on. He’s a grazer - we discovered he’d eaten all of the sweet biscuits and chocolate and much of the soft cheese - possibly to make up for some of our vegetarian meals.
Simon is not particularly sociable and wanders off to watch videos, either on his phone or on the TV. It may be that he’d be more comfortable with people his own age, provided they speak French. Would we recommend him? Yes, if you have specific things for him to do, but don’t expect specialist skills. And lock up the chocolate.
Left by Workawayer (Nuria) for host
We stayed with Chris and Maggie for a week and what could we say that other workawayers have not already said? We only wished we could have stayed longer but we will come back, that’s for sure! They are the best hosts! We arrived there on Sunday evening and they welcomed us as if we had been friends for a long time! The food was absolutely
… read more delicious –they are great cooks- including fresh vegetables from the garden and very sweet plums! Work was really fair, with no rush, some weeding and cleaning in the house. We were also happy to help with moving some furniture. One day we took their bikes for a nice ride to the river and another day Chris took us to the river and with their canoe we rowed up and down the river. He came to pick us up after a while and we all had a very nice swim! Staying with Chris and Maggie was a wonderful experience; it looked like a real holiday, not workaway! You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
Feedback
Left by host for Workawayer (Charlotte)
I've known Charlotte for several years and she'd worked here a couple of times. She smart, willing and works hard. She's great in the garden (I watched her attack a huge bramble thicket), can paint and do general maintenance stuff in a building. She's also funny and very musical. One thing I would say, is don't ask her to cook. She thinks she can
… read more cook but she can't. So while she works hard, you make the food. Otherwise she's a great workawayer and recommended.
Left by host for Workawayer (Simon)
Simon contacted us a few days before he arrived. As another host has said, he is polite and willing. He doesn’t speak English – we speak French and English – so clearly English only households in France (sadly they exist) might find it difficult to communicate with him. We gave Simon quite a lot to do and he did it well. He rebuilt a wall for us,
… read more using very heavy stones which tired him out. He also did a lot of grass cutting with the strimmer and brought in quantities of wood from the field. So, if you give him the right work to do, he gets on with it and makes a reasonable job.
Simon also helped in the kitchen, doing some washing up, laying and clearing the table and so on. He’s a grazer - we discovered he’d eaten all of the sweet biscuits and chocolate and much of the soft cheese - possibly to make up for some of our vegetarian meals.
Simon is not particularly sociable and wanders off to watch videos, either on his phone or on the TV. It may be that he’d be more comfortable with people his own age, provided they speak French. Would we recommend him? Yes, if you have specific things for him to do, but don’t expect specialist skills. And lock up the chocolate.
Left by Workawayer (Nuria) for host
We stayed with Chris and Maggie for a week and what could we say that other workawayers have not already said? We only wished we could have stayed longer but we will come back, that’s for sure! They are the best hosts! We arrived there on Sunday evening and they welcomed us as if we had been friends for a long time! The food was absolutely
… read more delicious –they are great cooks- including fresh vegetables from the garden and very sweet plums! Work was really fair, with no rush, some weeding and cleaning in the house. We were also happy to help with moving some furniture. One day we took their bikes for a nice ride to the river and another day Chris took us to the river and with their canoe we rowed up and down the river. He came to pick us up after a while and we all had a very nice swim! Staying with Chris and Maggie was a wonderful experience; it looked like a real holiday, not workaway! You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
Left by Workawayer (Susana) for host
I stayed with Chris and Maggie for over a week in February and the experience was so enjoyable that I went again last month, and how wonderful hosts they are! The house is surrounded by beautiful land which is well taken care of, with pretty gardens, wood forest and the river passing nearby. Maggie is really keen and passionate about her
… read more greenhouse and vegetable patch, I loved helping her planting trees and removing dry lavander flowers to make little perfumed sacs, a great souvenir! Food was just AMAZING! Both Maggie and Chris are great cooks, so it felt sometimes like being in a posh restaurant! We had also a few laughs when teaching them the Spanish verbs and Maggie trying to teach me some French, oh la la! And on my last few days there we had a circus in the house, a small company from Nicaragua doing mimo and acrobatics, it was an awesome experience!! I highly recommend staying with them, you won't be disappointed! ;-)You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
Left by Workawayer (Caitlin) for host
We really had a great time with Chris and Maggie. We were made to feel very welcome in their home and the food was lovely. We ate fresh vegetables from their vegetable plot and it was really enjoyable to pick them for supper. We had all organic food and wine - very tasty! The work was very rewarding and after they would take us canoeing with a
… read more picnic. The conversation was very interesting and I (Caitlin) felt like I had learnt a lot about themselves and their past experiences. We enjoyed house sitting, looking after the cats and watering the garden. We are sorry it's taken us a while to reply, we have had very limited internet access. Hope your both well and enjoying the rest of your summer. Thank you for having us and hope to maybe see you both again at some point. You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
Left by host for Workawayer (Caitlin)
We were delighted with Dave and Caitlin. There were very good at letting us know about times and dates of arrival and turned up when they said they would. We had a lot of work to do in the garden. Dave used his muscles to dig out an old building, which must have involved shifting several tons of earth and huge stones from the collapsed building.
… read more Caitlin is an ace weeder with a real interest in gardening. Inside they painted a hallway with care, making a good job of it. They can also cook and made two meals for us, both very delicious. Dave is quite reserved sometimes, but Caitlin will chat away happily to you, without being in any way over talkative. They were kind enough to help a neighbour too with some extra gardening. Both of them are very trustworthy and reliable, and extended their stay to housesit for us for a couple of days - to our delight. They have now gone off to work in Italy and we wish them luck.
Left by host for Workawayer (Workaway member)
Helina is a delight. She stayed with us for two weeks and we would have been very happy if she had stayed longer. Immediately she got off the train, we knew we would like her. She is very independent, full of initiative and a keen person in the garden. She also cooks well and is very good in company. Her English is excellent and she understands
… read more and speaks some French. We had a lot of fun with her, including a trip to the sea, and very much hope she comes back to see us. She will always be welcome.
Left by Workawayer (genhinde) for host
I stayed with Chris and Maggie for 2 weeks and met plenty of other people while I was there. They have a strong understanding of how the Workaway scheme should work and are keen for you to benefit from your stay with them. I really liked the way the work was presented to me as a Workawayer. On the first day they took time to show me everything
… read more that needed doing and then together we made a list, it was then my choice as to what order I completed the jobs in. They were clear that 5 hours work a day was expected, no more than 5 days a week, but when in the day those 5 hours were completed was up to me. I felt that I saw a lot of the local area and they always offered to take you for a ride in the car if they were driving somewhere. The house and gardens are very pretty and the three cats are all very friendly with their individual characters. Though you will sometimes be working quietly alone in the garden I did not get lonely as someone is always around and the garden is a lovely and peaceful place. The food is very good and mealtimes are relaxed and enjoyable. While I was there the work I did was mainly in the garden; weeding and looking after the vegetable plot but I also did some work in the house and some cooking. It was nice to always have something to get on with but not be rushed and it meant you didn't have to keep asking what you could help with but instead just get on. Chris and Maggie are excellent hosts and I thoroughly enjoyed my stay with them. You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
Left by host for Workawayer (genhinde)
Gen came to stay with us for two weeks. In that time, she cooked and baked (really well), weeded, cleaned the house and generally made herself really useful. In fact, when it came time for Gen to leave us, we realised that we were losing a workawayer of exceptional qualities. Gen is very polite and a good listener but also quite happy to open up
… read more in conversations and has interesting ideas to contribute. Perhaps the best thing about Gen is that she takes the initiative, without having to be told what to do all time. So the cats were fed without asking, windows were cleaned (she is, for some reason, a whizz at window cleaning) and the garden watered as well as all the things we had put on a list for her! We very much enjoyed her company, we'd love to have her back and wish her well in her new university career starting in the autumn.
Left by Workawayer (Laura) for host
I spent 2 weeks with Chris and Maggie in May and I can assure you they are absolutely fantastic hosts. They welcomed me into their home and I immediately felt at ease. They are very fair with the working hours and I had plenty of free time to explore. They also made the effort to take me to many places of interest in the area which I really
… read more appreciated. They are incredibly knowledgeable about pretty much everything! So I definitely learnt a lot from them. The work I completed was mainly weeding, some indoor cleaning on the wet days and general help around the garden. I knew that Chris and Maggie appreciated the work I did for them and in return I was rewarded with fantastic food and wine, and even picked up a few recipes to try back home! They also appreciated it when I cooked a couple of meals for them, so if you like to cook then be sure to offer to cook them some food!
Overall, I had a fantastic couple of weeks. Thank you Chris and Maggie for a wonderful stay, and keep in touch! xYou can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
Left by host for Workawayer (Laura)
Laura is a very delightful person. She was extremely easy right from the start and fitted in very well with our slightly chaotic household. She was sent almost immediately to the weediest part of the garden – we have a lot of weeds in our asparagus plot – where she hunkered down and zapped weed after weed without a moment’s complaint. In fact she
… read more was so good at weeding, we then sent her to the rose bed where she performed an equally brilliant service. On wet days, Laura was happy to clean the house and we now have very clean and tidy kitchen drawers. Laura can also cook and made us a couple of very delicious suppers, without leaving the kitchen looking as though a bomb had hit it.
We’d recommend Laura to anyone. She is extremely likeable, calm and ready to muck in when required. She has also had her first lessons in tractor driving. We wish her well in all future workaways.
Left by Workawayer (Dominic) for host
Chris and maggie are the best hosts we could have asked for despite us being slightly ignorant of most things. (most stuff happened before we were born it seems) But we have come away with new experiences and new skills which we will be able to utilize in later life. Our roofing project was an incredible test of our logical thinking and a fair
… read more bit of physical work. Great feeling to see its done and water tight again. The food was AMAZING and even my appetite couldn't cope with that much! We had a fantastic time outside of working and made the most of the sublime weather. No doubt any workawayer will have as much of a memorable experience as we did. We canoed in the river, swam and read books in the sun on weekends and learned more about life in other parts of France. Neither of you will ever be accused of being "old farts", Chris can outwork most 18 year old students I know hands down and Maggie's dedication to the garden is astonishing. You both showed us the best things down south. Charley learned more skills in our stay than she ever could have at home. The area is outstanding and you can easily get lost in the countryside around them when out walking, it is so calm. These are easily the best hosts available. If you want to spend a week working for people who will really appreciate it and reward you with top level food then Chris and Maggie are the ones for you!! EXCELLENT HOSTS ALL ROUND!! Left by host for Workawayer (Dominic)
Having a couple of eighteen year olds to stay for just over a month was a jolt to us travel-weary sixty-somethings! We had been away for two months on an overland trip and there was a lot to do, especially in the garden. Dom did sterling work with strimmer and tractor getting hedges back into shape and general garden tidying. He was also happy to
… read more help renew a roof, and we were most impressed with his team work and safety conscious approach.
We didn’t always have work that matched Charley’s profile, but she is the very best at clearing brambles and made a really good job of spring cleaning kitchen cupboards. She doesn’t come across as someone with much DIY or gardening experience, and as host family you need a lot of time and patience. In the end we agreed on a list of work for her and this seemed to be a good way forward, helpful to both sides.
We stuck to the agreed five hours work per day and at the end of their visit we have a new roof on the studio and an old building has emerged from the bramble patch. We wish Dom and Charley lots of success in whatever path they choose.
...
We invited Dom and Charley to come for a second visit, which must say something. This time they had really matured and are both terrific workers. Dom finished off the studio roof (Chris had been too busy and idle to do it himself) and then took on the renovation of the barn floor, which was full of holes. It was a dusty, difficult job and involved infilling about 12 square metres of planking. He measured and cut and skilfully filled in the holes, with the minimum of waste wood. Now a trip to the barn is no longer a risk to life and limb and whilst it would not perhaps be the ideal venue for Strictly Come Dancing, it certainly means we could have a party in there. Charley meanwhile set about her favourite pursuit, attacking brambles, which she accomplished with bravura and tidiness. She's also become a proficient house painter so that very little paint ends up where it shouldn't. She cleaned the brushes too, which doesn't always happen.
The other miracle is that they have also learned to cook. Two years ago, cooking was not their forte, but they made some creditable meals which we enjoyed. Altogether we can recommend Dom and Charley. They both have a good sense of humour and we took pleasure in their company. We wish them the best of luck on their trip round Europe.
Left by Workawayer (Sean & Rebecca) for host
Chris and Maggie are both wonderful people and hosts, myself and Rebecca spent 10 days living with them in their beautiful home but we would have been quite happy to stay longer!. During our stay we painted the window frames and shutters (of which there are many) surrounding the house. We enjoyed the work and knew that Chris and Maggie appreciated
… read more it, which I feel is important. At the expense of their embarrassment I have to mention that the food we had was both exquisite and varied, the drink went down pretty well too. On a final note the area surrounding the property is very pretty and ideal for those who enjoy cycling, canoeing and swimming. To sum up if you are looking to stay with hosts who live in a beautiful area, are fantastic company, talented cooks and just generally good people to be around then look no further! You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
Left by host for Workawayer (Sean & Rebecca)
Sean and Becci were a delight. Always polite and helpful, they very soon became part of our household. In fact, by the time they left, we both felt really sorry to lose them. We'd asked them to paint the windows of our house - there are a lot of windows, some of which were in a somewhat rustic condition - and they did the job very professionally.
… read more If you want a pair of workawayers who are mature for their ages and good fun to be with, these are the ones. Help a retired German couple with fresh ideas and knowledge in Midi Pyrenees, Southern France
Help my family with projects and daily life in the beautiful Carcassonne, France
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Language practice
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
