Help with puppies & garden projects in Algarve, Portugal

Details

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  Description

  2023: I'm a retired woman living in a typical rural Algarvean house, 4.5km from the town of Loule and 15min (by car) from the sea. Am an American entrepreneur retired from: restaurateur, IT company owner, forest wildfire fighter and Mountain Search & Rescue volunteer. I am a Mother and Grandmother.
  
  I need general physical labour on the land and care for the puppies & kennel. My body is just too sore to do the work I need to do to maintain the gardens, food business and dogs/puppies...(ahhhh the Circle Of Life). I want to carve out of this stony Algarve soil some vegetable & flower gardens using creative water retention solutions, weeding is needed everywhere and where I can plant native species. You must know how to use both hand tools and some power tools.
  
  I'm located by car: 15-mins from beautiful beaches, 5km to train & bus station. Sometimes I can drop you off in town or the beach. Otherwise use UBER.
  
  PROJECTS LAND: (depending on the season) care and pruning of trees, harvesting (and preserving) Almonds, Figs and Olives, landscaping, WEEDING, planting, irrigation system development, maintenance of vegetable and flower gardens; transplanting trees & shrubs, mulching, organising compost pile
  PROJECTS HOUSE: painting, carpentry, repairs, housekeeping and organizing sheds, storage etc.
  
  MY OFFER: Food and accommodation in exchange for help
  1) self-contained Ridgeback-Caravan-Cottage 1-bedrom nestled under an old fig tree, Fibre Optic Internet, UKTV, Aircon/heating, the shower-W/C room is 1m outside the back door.
  2) 3-meals a day in exchange for 5-hours daily work, 5-days per week. WEEKDAYS: I provide your food. WEEKENDS: you provide your own own meals.
  
  ***MARCH-APRIL-MAY 2023 'PUPPY PROJECT': (9-10 weeks)*** (Puppy-Project requires a commitment for 9-weeks)
  WORKS: Care of new born puppies: from birth-8-weeks old, feeding, cleaning and help with puppy training
  MY OFFER: food and accommodation Ridgeback-Caravan-Cottage and some payment (contact me directly)
  
  ***mid-JULY & AUGUST 2023 'SUMMER PROJECT' (6-8 weeks) ****
  WORKS: Gardening, maintenance of property, dog walking, help with 'Holiday Let' guests in main house in August
  MY OFFER: Food and accommodation in Ridgeback-Caravan-Cottage
  
  I have two friendly Rhodesian Ridgeback dogs 'Bob' (AKA "Keanu Reeves") 'Sierra Mariposa' AKA " Hoover" (yes as in the Hoover vacuum cleaner of the same name for obvious reasons). I also have 1-cat and 4-laying hens.
  
  IMPORTANT Requirements
  (1) bring proof of your own health insurance, Vaccination
  (2) a contact number of your next relatives in case of any emergencies
  (3) a copy of your photo ID, Passport.
  
  Helpers must have a deep an abiding GSOH (Good Sense Of Humour) as I do! And we do not gather together by the campfire and sing Kumbaya,
  
  I have 1,800 English language books and lots of music from original American blues 'n jazz, Irish traditional, Portuguese Fado, Opera, Classical. I love, LOVE cooking (and eating) and when the weather is warm/summer I have a pop-up restaurant in my home; serving authentic Mexican, Soul Food from the South and American Cowboy food and bake Irish Soda bread and such things.
  
  NOTE: I cannot accept any pets. I DO have space to park a campervan.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Farmstay help

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance

  Help with Computers/ Internet
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  UN sustainablity goals this host is trying to achieve

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  What's this?
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  There are SOOO many things to do and see and experience here in The Algarve of Portugal. Although we live 'rural' we live within 5km of one of the beautiful cultural centres of the Algarve; the ancient market town of Loule!

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  Help

  I MOSTLY need help from folks with strong backs and who know how to use 'hand' tools. I just can't (getting a wee bit old 'n sore) do the work anymore that is needed to look after both the land, care for dogs, clean the house, and care for newborn puppies.
  
  PROJECTS:chip Olive/Almond wood for the smokers, (we have a chipper), gather wild produce (Carob pods, Figs, Olives, Persimmons etc.,) and either smoke & dry them or process them another way such as 'canning' in jars or making jams, marmalade, chutneys, salsas), transplant shrubs (stony ground), organize and re-pack storage rooms/cupboards, general deep clean of house, PLUS refurbishing the original St. Catarina terra cotta floor tiles in the house, plaster, paint house and build a whelping kennel.

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  Languages spoken

  English: Fluent
  German: Intermediate

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  Accommodation

  I offer my beautiful (beloved) self-contained Caravan -Cottage. It is about 50-meters distance from the house, (very private) under an old Fig tree. The Caravan-Cottage has: Fibre Optic internet, UKTV, Aircon/heating, W/C, shower, HOB, oven, fridge/freezer, black-out curtains, mosquito screens, many reading lights, closets, 2-skylights with mosquito screens, a sliding door separates the built-in double bed from the rest of the 7-meter long touring caravan. We built and 4mx4m insulated room with sliding doors and attached it to the caravan. There is a BBQ and outside table + chairs for alfresco dining. You cook your own breakfast and supper in the caravan. I provide ingredients for your breakfast & suppers: Monday-Friday. Lunches for the most part will be eaten with me. Weekends afternoons, are your own time to travel and to make/buy your own meals as you like.

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  What else ...

  More about the area later; it's the Algarve after all. There are many many kilometers of walks/bike rides from our door. We can drop you off at the Loule town center or at the train station, easy peasy. A taxi from to/from town to our door is between 6-8EUR each way. Loule is market town and there is daily baked bread, fresh fish, local meat, veggie & fruit Farmers Market, and a much bigger one each Saturday. Spend a day at the beach ...why not? Perhaps take a boat tour or a weekend donkey trek or rent a car for a weekend and see the Alentejo in the North? We have only had two couples do a (private) exchange here last year for a couple of weeks. One couple left as they wanted the city lights of Lisbon, fair enough it is a bit 'slow' here. The other, 2-friends from Vermont, went on their pre-planned travels after extending their time with us an additional week. It was a very good experience for all of us.

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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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  Space for parking camper vans

  This host can provide space for campervans.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  Hours expected

  Maximum 5 hours a day, 5 days a week

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