Big garden in beautiful, peaceful West Wicklow, Ireland

Details

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  Description

  Hello!
  
  Update : We can welcome helpers from now until the end of March. A stay of 1-3 weeks is ideal and we can only host one person at a time.
  
  I live in a big house on 2 acres with my teenage daughter in beautiful West Wicklow, beside a forest and near the mountains. It's a peaceful, quiet, rural location. We are an hour from Dublin and Kilkenny, 25 mins from Carlow, The Glen of Imaal and the original Hollywood, and 45 mins from Glendalough.
  
  You will have your own bedroom and bathroom, and share the kitchen, living room, TV room and art room.
  
  I'm a part time primary school teacher. I'm also a yoga teacher, sound therapist and music teacher and work 3 days from home and 2 days in primary schools. I am passionate about health, well being and self healing and am building my new business around that.
  
  I'm a musician who plays and teaches traditional Irish music, so you will have the opportunity to hear authentic music and to come to local music sessions. There are spare instruments in the house which you can use if you play music. (fiddle, guitar, ukulele, mandolin, tin-whistles, charango) We both love art and crafts and you're welcome to use the art room.
  
  I love hiking and yoga and practise yoga daily. If you're brave you can swim in the local freezing river with amazing health benefits! Walks from the house are on small roads. You will need lifts to local mountains for hikes. There is the use of a bike.
  
  We have a dog and cat and hens. We grow our own vegetables.
  
  You will need good outdoor, waterproof clothing, footwear and gloves for gardening tasks in all weathers.
  
  These are some jobs we need help with:
  Lots of weeding, mowing and strimming. Cutting back and removing meadow vegetation. Landscaping and gardening design skills welcome.
  
  Caring for over 450 native young trees in our field:strimming around them and mowing paths.
  
  Preparing the greenhouse
  for new planting. Construction of a wooden vegetable bed in the greenhouse. Sowing vegetable seeds, caring for young seedlings. Repotting young plants. Watering. Preparing vegetable beds for later in spring.
  
  Moving and dividing plants. Cutting back dead growth. Composting.
  
  Daily tasks include cleaning the kitchen, walking Fia, bringing in firewood, setting the fire. Help is also needed with laundry and other household tasks. Sweeping, hoovering and mopping floors
  
  Construction of a lean-to for my campervan.
  
  Woodwork:restoring, fixing and painting some furniture.
  
  IT and social media skills welcome.
  
  On days when weather is really bad the focus will be on housework: cleaning, hoovering, mopping floors, cleaning bathrooms, windows etc. .I love cooking. I'm vegetarian so the healthy meals will be vegetarian. If you love cooking you are welcome to cook as part of your hours.
  
  You need to be fit and able for using a spade, strimmer and lawnmower. We've hens that need to be fed daily, have bedding changed and eggs collected.
  
  I need help for 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week and the hours can be flexible.
  
  We love travelling and meeting people from other countries and learning about their culture, language, food etc. We've really enjoyed hosting and getting to know helpers last year from Workaway and HelpX, and the conversations and connections have been very special.
  
  We had aupairs in the house for years and two years ago had a Ukrainian family live with us for some time. We now have a tenant staying in our studio. Anyone who stays with us will be treated fairly and as part of the family and included in activities and outings if they wish, and won't be expected to work in their free time.
  
  However, I expect the helper to cooperate and help with basic housework as any family member would. I only have one spare room as the other spare bedroom is now a clinic for sound therapy, so can now only host one helper at a time. You will be on your own during the day until we both get home from school or if I have music students or sound therapy clients.
  
  I can occasionally give lifts to local towns (Rathvilly and Baltinglass) where there is public transport. On a day off I could drop you to a morning bus to Dublin and collect you in the evening once it fits around my work schedule. It is a very remote location though so a stay of 1-3 weeks is ideal. Our place is ideal if you feel like a break from a city as it's quiet and peaceful. We look forward to welcoming you to Wicklow!

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Language practice

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance

  Help with Computers/ Internet
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  We can help with language practice. I'm a primary teacher and also studied English literature alongside a teaching degree. I no longer teach full time, and am now working as a sound therapist and yoga teacher. I'm also a musician so could help musicians interested in Irish traditional music. I play fiddle mostly. There's also an art room available with use of art materials. I'm vegetarian and love cooking so you'll have healthy food. I a
  
  I practise Wim Hof breathing and yoga daily. We love hiking in the local mountains. There are road, forest and mountain walks locally.

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  Projects involving children

  This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

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  Help

  Gardening: removing /cutting old growth , planting vegetables, watering greenhouse, mowing grass, caring for raised beds for vegetables, strimming in garden and around young trees, weeding flower and vegetable beds and the gravel yard, caring for plants etc. Gathering and storing firewood. Looking after hens. Walking the dog. Building a lean to for a campervan. Housework. It's all organic so no chemicals are used. Also, general help around the house would be great.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  French: Intermediate
  Irish: Intermediate
  Spanish: Beginner

  This host offers a language exchange
  I'd love to learn more Spanish as I'm a beginner.
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  Accommodation

  Double room with bathroom that's mostly private, as my daughter and I both have ensuites bathrooms in our bedrooms. Shared kitchen, art room, living room, TV room. You can cook your own meals or eat with us.

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  What else ...

  There is the use of a bike. There isn't much public transport, just an occasional bus. Lifts can be offered to local town or village where there are buses to Dublin.
  The Baltinglass area is the 'Hill fort capital of Ireland' and there are some historicical and sacred sites locally. We're half an hour from the picturesque Glen of Imaal, and half an hour from Carlow Town. Glendalough is 45 mins drive away. We're just over an hour from Dublin which is accessible by bus locally.

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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

  This host has indicated that they love having digital nomads stay.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  I have a campervan too that I built during covid and there's lots of room in the yard to park. There are outside sockets for you to plug in.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  One

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