Profile information
Host rating
80 %
Last replied
7 Jan 2023
Feedback
7
Email verified
Badges (1)
Details
Description
We are a family of 5; Hilda (self-employed journalist & editor), Fredrik (runs an industry service company), Arvid (9, loves games, riddles, fishing and crafts), Märta (7, loves ballet, homework, poop jokes, insects and old people) and Vera (5, loves animals, letters, singing, treasure hunts and ice cream)
We live in an old farm in the north of Blekinge with our two dogs Charlie and Kajsa, the barn-cat Allan, 2 horses Blossi and Brunte, 20 Sheep (50 with the lambs during summer season) and some chickens
The farm is about 40 acres with two lakes (We have our own boat, swimming place and a sauna by the lake) and mostly meadows with old oak trees. When we are not working our day jobs,we are always building and fixing something.
The seasons -work and pleasure:
Winter (november-april) mostly daily feeding and watering the animals, mucking shit, and household work :)
Calmer season with lots of sauna, sometimes snow and skating on the lakes, visits to the public pool and card games nights.
Spring: february-may: lambing season february-april, amazing but intense season: constantly checking on the sheep, helping by birth, and ususally some "bottle lambs" that needs to be fed every few hours. Painting, fixing fences, building projects, cleaning, renovation. Spring is beautiful, and sauna with a cold swim in the lake is not unusual. Fishing, padeling, forrest picnics, bonfires, riding, and sheering sheep needs to be done. Still heavy work with feeding, water and mucking.
Summer - may-september: Less daily work with the animals, more renovating, painting, gardening, cutting grass. Amazing time to take morning swims, endless summer nature experieces.
Fall - september-november: Sheering sheep, picking apples, gardening, moving sheep, painting , renovating, preparing for winter.
Tasks at our place
There is always need for extra help here, from really hard physical work if you´re into that - to just drive to get groceries, entertain the kids, walking the dogs, caring for the horses & ride. Animal care is a big part of the farm tasks.
Also we always appreciate help with all the endless household work as picking up toys, cooking, doing dishes, folding laundry, hoovering, organizing the cupboards, and all those "million things" that we don´t have time to do often enough like riding the horses, walking the dogs, gardening, picking the apples, painting, changing fences, play with the kids, cleaning the barn, cuddle the sheep, organizing the tools in the shed etc etc, there is always something to do. Life in our place can be as calm or as busy as you make it :)
Planned projects:
Apart from the animal care, we are building on a new barn, renovating the two guest houses, fencing, and taking care of the landscape and garden (not so much, there is usually no time, but you are very welcome to do gardening if you have green fingers). We are also planning to build a new wood fence up to the farm, renovate the sauna, build a new swimming bridge, tare down the old barn, cutting firewood etc. We have a tractor and a squad bike that our workawayers can try.
Socialising with us:
We are an open, loving, warm social bunch with a generous way of thinking. If you need something - we will try to fix it.
If you like staying close to nature, love "ad hoc" plans, hanging out outside, kids, animals, lots of freedom, learning about farm living, have lots of humour, and don't mind if it gets a bit chaotic sometimes (like a house turned up side down by kids or chasing loose sheep) you´ll probably love it in our farm!
If you are warm, positive, fun and happy to help with whatever needs to be done, we will probably love having you in our home!
During weekdays we are usually off to work/school all day, and you will be home alone in the farm. If you are travelling alone, you have to enjoy this solitude. Otherwise, we would prefer to host two friends or a couple, so you aren´t feeling too isolated or lonely during your stay. We are social some nights, but will also need some family time alone. If you want more time with us, its better to take your days "off" during weekdays, and stay home with us on the weekends.
After some workaway-experiences we learned this:
Animal care is great fun - but also a huge responsibility and can mean heavy and hard work, so we really prefer someone who has some experience with animals, f ex stable work, and a high sense of responsibility.
A lot of people applying are vegetarians or vegans - and even though our sheep are almost family members, we are also meat producers and meat consumers, and need mutual respect for these choises. We are ok at vegetarian and vegan cooking, but this also a lot of extra planning and work, so we would prefer to host people who eat most things. People staying with us also need to be able to cook for themselves.
Experience or interest in kids and basic swedish skills is a plus!
We hope to meet some amazing new people!
Hilda, Fredrik, Arvid, Märta & Vera.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Farmstay help
Babysitting and creative play
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Warm, open family, living in a beautiful, rural part of Sweden. Learn how to take care of horses, sheep, learn renovation and nature care, also hang out with two funny, a bit crazy parents and three very social, warm, funnny and intelligent kids. Learn Swedish, culture, maybe sheep sheering, horse riding, renovating and traditional farm tasks - mucking, fencing, fixing things. Live near the nature in a small Swedish village and hang out by the lake, in the sauna, in the woods or just in our kitchen chatting with us, cooking or playing with the kids.
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
We really love our life here, but with three small kids and full time jobs its sometimes hard to find time and motivation to do all the stuff you want to. Our Daily tasks change over the year, in the winter its feeding and watering the animals, mucking out dung, which is quite heavy. The household needs a lot of work, where all help is appreciated. Sometimes it can be helpful to have some company just to find the energy to get started, or play with the kids while we work outside, ride the horses, feed the sheep, go to buy milk, fix dinner, cut the lawn, organize something, do some household work or heavy farm work. It doesnt really matter, as long as you are ready to help when needed.
Languages spoken
German: Fluent
English: Fluent
Swedish: Fluent
Accommodation
We have a great, fully euipped guest house available to our workawayers when its not rented out on Airbnb.
We also have a beautiful simple summer house right next to the lake without electricity/running water, livable during the summer months. that fits 2-4 people. We also have a small 10 sqm guest house with a 90-bed next to our house that can fit 1 person, a couple or two really good friends :)
We usually eat brekfast early in weekdays but dinner together most nights. We´re off to work/kindergarden/school daytime, so you'll fix your own breakfast/lunch/snacks in our kitchen. You will be a part of our family, but we might need some family time now and then, so then you can hang out in your own house some nights.
What else ...
We live in a very rural area so you have to use a car or a bike to get to public transport (we have bikes to borrow). Its the perfect place if you like nature, riding, walking in the woods, swiming in the lake, biking, hiking, fishing, sauna baths etc and getting your hands dirty with physical work. We usually dont need both our cars on evenings and weekends, so you can borrow one if you have a licence and want to go "explore". Nearest towns are Vissefjärda and Holmsjö (small but with food stores, cafes and train stations), around 7 km away. Lots of beautiful sights in the area, Glass Kingdom, coastal Citys Karlskrona and Kalmar, Island Öland is a 1 hour + drive away. We live a busy life, meaning lots of work both on the farm and at our dayjobs, so expect a lot of alone time during weekdays. When we are home were constantly doing renovation projects on the farm and stuff with the animals, such as feeding, cleaning, filling water, building, fencing, cutting sheep, riding. We usually stay home in weekends, but sometimes go off on adventures or seeing friends and family. We´re also off a few nights every week to activities with the kids, swimming, sports etc (which you are welcome to attend)
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Space for parking camper vans
This host can provide space for campervans.
Can possibly accept pets
This host has said they are willing to accept those travelling with a pet.
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Hours expected
Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week
Feedback (6)
All the animals were so cute and cuddly and you could see how the family loved them as well :)
After a… read more
We stayed with Hilda Friedrik and their lovely kids Arvind Marta and Vera for about two weeks.
We are writing after two week after we left the farm and we still feel sad to say goodbye to all the family and all their… read more
Feedback
These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.
Accuracy of profile:
(4.8)
Cultural exchange:
(4.8)
Communication:
(4.6)
All the animals were so cute and cuddly and you could see how the family loved them as well :)
After a… read more
We stayed with Hilda Friedrik and their lovely kids Arvind Marta and Vera for about two weeks.
We are writing after two week after we left the farm and we still feel sad to say goodbye to all the family and all their… read more
We did a lot of fun and interesting things, like collecting almost 200kg of… read more
