Join us for a while in creating our solar-punk hobby farm in Larroque, France

Details

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  Description

  Your workaway experience with the family : Leslie and Thibault, two part time veterinarians, and little baby Orion 🌟
  
  Welcome to the Domaine des Barrés, a recently bought big old farmhouse in a small village called Larroque, set on a hill between the Pyrenees Mountains and the city of Toulouse. We have 8 hectares of land destined for gardening in harmony with nature, hosting all kinds of farm animals, and letting a young forest grow -- all of this for our personal consumption and for wildlife around us. We deeply care about the Earth and all its inhabitants, and therefore are continuously finding ways to limit our negative impact on Nature and to promote biodiversity in and around our land.
  
  We've taken on the crazy challenge of turning this large 1830's farm into an energy-efficient, water-saving, hummus-producing welcoming home to all sorts of people, plants and animals... And we'd love your help with that, in exchange for yummy French food along with a cultural learning experience in environment-friendly farming!
  
  Here's what we're looking for:
  
  - Outdoor folks who will enjoy getting their boots muddy and scratched planting trees, setting up fences, combating thorns and participating in various gardening projects
  - Animal lovers who'll want to take care of our kitties, chickens and horses
  - Cooks who will help us feed a hungry crew of people -- please share meals from your home, we love discovering varieties of food!
  - Clean freaks who will help us keep this big house somewhat clean... (can't be too much of a clean freak here though!)
  - Babysitters who might entertain Orion once in a while to give Mama a "break" (so she can take care of her horses for a bit)
  - Anyone who loves a good board game or plays the piano, the guitar or the handpan -- we love how live music breathes life into our old farm!
  
  We'll do our best to mix up nationalities and always have two to three people from different horizons at a time -- we know that makes it way more fun for everyone. We have a fun Workawayer dormitory in constant improvement. (For people who really need their privacy, we can always work something out ;))
  
  Our main language is French, but we are also fluent in English (especially Leslie - she's half American). We will use whichever language you prefer using with you.
  
  Please note that our house is old and under renovation. Therefore this experience is not suitable to anyone with dust allergies. Also, our home is sadly not suitable to people with walking disabilities.
  
  We are so excited to host many of you!!
  
  
  *** Please note that our farm is not destined to become a business in any way. We simply love nature and love making our own food from scratch!***

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Help with Eco Projects

  Light gardening

  Creative DIY projects

  Animal Care

  Farmstay help

  Babysitting and creative play

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  Light maintenance

  House & pet sitting
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  Interests

  

  Sustainability

  

  Self development

  

  Pets

  

  Farming

  

  Performing arts

  

  Writing

  

  Music

  

  Drawing & painting

  

  Gardening

  

  DIY & crafts

  

  Cooking & food

  

  Books

  

  Art & design

  

  Animals

  

  Yoga / Wellness

  

  Outdoor activities

  

  Hiking

  

  Dancing

  

  Camping

  

  Adventure sports
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  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

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  What's this?
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  As biology and nature lovers working on our house, we love exchanging about agroforestry, respectful animal farming, etc. We are also artists who enjoy all things music, visual arts, wood carving, textile arts, circus arts, cinematography, and many more.
  Thibault is a mix of French, Polish and Italian and grew up mainly in French Polynesia, and Leslie is French-American and was raised in Paris, France. It's just the three of us with our baby, but we often have family members, friends, and workawayers -- we love hosting in our big house :)

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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

  Your help might include:
  - various outdoor tasks: gardening, digging holes and planting trees and bushes, clearing thorns and nettles, clearing up the hangars and moving / organizing stuff, DIY projects
  - help with horses: stall maintenance, daily care (feeding, watering, handling...), fence setting-up and maintenance
  - cooking (not every meal of course, but much appreciated)
  - occasional babysitting for short periods of time (3 month old)
  - general help around the house, organizing, cleaning, etc.
  
  Our schedule is very variable depending on the season, weather, and whatever project we're focusing on at the moment. You're likely to have some really long days and other really light ones -- just like us. Our sleep schedule doesn't fit with everyone (late nights, early mornings and a nice afternoon "sieste"), but we always make it work by giving you some autonomous tasks. What counts is that we get stuff done together and sit all together around a nice dinner in the evening once all of our daily tasks are over :)
  
  Please note that we will, of course, also be participating in all our projects and teaching you whatever you need to know in order to help us. (And if you have experience in certain areas, we'd love to take your advice!!) We have a lot of projects going on at once so we're pretty certain we can find something suitable to do for everyone! However if you are not physically able, this experience may not be suited for you. If this is the case, feel free to talk to us about it to see if we can figure something out.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  French: Fluent
  Spanish: Beginner

  This host offers a language exchange
  This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
  You can contact them directly for more information.
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  Accommodation

  We will provide bedding, food and wifi. Our house is under renovation so our sleeping quarters are a bit rustic, but we will always ensure that you have a warm, clean bed.
  You will be fed breakfast, lunch and dinner.
  You will need boots or other sturdy outdoor shoes so if you don't have any or can't bring them, please let us know. We recommend you bring clothes that don't mind getting muddy. We will provide work gloves.

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  What else ...

  On your free days, we can drive you to Saint-Gaudens where there is a train station: from there, you can go to Toulouse, Pau or even some ski stations. Once in a while we might want to take a hike in the mountains -- and you'll be welcome to join us! We might allow you to drive the car to the nearest train station sometimes too. Your free time after help can be spent as you wish: we have some workout equipment, games, books, musical instruments, bikes...

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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 decent Wi-fi connexion for online work. However, we cannot (yet) provide you with a separate office for work.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  You are welcome to come with your campervan if you wish. Our courtyard is large enough for one or two. Of course if you do so, you will still have free access to our indoor bathroom.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  My animals / pets

  

  Cambouis (1 year)

  Cambouis is a gorgeous little grey cat -- she was found in a car motor, and named after the black soot found in engines, "cambouis" in French. She's very shy around strangers, but once you earn her trust, she'll be asking for belly rubs day and night.

  

  Yuzu (1 year)

  Yuzu is our plump little calico. We rescued her from the street when she was barely three weeks old with a very infected eye. Now she's a beautiful healthy kitty who loves cuddles and sleeping in the strangest positions!

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