Experience the beauty of Midi Pyrenees while helping us in DIY and gardening projects in Ariege, France

Details

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  Description

  We are Karl and Beata, a British-Polish couple living in the beautiful Ariege department of the Midi Pyrenees region in the southwest of France. We are looking for a couple of volunteers who can help us with DIY and gardening projects in our large garden and a house.
  
  Located close to the medieval town of Mirepoix, our home offers a great opportunity to explore the area in your spare time. You can go for long walks or bike rides along the green route (voie verte) or explore the neighbouring villages.
  
  Our passion is cycling, and in the summer, we run cycling holidays for guests from all over the world. We have a range of bikes that you can use in your free time to explore the beautiful countryside around us.
  
  As we head into the early Spring season, we need some assistance with general maintenance and gardening. We expect our volunteers to be relatively independent and have some experience in DIY and gardening. We can host a couple or two single travellers, and envision a maximum of 5 hours per day, 5 days a week. In return for your help, we offer a comfortable place to stay, delicious meals, and a chance to meet new people and learn new skills.
  
  
  We will be hosting from the 1st April for a month or a little bit longer.
  
  If you're interested in helping us out and exploring this beautiful region, please get in touch with us.
  
  We look forward to hearing from you!
  
  Best regards,
  Karl and Beata

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Art Projects

  Language practice

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  As we love to learn new languages, we would be thrilled to hear from French speakers who could help us practice our French. In exchange, we can offer the opportunity to practice your English or Polish with us.
  
  We are both avid cyclists, we have a selection of bikes, including electric bikes, and can invite Workawayers on bike rides along the voie verte, located a short walk from our house.
  
  We live just minutes away from the charming bastide town of Mirepoix, which has many shops, cafes and a great traditional farmer's market every Monday that we love to visit with our guests.
  
  In your spare time, you can enjoy the outdoor activities nearby (mountain walks, bike rides, gliding, climbing, caves, etc); check out the local antique shops, cheese shops etc or venture for a day out in Toulouse.

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  Help

  There are various jobs to be done, mostly house maintaining :
  
  • Doors: sanding/painting
  • Renovating staircase
  • Painting and decorating (only a touch-up work)
  • Clear out bicycle barn, patch and render walls, add shelving
  • Restore and paint garden bench
  • Paint garden furniture
  • Plant new hedging
  • Tidy up our vegetable patch (weeding, turning soil etc)
  • Help with changing sand in the swimming pool’s filter
  • Patch up stonework and paint
  • Clean external house wall.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  Polish: Fluent
  French: Intermediate

  This host offers a language exchange
  As a multi-lingual host family, we are pleased to welcome French ( and other language) speakers into our home and share our love of the English & Polish language and culture. We believe that cultural exchange is a wonderful way to broaden one's horizons and build lasting connections.
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  Accommodation

  You will have your own bedroom (1 double bed or 2 single beds), bathroom, living room and a kitchen. You can make use of the washing machine, smart TV with Netflix and Amazon Prime, and Wi-Fi (bring your own laptop). There is also a games room with billiards table.
  We offer 3 meals a day although participation in meals preparation, barbecue, and clearing up will be appreciated.

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  What else ...

  We are located about 5 km from a medieval town of Mirepoix, 1hr from Toulouse and 50 min from Carcassonne.
  
  There are plenty of cultural activities available nearby, such as visits to the underground river of Labouiche, Château de Foix, Église Notre-Dame de Vals, and Château de Lagarde. These historical sites are a great way to learn about the rich cultural heritage of the region and France as a whole.
  
  Please no special requirement for food, or allergies. Vegetarian diet is fine. No smoking in the house. No pets, sorry et merci.

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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 provide a bedroom equipped with a desk, 26 '' monitor and an office chair. The wifi is through a 4G box currently but we are expecting to have fibre installed in the next month or so.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  There is a enough space in a drive or side garden for 1 campervan

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  Hours expected

  Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week

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