Help around our old stone house and peaceful garden in Saint Jeannet, on the Côte d’Azur, France

Details

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  Description

  Welcome to our home in a peaceful garden on the Côte d’Azur South of France - looking for garden/ maintenance help
  
  Hello workaway guest.
  Carlo is Italian and I am English. We have had the good fortune to have inherited the family home of Carlo’s parents in this beautiful medieval village in the south of France where we have amazing happy memories of over 30 years of family ,our children growing up and fantastic friends. Both Carlo and I have travelled all over the world and lived and worked abroad for most of our life. We really feel like global citizens. We share our home with our cat 'Pilou' who is very friendly and funny.
  
  This old stone house has 2500 metres of garden with terraces of trees , flowers, herbs and fruits. Both carlo and I are nature lovers and this garden has given us all endless peace and good positive energy. I like to do Tai Chi in the garden and Chi Gong.
  
  We are in a great location in the south of France immersed in a Mediterranean nature with great transport links.
  
  However as we are getting older it’s becoming more difficult to manage our garden and the maintenance needed in the house. As our 2 grown up sons also live abroad we would like to invite workaway guests to come and help us in exchange for comfortable, independent accommodation, food and good company.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Language practice

  Gardening

  General Maintenance
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  Carlo speaks as a mother tongue Italian and French .English, Spanish and Indonesian and I speak English as mother tongue and Italian and Indonesian.We are very happy to help anyone wanting to improve their language skills. My French is still limited although I’m working on it and eager to improve. We are very excited to be part of a cultural exchange and eager to learn and share our experiences with others. Carlo was a former heart surgeon for 15 years before deciding to radically change his world in his middle age. We are both designers , manufacturers and creators of lighting design and have worked and lived all over the world and can willingly share our life experiences. Carlo loves cooking and we are both into a healthy lifestyle. We are both enthusiastic tennis players lucky enough to have a court close by. I am excited to share my Tai `chi / `chi `Kung with any one who is willing to participate. I am also prepared to share my passion of skyview astrology.
  
  We live in a medieval village surrounded by amazing walks and nature experiences.We have a gorge close by too .Within walking distance one can catch the bus which goes to nearby Vence( 15 minutes ), St Paul or St Laurent de Var ( 15 minutes ) to catch the train with excellent transportation links all along the coast where one can explore a myriad of charming beach locations and coastal tourist destinations as well as Italy and Monaco. The bus also goes to Cap 3000 -a large shopping mall ( 25 Minutes )located at the beach where bus connections can be made to Nice. There are lots of amazing possible daily excursions to soak up the arts, visit museums and immerse oneself into the Mediterranean life. The list is endless.

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  Help

  Gardening and maintenance.
  
  We love our garden and are in desperate need of help ,collecting and burning the leaves from our trees, trimming the hedges, ivy cleaning, weeding and planting for the season.
  We are looking at a minimum of 2 weeks as we feel that this is the minimum time needed to get into good working patterns and get the most out of the experience.
  
  However, if there is a tree surgeon who is interested in coming we would be very interested as we have a small ‘oak grove’ of maybe 4 trees and a fig tree that need cutting and we also have a high hedge which faces the road which also needs cutting back.
  
  We do have a collasped old wall in need of rebuilding. Its about 2 metres in length and 225cm high
  
  There is also the metal fence which needs repainting and we have french windows with exterior shutters that are in need of servicing , sanding and a fresh coat. Simple tasks such as washing windows may also be on the agenda.
  
  
  Work in the garden according to season ;
  
  Gardening and maintenance.
  
  Garden work , wood cutting - tree pruning, ( so using a chain saw but not essential ) , work in the garden according to the season.
  In the garden small projects of plantation to facilitate long term maintenance and to establish a better basis of robustness to weeds. Weeding.
  
  We have a wood chip machine for all the wood that is pruned and distributing the wood chip in designated areas of the garden.
  
  - some DIY and house maintenance , some sanding & painting of garden furniture or wooden french windows & shutters could also be proposed in Autumn and winter.
  
  - sometimes small or medium project ie ; emptying the garden shed. Remaking the lawn where the 2 lemon trees are into a wood chip Mediterranean landscape.
  
  We are looking for motivated people with common sense, logic and reason, initiative and a good sense of humour is a good addition.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  Spanish: Fluent
  French: Fluent
  Indonesian: Fluent
  Italian: Fluent

  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 live in the top floor of a stone house. There is a separate ground floor garden apartment with a living room , 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, kitchen and outdoor terrace with a separate entrance. Comfortable and clean and heated if the weather is cold.
  
  We have wi-fi , satellite and a washing machine along with dish washer.
  
  Meals are included. Breakfast for every day working or not working. Lunch and dinner except when you go out. If you are a heavy drinker or a smoker - pls do not apply.
  
  We are flexible so if you prefer to eat in your apartment and cook for yourself we can work that out.

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  What else ...

  We are 25 minutes from Nice Airport. With good transport links.
  
  There is a yoga and Chi Kung classes in the village. Our Village is quite well organised for rock climbing as well with guides and instructors on hand.
  
  We are not looking for any work away guests with alcohol or drug habits . We are a non smoking family.
  
  Our gardening experience is very much done by instinct and we would enjoy to have advice as well . We are at the point where we realise we need to make this a future manageable goal so we are looking at ways that we can create a pleasurable garden whilst at the same time manageable for our mature years.
  
  Carlo and I are quite relaxed and open . We have had a lot of social experiences around the world and we are excited to share our time with others.

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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 are connected to the internet throught the fibre optic cable

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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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