Profile information
Host rating
65 %
Last replied
10 Apr 2024
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Details
Description
We are Geoff and Wendy, a British couple in our sixties living in the countryside in Brittany, France. We are surrounded by animals. We have a son who is at university in Caen and a daughter living in London. Our property has a piece of woodland which is in sore need of some love and care.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
My husband and I are native British living in Brittany France. Geoff is a trained English language speaker and we both speak French. We offer the possibility of learning or improving your English and/or learning conversational French. We have many animals here - donkeys, hens, a turkey, a peacock, three cats and two dogs. There is the opportunity to walk the donkeys and the dogs if that is something that appeals to you. We are based in a beautiful part of France, about 30 minutes from the coast. The nearest small town is very pretty and situated on a lake with plenty of watersports available. We have spent many years in India and Sri Lanka and are seasoned travellers ourselves. We offer a warm welcome and look forward to making new friends from different nationalities.
Geoff is an excellent guitarist, as is our son. There is a piano available if you play and plenty of opportunity to jam with Geoff.
Help
We have a piece of woodland with a stream that is badly in need of some maintenance work. There are fallen branches and the area is overgrown with brambles and weeds. The stream is blocked in places so the water doesn't flow properly. We would like to tidy the area up, remove all the debris and clear the path for the stream. We don't want major tree surgery, and we want to leave the space as natural as possible, to encourage wildlife. The final thing is, the space needs fencing, but this may be need to be a further project.
In addition to the woodland, we could really do with some help with the rest of the garden which I am trying to turn into a wildlife garden, but which at the moment just looks like no one is taking care of it!
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
French: Intermediate
German: Beginner
Italian: Beginner
Russian: Beginner
Tamil: BeginnerThis host offers a language exchange
Both Geoff and I love languages. His specialty is language and linguistics. I studied Russian at university and German at school and would love to revive them. He learned Tamil whilst living in India and would enjoy the chance to practice and improve. We both speak French as a second language and are experienced teachers of English as a second language. We welcome the chance to pick a bit of any language, so the more the merrier!
Accommodation
Our home is a large, stone built house in the countryside, surrounded by fields. We are a 15 minute walk from a picturesque little town. The house itself has six bedrooms, three of them ensuite. We have plenty of room downstairs to chill out - a living room with TV and netflix, a dining room with very large table and a cupboard full of board games, and an art room where Wendy makes art. Outside, there are plenty of spaces to sit and be alone or to be sociable - if the weather is good, we like to take our meals outside in the garden.
What else ...
Activities available in the local area are cycling, watersports, walking (Geoff is a very keen rambler and can show you many of the coastal paths as well the routes along the wilder lake belonging to the area). At home, Wendy is always happy to share her art studio where you can paint, draw, print, make paper and natural inks, or even try silversmithing. Wendy also offers guidded meditation indoors and outdoors.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
Both Geoff and I work online from home. We are writers and Wendy runs a business online. The internet connection is good and we have extenders for the bedrooms where needed.
Space for parking camper vans
We have a spacious driveway and space to park next to a double garage which has water and electricity. It's not the prettiest spot in the garden though!
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Hours expected
Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week
