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17 Dec 2024
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Details
Description
We're three friends (1 couple + 1 friend) with 2 dogs (Igor & Boris) and we just relocated to France, in the beautiful countryside of Charentes to start a new life. We purchased a 4 hectare property - 2 of forest, 1 of land and 1 with the property) right in the middle of the Cognac Vineyard. The land is already giving us a lot ( 10 apple trees, a pear tree, a fig tree, chestnut trees, dozen of truffle trees, etc.) and the gardens have beautiful rose and lavender bushes but we're rookies at maintaining all of this. We have a pool (in good state), a tennis court (badly needing renovation) and all sorts of cool features and rooms that need maintenance or that are waiting for a new life (former stables, bread oven room, a well, etc.). The property is relatively remote with the first shop 9 km away.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Creating/ Cooking family meals
General Maintenance
Help with Computers/ Internet
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
The 3 of us have very different backgrounds. One French (management consultant), one Dutch (experience designer) and one Malaysian (sales & medical). Our house is a cultural melting pot and we have friends and family visiting from a bit everywhere. One of us has retrained as a cook so he has experience to share, and we've had a veggie garden for 4 so we have a bit of experience with that (although it was in tropical climate so we sort of have everything to relearn here). Overall, we've been around quite a bit, traveled a lot, lived in 5 different countries, so we have a decent amount of life experience to share.
Help
There is just.... A LOT to do. More than we had imagined, so it's hard to know where to start. If you're more on the gardening side, we'd like to better maintain and exploit the orchard (in particular the truffle trees), maintain and develop the flower bushes, and develop fruit and vegetable garden (the space is ready for 10 veggie patches). We're also thinking, if you're up for it, of getting chickens but the whole thing needs to be set up.
Looking at the building, inside and outside, there is also a lot to do if you're more on the handy side. From small things such painting or small repairs to bigger things such as partitioning or isolating rooms, to fully developing new rooms like former stables... it's all up for grab.
Unlikely you get bored, whatever you're good at or like to do.
Latest need:
- sanding and repainting of metal gates and wooden shutters.
- garden landscaping (design and implementation) various zones.
- building an indoor wall to split two rooms.
- getting abandoned veggie patches ready for spring.
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
French: Fluent
Indonesian: Fluent
Dutch: Fluent
Chinese (Mandarin): Fluent
German: IntermediateThis host offers a language exchange
Between the three of us, we speak 6 languages fluently and we'd be happy to help you progress in any of them.
Accommodation
You'll have your own room with a queen bed in the main house. You can have full access to the facilities of the property like the gym (a bit run down we also plan to renovate it), the sauna, the pool, the bikes or the tennis. You'd probably be better of with a car given that we're a bit remote. We have a good bicycle that you're welcome to use but it's hilly around here, and we have a decent scooter that you can also ride if needed.
We do offer accommodation and you're welcome to join us for all three meals every day.
What else ...
The region is mostly known for its production of Cognac so there is a lot to do and learn about the whole cycle from production to tasting and cooking. The city of Angoulême, 30 km away, is know for its international comic book festival (January) and vintage car race (September). You're 1h drive from the Atlantic Ocean and the train stations to Paris, Bordeaux, Nantes or La Rochelle are 30 min away.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
The entire building is covered in wifi. The connection is on fiber. We have a seminar room that we used as office most of the time.
Space for parking camper vans
The place has two private carparks that could fit a campervan.
Can possibly accept pets
We love animals. One of our dogs isn't super friendly to other dogs but the other one is. It'd take a bit of time to settle in with another dog but eventually it always works.
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
