Help out and enjoy our beautiful garden near Oslo, Norway

Details

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  Description

  Hello workawayer.
  
  We would like to invite you to our home, an old, large, historic house at Nesodden, a peninsula near by Oslo. Surrounded by beautiful nature, forest, small lakes and the Oslofjord.
  
  Currently we are looking for someone with experience in carpentry, plumbing and/or concreting / stone work.
  We would be very happy for some assistance with building a terrace floor as well as concreting a small stone patio and some stone stairs in front of a tiny cabin in the garden. We would also like to concrete some stones in front of a flower bed during the autumn or spring. We are working on an outdoor kitchen and will make a simple waterconnection to this.
  We are also dreaming about building a pizza oven. So, if you have any experience or knowledge in those fields you are more than welcome to join :)
  
  If you are handy and like being outside working, then you are the people we are looking for.
  As mentioned, if you know anything about concreting, carpentry or other manual related work, it would always be welcoming!
  Handy people with excellent cooking skills would be a dream ;)
  We would like to invite a few people joining us for a few weeks this autumn and spring. Preferably couples and / or adult workawayers.
  
  We appreciate people with a variety of work experience, practical skilled, handy, positive thinking, well organized and not afraid of getting dirt on your hands.
  
  I work as an interior and garden designer, a stylist and I used to be a fashion designer. I have been self-employed since 1999.
  I´m practical skilled, creative and productive, and I have a wide range of experience.
  I have three sons: Emil, 35, who lives in the north of Norway, Oliam (20) and Agaton (17). They all speaks fluently English .
  Animals that lives here at the moment is 10 koi fish quietly swimming in a fish pond.
  
  We have hosted workawayers since 2013, some of them has become friends for life.
  We are easy going people and love to meet new people.
  
  We are looking forward to invite you to our home for a cultural exchange!
  
  Note:
  We have offered parts of the property as accomodation for paying guests, as well as renting the place as a photo location and hosting paid weddings in our outside spaces.
  The help required from workawayers is only ever in private parts of the house and garden - none of the help asked with maintenance etc will be in spaces that are used for paying guests or weddings etc.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Help with Computers/ Internet
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  We can offer you a nice and peaceful place to stay, with the forest right outside the fence great for hiking, several lakes to go swimming, or you can go for a swim in the Oslofjord just 5 minutes walk from the house. Wake up with the only sound of birds singing. Go for a visit in the capital Oslo close by, or the cozy small town Drøbak with the tiny streets with tiny yards full of roses in the summer and with old tiny wooden houses. We even have some caves in the neighborhood, close to our house.
  
  We would love to invite you for some smaller hikes.
  
  The Norwegian summers are bright, nice and (often) warm with daylight in June from 3am until 1am, and with the most beautiful sunsets. Swimming in the lakes or in the Oslo fjord right outside the door is just amazing. The water temperature might reach 20-22 dg celcius in July/August, but the air temperature might change from 35 - 15 degrees within just a few hours.. So bring clothes for all type of weather.. :)
  Often we spend the evenings in the yard around the campfire, so you are welcome to bring your guitar if you have one :)
  The autumn and the winter frost, is also very beautiful. And during the winter we have to deal with a lot of snow, and are of course doing winter sports. They say that Norwegians are born with skis on their feet.. :) Well, sometimes we might go skiing.. Cross country skiing or downhill, or just go outside playing in the snow. We also like to go ice skating on the frozen lake next to the house.
  
  We look forward to invite you to our home for a cultural exchange! We love to interact with our guests, and get to know new people. We will show you around the neighborhood, and of course do our best to make you feel comfortable.

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  Help

  About you:
  We appreciate adults (age 22 - 60) with a variety of work experience, practical skilled, handy, positive thinking, self going, well organized and not afraid of getting dirt on your hands. Physically strong and with good mental health.
  We often (not always) prefer workawayers who come as a couple because most likely they will offer a greater array of skills between them, and tend to operate as a self-sufficient unit, organizing their free-time together and keeping each other company.
  
  If you are a handyman / handy woman and have some experience with concreting or some carpentry skills we would be happy! :)
  
  Some general type of help required from travelers :
  - building a wooden terrace floor.
  - concreting and stone work, such as building a small stone patio and some stone stairs in front of a tiny cabin.
  - concrete a tiny stone wall in front of a flower bed.
  - helping with construction of a studio, a reconstruction of the original stable building
  - helping with finishing the tree house for kids
  - helping building a wood fired pizza oven
  
  We work for 5 efficient hours 5 days a week, normally from 9 am to 3 pm, with lunch at 12:00-13:00. You will have the weekends off.
  If a volunteer wants to extend the weekend by having a day off, this can be arranged after an agreement of making up the hours at another time.
  Similarly there may be projects which have to be finished the same day, even though this means staying on a little longer than usual.
  
  I will have a clear idea of the activities to be done, perhaps even in the form of “To Do checklist”, and have everything in place so that volunteers are clear about what needs to be done and have all the necessary tools and materials.
  
  Volunteers must be willing to do whatever needs doing.
  
  
  Food:
  • We will provide normal food such as veggies, beans and lentils, fruit, pasta, rice, bread, cheese, coffee, tea, meet and fish, and of course other daily used ingredients. We don´t eat a lot of meat or fish but are not vegetarians. That said, we can easily adapt to vegetarian dinners if some vegetarians would come by.
  
  • We do not provide huge amounts of meat or seafood. Nor either special dietary requirements or organic food only, chocolate, candies, alcohol or juice / pope. This is because this in general is quite expensive in Norway.
  
  • Normally dinner preparation / laying the table and washing up will be seen as a shared responsibility after work assigned via a rota system. But we will of course come to an agreement about this.
  
  • Keeping the house clean and tidy will be seen as a shared responsibility after work. Once (or twice if necessary) a week we will spend about an hour vacuuming, dusting and cleaning up the main house.
  
  • Some days we might be giving our helpers supplies and leaving them to put their own meals together as and when they prefer. We provide food, but as you see it doesn’t necessarily mean preparing it.
  
  I'm not the type who likes to spend a lot of time cooking when I have other projects going on, so if you like cooking I would be really happy for all help! :)
  
  
  
  Clothing:
  The weather can change fast in Norway, and some rain and cold days won´t stop our projects :) So it would be smart bringing some clothes that can meet all kinds of weather. Such as warm and waterproof jacket, pants, shoes and gloves. And we recommend wool clothing next to your skin during the cold period.
  
  
  
  
  House rules / etiquette:
  
  • The work days last for 5 hours. Starting at 9:00 am, Lunch 12:00 - 13:00, Finish at 3:00 pm. No personal work such as emails, phone calls or surfing the net during the work hours. If required, of course we can make an agreement .
  
  • Domestic responsibilities: Everyone share the cooking, as well as the cleaning of the shared rooms. Always clean up after use and leave the shared rooms spotless.
  
  • No smoking inside the house or your private room.
  • Cigarette butts MUST be thrown away in the designated container only!
  
  • Pets are in general not allowed, but can be accepted after an agreement.
  
  • The Workawayers are responsible for keeping the peace at our home.
  
  • Any consumption of alcohol must be contained at a responsible level. No drugs.
  
  • Clearing up after using materials.
  
  • Taking shoes off indoors
  
  • Asking permission before using or borrowing something.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  Norwegian: Fluent

  This host offers a language exchange
  My son Agaton (age 17) would love to get some help with math and with learning the German language.
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  Accommodation

  One of the nice rooms inside the house, or the quiet and peaceful tiny cabin in the yard, or a cozy old caravan or perhaps the gypsy wagon.
  
  - free wifi
  - Shared kitchen and bathroom
  - Access to a food preparation/kitchen area.
  - Access to a washing machine.
  - No limits on energy/water consumption.

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  What else ...

  When you have time off:
  
  Nesodden is a peninsula in the inner Oslo fjord.
  You can visit Oslo, less than one hour from the centre by bus/boat.
  
  My old historic house is nice for chilling, it´s located at the west side with sun from morning to late evening. View to the fjord and pond in front of the house.
  Go for a walk in the forest behind the house, and enjoy a swim in the pond in the forest with so clean water.
  Relaxing, beautiful garden with room for private escapes.
  My house can serve as a place to spend relaxing days, and as the base for outings to Oslo, Drøbak, Tusenfryd amusement park, or the Oscarsborg fortress in Drøbak.
  It's a quite neighborhood with food stores about 2,5 km from the house.
  
  Drøbak
  16 km with bus to Drøbak, a popular holiday destination with beaches and a charming city center. Small soccer field.
  
  Oslo
  42 km and 50 min with car to the center of Oslo. Frequent bus and boat service to Oslo, and a few times a day to Drøbak.
  
  The caves
  You can also visit the caves of Spro / Spro-gruvene just around the corner.
  
  Café
  I will recommend visiting Hellviktangen art café at Nesodden, with delicious organic food in beautiful relaxing environment. And maybe enjoy a swim by the sand beach if you like!
  
  Outdoor activities
  We have several beaches nice for swimming in the Oslo fjord. Midsummer the water might reach 23 degrees celsius.
  
  You can reach all this with bus or/and boat.
  
  Go for a walk in the woods! Swim in the Oslo fjord!
  Or go kayak paddling, paddle boarding or fishing in the fjord.
  Go skiing wintertime, we always have a lot of snow during the winter.
  Or go skating on the pond.
  And believe it or not, the Norwegian summers are so green and sometimes hot! Or not so hot! You never know.. :)
  Fitness center at Fagerstrand, 2,5 km.
  Bring your bicycle or rent one in Oslo
  Or just relax..
  
  
  
  The bus stop is only 3-4 minutes walk from the house. Bus stop: "Søndre Spro"
  Corresponding bus and boat to Oslo takes 1 hour, price NOK 59 one way.
  In the weekends you can catch the last boat from Oslo to Nesodden at 3:30 am
  
  For more information about things to do, visit the websites of Visitoslo, Visitdrobak, Visitfollo, Tusenfryd (only in Norwegian) and the Oscarsborg Fortress!

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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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  Space for parking camper vans

  This host can provide space for campervans.

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  Can possibly accept pets

  This host has said they are willing to accept those travelling with a pet.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  Hours expected

  5 hours/day, 5 days/week

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