Help around our house and learn about food forests and community energy in the tiny village of L'Isle-en-Rigault, France

Details

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  Description

  We're an european family, French man, Dutch lady, a two year old son and another coming this year. Two years ago we moved from Amsterdam to L'Isle-en-Rigault to live according to our values, learning pragmatic skills and becoming more resilient.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Art Projects

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  There're many activities to do around here (see below). We are starting up an energy community in the village. So we're about to produce our own electricity for the village. Besides that we are learning ourselves about foodforests, multiplication techniques for plants and trees, ways of gardening that are better adapted to the climat changes we are facing, renovation of a off the grid house etc...

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  Projects involving children

  This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

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  Help

  We could really use a hand of people keen on handy tasks but also artistic tasks. We try bringing a sense of beauty and art in whatever we do. From very small tasks like hanging outdoor lamps or renovating old wooden buffet to bigger tasks as described below in our longer term projects.
  
  We have a lot of space and many ideas: a greenhouse made of old windows, a garden house made of willow tree branches, a chicken house...
  
  Our long term projects are :
  - Food forests and perennial vegetable garden. We try seeding and multiplying our own plants and trees. You can help us if you like this kind of work.
  
  - Renovating the café of Hervé's ancestors. The place has been closed for decades, and it's like a small museum. We want to clean it and start using it as a meeting place for the villagers and other visitors. We would like to renovate it with only ecological materials and in a off the grid / low tech way. It requires a lot of time and skills which we don't have yet. We definitely need a hand with that! It could become a comfy meeting space/small shop/guesthouse/café to gather and share knowledge about food forests, perennial vegetable gardens, wild picking, cooking, community energy, etc...
  
  - Work with the village to insure local energy and food production.

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  Languages spoken

  English: Fluent
  French: Fluent
  Dutch: Fluent
  German: Intermediate
  Spanish: Intermediate

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  Accommodation

  For our guests there's a spacious room on the ground floor in our house with a very comfy double bed. On the first floor there's a new guest bathroom with a shower, sink and toiler. There's also a lot of space on the terrain next to our house, if you want to park and sleep in your van. Ourselves we sleep on the first floor of our house. Eating is together with us in the kitchen with living room, or wherever you like.

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  What else ...

  Be aware L'Isle-en-Rigault is a small village. Anyway, there're many nice things to do, especially in spring/summer:
  
  Beautiful and challenging outdoor climbing 45 minutes drive from our home (Lérouville). We're planning to go for weekend trips by bike. We are keen climbers and alpinists.
  Speleology (we never tried yet)
  Many hiking and mountainbike tracks around
  (Fly)fishing in the river next to our house
  Horse riding at the Stables in our village (Ecuries Jeand'heurs) or in Baudonvilliers
  Sailing 45 minutes drive from our home (Lac du Der)
  Visiting the atmospheric small city Bar-le-Duc 15 minutes from our home, nice views, markets, (vegan) restaurant with nice terrace, bio supermarket.
  2 hours to Paris or Strasbourg by Meuse TGV from Bar-le-Duc (shuttle bus + train)

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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 have the fiber and a dedicated office

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  Space for parking camper vans

  This host can provide space for campervans.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  Hours expected

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

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