Experience peaceful, close to nature living in rural Nova Scotia, Canada
Last activity
: 13 Apr 2025
Profile information
Usually responds within 7 days
Min stay requested: at least a week
Workawayers needed
Possibility that workawayers are needed
No availability
Details
Host ref number: 944798825591
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Feedback (4)
Left by Workawayer (Maia) for host
Judy and Manu were nice people and friendly, however my experience was not ideal. The strawbale house where I was to stay was not in liveable conditions. It was full of mouse poo including on the table surfaces and bedding in the loft. There was very little lighting in the house and the composting toilet had not been cleaned out since the previous
… read more workawayer had been there in July. While I could see that it had been a nice place in its prime and perhaps others have had better experiences, it was not in liveable conditions when I arrived. There were mice running around on the floor when the lights got turned off and toilet paper and some surfaces were chewed. Unfortunately, Judy did not have another place for me to stay so I had to leave the next day.
I did speak with her about it but she didn't see it as a big concern. She was understanding and helpful for getting me back to town the next day.
Left by Workawayer (Nellie) for host
Our time with Judy & her son was full of learning, laughter, and rich natural living. I am so grateful and changed for the experience.
Structure & Work: Judy would often give us a schedule/structure of to-do’s ahead of time, with flexibility for in the moment alterations to said plan as life progressed. Feedback and collaboration on scheduling
… read more was invited. Our days were never rushed; we found the balance of working time to personal time very relaxed and easy. I volunteered as a facilitator for the Forest School and we both spent time in the garden, building, child-minding, cleaning, and lending a hand on the various properties around Judy’s home. The Forest School is a true grassroots blend of education, adventure, advocacy, and kinship/community-building — I loved learning from Judy’s leadership. Non-school work projects were also interesting, informative, and often included a lot of time to learn/practice new skills as well as independent work. Overall it probably balanced out to about: 30% farm support, 30% forest school, 30% construction/maintenance, and 10% random! We worked on a chicken coop, deck, tree removal, lawn maintenance, animal care, manure moving, summer garden sowing, weeding, harvesting, etc. A particular favorite was supporting Judy's initiative of hosting a communal supper in a nearby town -- it was all the ideals of mutual aid/reciprocity in real action. We liked the flexibility and were able to schedule ahead with Judy if we needed. We were able to travel around the region a little bit by car during our time off, and really appreciated the independence.
Home & Community: Words (and photos) won’t do the strawbale justice. It is as tender and tidy a place as you could ever hope for. You’re tucked away inside a large, forested cow pasture and won’t be able to see or hear any human neighbors; the peace is indescribable. The forest is full of teacher creatures and plant lives to be among. We had foraged meals of mushrooms and wild greens. There are shelves with good books and cubbies full of little supplies you didn’t know you didn’t. The house had a solar power for some of the time we were there but when it stopped working found we did well even without it (charging devices in town or at Judy’s). We pretty easily developed routines for getting water and supplies into the cabin, and often didn't need to head off the property unless we felt inclined. This is a living, 'breathing' home in a forest - expect to share it with a few rustic creature/critter roommates every so often. We strongly recommend that workawayers have their own transportation; Judy's home is a substantial walk away (but would be a great bike ride!) and then it's about a 20 minute drive to town for supplies. The towns nearby are rural and sweet - we went to a lot of drive-in theater bingo nights and chili dinners - but also could drive about 45 minutes away for some more cosmopolitan activities at a university town. There are lots of forested and ocean trails nearby, as well as some great paths through a nearby preserve that connects to the strawbale's property, so lots of room to roam. We had casual, easy dinners at Judy's every so often and really loved our shared time; we would have loved to cook more for them but were blessed by Judy's great chef skills! Judy and her son are adventurous, curious, and playful -- expect lots of thought provoking talks and rambunctious free for all games. We loved our time together, and miss them dearly.You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
Left by Workawayer (Laura & Ruben) for host
Judy and Manu are incredibly open-hearted people. Communication with Judy is easy, warm and respectful. The work is fun and takes your own abilities and possibilities into account. It never felt like work to me. The strawable house is magical! It's tucked away in the woods and I completely soaked it up. The stars, the snow and the simplicity and
… read more seclusion - dreamlike. The strawable house is off-grid, which means there is no running water or electricity in winter. The stove makes it nice and warm and cozy. If you enjoy a simple life, this is the perfect retreat. And with Judy and Manu, you have a family just around the corner.You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
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Beauty & tranquility await you at the Bay of Fundy
Ready and happy to host you on the beautiful land we call home!
Feedback
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Accuracy of profile:
(4.5)
Left by Workawayer (Maia) for host
Judy and Manu were nice people and friendly, however my experience was not ideal. The strawbale house where I was to stay was not in liveable conditions. It was full of mouse poo including on the table surfaces and bedding in the loft. There was very little lighting in the house and the composting toilet had not been cleaned out since the previous
… read more workawayer had been there in July. While I could see that it had been a nice place in its prime and perhaps others have had better experiences, it was not in liveable conditions when I arrived. There were mice running around on the floor when the lights got turned off and toilet paper and some surfaces were chewed. Unfortunately, Judy did not have another place for me to stay so I had to leave the next day.
I did speak with her about it but she didn't see it as a big concern. She was understanding and helpful for getting me back to town the next day.
Left by Workawayer (Nellie) for host
Our time with Judy & her son was full of learning, laughter, and rich natural living. I am so grateful and changed for the experience.
Structure & Work: Judy would often give us a schedule/structure of to-do’s ahead of time, with flexibility for in the moment alterations to said plan as life progressed. Feedback and collaboration on scheduling
… read more was invited. Our days were never rushed; we found the balance of working time to personal time very relaxed and easy. I volunteered as a facilitator for the Forest School and we both spent time in the garden, building, child-minding, cleaning, and lending a hand on the various properties around Judy’s home. The Forest School is a true grassroots blend of education, adventure, advocacy, and kinship/community-building — I loved learning from Judy’s leadership. Non-school work projects were also interesting, informative, and often included a lot of time to learn/practice new skills as well as independent work. Overall it probably balanced out to about: 30% farm support, 30% forest school, 30% construction/maintenance, and 10% random! We worked on a chicken coop, deck, tree removal, lawn maintenance, animal care, manure moving, summer garden sowing, weeding, harvesting, etc. A particular favorite was supporting Judy's initiative of hosting a communal supper in a nearby town -- it was all the ideals of mutual aid/reciprocity in real action. We liked the flexibility and were able to schedule ahead with Judy if we needed. We were able to travel around the region a little bit by car during our time off, and really appreciated the independence.
Home & Community: Words (and photos) won’t do the strawbale justice. It is as tender and tidy a place as you could ever hope for. You’re tucked away inside a large, forested cow pasture and won’t be able to see or hear any human neighbors; the peace is indescribable. The forest is full of teacher creatures and plant lives to be among. We had foraged meals of mushrooms and wild greens. There are shelves with good books and cubbies full of little supplies you didn’t know you didn’t. The house had a solar power for some of the time we were there but when it stopped working found we did well even without it (charging devices in town or at Judy’s). We pretty easily developed routines for getting water and supplies into the cabin, and often didn't need to head off the property unless we felt inclined. This is a living, 'breathing' home in a forest - expect to share it with a few rustic creature/critter roommates every so often. We strongly recommend that workawayers have their own transportation; Judy's home is a substantial walk away (but would be a great bike ride!) and then it's about a 20 minute drive to town for supplies. The towns nearby are rural and sweet - we went to a lot of drive-in theater bingo nights and chili dinners - but also could drive about 45 minutes away for some more cosmopolitan activities at a university town. There are lots of forested and ocean trails nearby, as well as some great paths through a nearby preserve that connects to the strawbale's property, so lots of room to roam. We had casual, easy dinners at Judy's every so often and really loved our shared time; we would have loved to cook more for them but were blessed by Judy's great chef skills! Judy and her son are adventurous, curious, and playful -- expect lots of thought provoking talks and rambunctious free for all games. We loved our time together, and miss them dearly.You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
Left by Workawayer (Laura & Ruben) for host
Judy and Manu are incredibly open-hearted people. Communication with Judy is easy, warm and respectful. The work is fun and takes your own abilities and possibilities into account. It never felt like work to me. The strawable house is magical! It's tucked away in the woods and I completely soaked it up. The stars, the snow and the simplicity and
… read more seclusion - dreamlike. The strawable house is off-grid, which means there is no running water or electricity in winter. The stove makes it nice and warm and cozy. If you enjoy a simple life, this is the perfect retreat. And with Judy and Manu, you have a family just around the corner.You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
Left by host for Workawayer (Ryan)
It was so great to have Ryan stay with us for almost 5 weeks this Spring. He was dependable, hard-working and good-natured. With Ryan's capable support we built a very robust garden fence to keep the porcupines at bay, prepped the garden and got a variety of spring maintenance projects done. Ryan also took care of the strawbale house where he was
… read more staying, making small repairs, trimming trees and keeping the place tidy. Ryan is very capable with power tools and keen to learn where he has limited experiences. He was flexible to the variety of tasks presented and took each on with a positive attitude. He is fun company to have around, interacting easily with children and adults alike. We cannot recommend him enough and hope he'll be back another time. Thank you, Ryan!
Left by Workawayer (Louise) for host
Wow!
My stay with Judy and Manu was so nice ! Judy is a beautiful and gentle mom, and Manu is bright, funny and full of life .
So many positive things to say, I don't know where to begin.
Work is varied and very relaxed, . Judy is very flexible, . totally resonable in terms of quanrity of work and very appreciative for anything being done .
… read more I worked mostly around their house and around the "cottage in the woods " where I stayed, but there is also opportunity to join Judy's forest school project with kids .
The cottage where you will get to stay is an "enchanted strawbale house " tucked in the woods . Totally off grid which felt really divine . Silence, birds, gentle wind and water song from the creek below will gently rock your nights .
Most romantic for couples who would like some magical time to themselves after work .
Sea shore is near by, also lakes where Judy and Manu go swimming .
The scenery all around is breath taking beauriful .
Judy's mom also has friendly horses you go by when you enter the path to the enchanted cottage .
Food was great and plenty . , If you like to cook that will be much appreciated to, as Judy is quite busy .
Judy has spent a bit of time in Africa, Brazil, Nepal and India, just to name a few places, She speaks many languages and can play a real funky brazilian music instrument, amongst her many talents .
. And yes, if you would like to know a bit about strawbale building, Judy will be pleased to show you, as she build her cottage herself with the help of friends and family .
Thank you so much Judy and Manu !
I miss you already !
For sure I will be back !Left by host for Workawayer (Louise)
What a joy and extreme help it was to have Louise with us for three weeks this summer. Louise has an easy-going nature and is super flexible to changing circumstances. She works independently, seeing what needs to get done and doing it. She has a gentle nature and playful attitude which allowed her to connect to all ages. We hope to see her back
… read more another time! Merci, Louise.6 month stay / working position to Help with caring for our horses for the equine breeding season in Abbotsford, Canada
Enjoy sunrises and ocean views, helping a retired couple out in the garden and home on Vancouver Island, Canada
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Charity Work
Art Projects
Language practice
Help with Eco Projects
Teaching
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Babysitting and creative play
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Help with Computers/ Internet
Sustainability
Charity work
Self development
Books
Animals
Cooking & food
Gardening
Cycling
Outdoor activities
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