Help us with gardening, car projects and DIY on our farm near Limoges, France

Details

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  Description

  Nestled in the rolling hills of the Haute Vienne, France (35mins from Limoges), amongst fields of limousin cows, is a little house. And that house is us!
  Tina and Ben are your hosts, and would like to welcome you to our farm.
  Ben is a trained mechanic and has been fixing stuff for many years (comes in handy when machinery breaks down), Now in a wheelchair since 2016, due to complications of heart surgery, he still gets on a does what he can. Works on the machinery. Interests: motorbikes, music (plays bass guitar), photography/videography and cooking.
  Tina was working at the local campsite, until early 2022 when she was diagnosed with cancer. Many treatments and surgery later, she is making a steady recovery. She is a very crafty person, knitting, crochet and many more art and crafts. She also enjoys preserving the food we grow.
  We also have two dogs (how we got the name), both are extremely friendly, but the pair of them lack any common sense.
  Our house is set on 5 acres (2 hectares) of land, which includes some woodland and a couple of acres we set aside as wild meadow. We have a couple of large vegetable plots and some raised planters that Ben tends to.
  We are trying to go off grid and do our bit for the environment, having installed an off grid solar system by ourselves, we are now seeing a return on our investment.
  
  We are not a business, we do not sell any of our produce, and any help will be for us as individuals.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  General Maintenance
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  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

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  What's this?
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  Tina is fluent in French, so you could brush up on your language skills. Ben can offer diy mechanic skills (he is restoring a 1987 Fiat Panda 4x4 for Tina). As for our area, it has a lot of history, from Richard the Lion Heart right through to WW2 where this part of France was occupied. We have a local bar and shop, just up the road. But mainly, it's the peace and quiet of living in rural France.

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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 are looking for help primarily in the garden, weeding and taking care of the vegetables, helping clear the woods and general up keep outside. We have some outdoor projects that may require help. We are also restoring a Fiat Panda 4x4, if anyone was interested in learning new skills.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  French: Intermediate

  This host offers a language exchange
  This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
  You can contact them directly for more information.
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  Accommodation

  You will be staying in our house, it's fairly small.
  Ben gives up his office for visitors, we have a good mattress that we put on the floor and clean bedding is provided.
  You will eat with us, we don't normally have breakfast (we will provide you with some), we have lunch around 12:00 and dinner at about 18:00 (sorry we are English), but nothing is fixed. We are both meat eaters, but can cater for vegetarians.

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  What else ...

  We are a fairly easy going couple that try to live life without too many dramas. Our life mainly revolves around this place, we don't go out very often and try to avoid crowds when we do. Tina is big on history (don't get her started on the subject unless you have time to spare).
  We would expect our visitors to treat us and our home with respect, as I always say "treat people how you would want to be treated yourself". Neither of us smoke, so if you do, it would be outside. But we do enjoy a BBQ and a drink.
  There are a lot of local sights to see, but transport can be a bit tricky. There is a train twice a day (in the morning, return in the evening) to Limoges, and possibly a bus service in our nearest town. Lifts to the station or into town can be arranged. There are miles and miles of walks in our area, some we use in our 4x4 to go and have picnics in remote spots of the countryside.

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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

  We have 5 acres, park where you like.

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  Can possibly accept pets

  Our two dogs are friendly with other dogs, so other dogs are not a problem. Not so much cats and other small pets.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  Hours expected

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