Información de perfil
Evaluación del anfitrión
100 %
Last replied
5 jun 2025
Porcentaje de respuesta
100.0 %
Usually responds ≤ 1 dia
Comentarios
26
Correo verificado
Medallas (3)
Detalles
Descripción
We live in a lakeside home with 100 feet of shoreline on the North Channel of Lake Huron on Manitoulin Island (Rainbow Country!). In 2025, Manitoulin was voted in the top 10 places to visit in Canada by the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation). Between the house and the lake is a garden that we are planting based on a design created for us. Most of the shrubs, trees and perennials are now planted and we need your help maintaining the beds by mulching, watering, and keeping them free of grass and weeds. We hope you will help us continue to transform this former green lawn into a haven for birds and wildlife.
In addition to the garden, we also need help with general home and property upkeep. Tasks vary depending on time of year. Indoor help year round includes keeping the cat litter boxes clean and fresh, vacuuming, tidying, emptying garbage and recycle bins, filling and emptying the dishwasher, organizing cupboards, wiping down surfaces, cleaning windows and other tasks of this nature. Workawayers are encouraged to show initiative and take on tasks they can identify that need doing. Daily check-ins with Julie will address tasks for the day and share progress.
We would prefer couple Workawayers so that you can keep each other company. Also, people with gardening experience are preferred. Others will be considered; these are just our preferences.
Who are we? Julie and Michael are in our late 50's and we have 3 cats. Julie is a former yoga teacher and Mike is a Patient Transport Attendant and a volunteer firefighter. We are quiet types (Mike very much so!), fairly introverted but enjoy good company and conversation. Our cats are our kids and it's important for Workawayers to love them as part of the family too. Julie has significant health challenges, mostly housebound and quite limited in what she can do. Mike enjoys windsurfing, kitesurfing and paddleboarding (SUP). In our 20's we travelled extensively for 1 year: Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, France, England, Germany, Greece, Italy, Turkey, England, Poland, Hungary, Belgium, Netherlands.
This is a very low-key Workaway due to Julie's health situation. Lots of quiet space for reading, reflection, meditation and so on. But part of the joys of Workaway is the companionship. On good days she will talk your ear off, and will want to hear all about you, but other times you'll be mostly on your own.
Languages: English and some French
We have a large bedroom downstairs with a fantastic view of the lake for our Workaway visitors. When not working, you would be able to swim or paddleboard, borrow our bicycles, check out the attractions on the Island, or hang out in the hammock just taking it easy. Evening campfires are also wonderful under the stars by the lake.
Our home is located on the Eastern side of the Island on a long road with other lakeside properties and is a 15 minute drive from a full service town. There is no public transportation at this time. Taxis are an option but they're not cheap.
We follow a lazy vegan diet mostly from packages and expect you to observe a meat free diet in our home. If you like to cook, that would be awesome, but if not, you can dig through the freezer and pantry like we do. Cooking is definitely not our skill set, so we can't provide you with meals, only ingredients.
We would expect you to help with the garden and housekeeping 5 days a week with flexibility around the weather. If it's very hot, then choosing the hours to be outside is a good idea.
Tipos de ayuda y oportunidades de aprendizaje
Compañía para ancianos
Jardinería
Construcción y bricolaje
Cuidado de animales
Cocinar para toda la familia
Ayuda doméstica
Mantenimiento general
Intereses
Mascotas
Autodesarrollo
Sostenibilidad
Política / justicia social
Vegetariano o vegano
Trabajo de caridad
Idiomas
Historia
Carpintería
Escritura
Jardinería
Libros
Animales
Yoga / bienestar
Naturaleza
Intercambio cultural y oportunidades de aprendizaje
Workaway visitors will be able to experience life in rural northern Ontario on the largest freshwater island in the world. We can also share our travel experiences and compare what travelling was like pre-Internet to now.
Julie has been studying and practicing Theravada/Early Buddhism for many years and would love to share her interest. Mike has absorbed much of the teachings vicariously. We live a lifestyle of non-harming but are human and happily imperfect.
Having Workawayers share their stories from home and from their travels has been a wonderful way for us to be armchair travellers and we learn so much. It has been a real joy for us.
Ayuda
Garden (May-October): weeding, watering, mulching, trimming grass using battery operated trimmer, pruning, and other garden tasks
Home (year-round): vacuuming, loading/unloading dishwasher, washing kitchen floors, cleaning bathrooms, cleaning cat litter, tidying, taking out the garbage and recycling, etc), wiping down surfaces, cleaning appliances, other tasks that come up. Snow clearing (winter)
When you arrive, we'll discuss scheduling of work hours and it can vary depending on time of year. You will be doing the work on your own or as a couple, but not with the host alongside you. Please ask for direction and provide check-ins regularly.
Workawayers are expected to keep the house and their room clean and tidy. They will also be expected to help tidy up for Julie as she is often not able to do this herself and it helps Mike out a lot. It is important that Workawayers understand the limitations a chronic disabling condition can have and that they are patient and understanding. Knowledge about the condition ME/CFS (moderate severity) would help. A good resource to learn about the illness and its limitations is the Bateman Horne Center.
🚗🚌⛴🚀Getting here: Manitoulin Island is a minimum 6 hour drive from Toronto. To arrive by bus, you would take a Northland bus from Toronto to Espanola (via Sudbury), and then a taxi from there. Trains also run from Toronto to Sudbury. A ferry runs from Tobermory to the Island from May-October. Tobermory is a 4 hour drive from Toronto. The ferry is 1 hour and 45 minutes and is a beautiful way to arrive. No rocket ship arrivals as yet, thank goodness.
Idiomas hablados
Inglés: Fluido
Francés: Intermedio
Alojamiento
Large bedroom with a double bed; private bathroom. The TV for the family is downstairs in the shared sitting area which you are welcome to use, keeping it clean and tidy. Shared meals in the kitchen, lots of shared deck space to enjoy the view. Smaller bedroom also available if not travelling as a couple or for an additional Workawayer. The bathroom would then be shared.
WIFI can sometimes be limited due to band-width issues when multiple devices are on at the same time.
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*****Visas to Canada. Please only contact us if you already have a visa as we are not in a position to be able to help you with this process.*****
Manitoulin Island is the home of various farming communities and First Nation communities. Cultural opportunities such as attending pow-wows that run on different weekends during pow-wow season and festivals such as the Bluegrass Festival and Haweater Festival. Beautiful beaches, hiking trails, day cruises and more.
Un poco más de información
Acceso a Internet
Acceso a Internet limitado
Tenemos animales
Somos fumadores
Puede alojar familias
Espacio para aparcar autocaravanas
Este anfitrión puede proporcionar un sitio para autocaravanas.
Podría aceptar mascotas
Pets must be cat friendly.
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Comentarios (13)
The work was as described in their profile. Because of winter, our tasks were mostly indoors and consisted of housekeeping and vegan cooking/baking. As non-vegan people, it was interesting to try out vegan… read more
They were thoroughly capable and completed tasks that had been haunting us for a long time. David's expertise in his previous profession was put to great use as he helped us list and sell some… read more
Fotos
Comentarios
Son opciones de calificación adicionales para cuando los miembros dejan sus comentarios. Se muestra la calificación media dejada en cada opción.
Precisión del perfil:
(5.0)
Intercambio cultural:
(5.0)
Comunicación:
(5.0)
The work was as described in their profile. Because of winter, our tasks were mostly indoors and consisted of housekeeping and vegan cooking/baking. As non-vegan people, it was interesting to try out vegan… read more
They were thoroughly capable and completed tasks that had been haunting us for a long time. David's expertise in his previous profession was put to great use as he helped us list and sell some… read more
As soon as I arrived, I felt the warmth of home, Julie welcomed me & showed me the room & around the house. The room I was given to… read more
The communication with them from the beginning was clear, before arrive to their house we already know what they were expecting from us, about our daily tasks, and how is life in the island during winter time, because life is totally different depending of the season.
They are an extraordinary couple, easy going, kind,… read more
I was given free reign of the kitchen cupboards and was trusted me to cook all sorts of experimental vegan meals (despite me not being vegan!) I also helped with… read more
