Taking care of a dog and helping in the garden in the little village of Echiré, western France

Detalles

• 

  Descripción

  My name is Clem, I love to read books and I have spent a lot of time traveling around the world with my partner in life, a Finn named Titti. A couple of years back, we decided to settle down in my childhood home, in the west of France, in a charming village called Echiré.
  
  We only have a small piece of land, but we're trying to experiment with alternative farming techniques. In the long run, we aim to build some kind of agroforestry system that would be both productive and resilient. As for now, we have welcomed three chickens and a couple of rams, and for guarding purposes, we decided to add a dog to the mix. Thus, a year and a half ago, we came home with a silly little furball, Lumi. He's a very, very active Border Collie that needs lots of exercise every day, but is extremely lovable and kind (at least we think so!)
  
  I'm currently working in the nearby castle, just around the corner from where we live. Titti is working at the local bakery and is going to Finland for half of July to visit her family. This is the main reason why we will need someone to keep the doggie busy and to help a bit around the garden.
  
  Like I mentioned, the piece of land we have is very small, so the amount of work needed is not huge. We mainly need help with watering, maintenance, some small building/handywork and making sure the dog stays active.

• 

  Tipos de ayuda y oportunidades de aprendizaje

  Jardinería

  Construcción y bricolaje

  Cuidado de animales

  Ayuda en una granja

  Cocinar para toda la familia

  Ayuda doméstica

  Mantenimiento general
• 

  Intercambio cultural y oportunidades de aprendizaje

  You'll learn about real life in France, eating (at least to a large extent) high quality, locally produced, delicious food, walking in a bucolic countryside tempered by the Sèvre river, visiting beautiful centuries-old buildings made of the typical white stone of the region.
  
  We both speak english fluently, (it's our daily language) and we're both interested in arts, culture and society, so we like to talk and share. The goal is to learn from one another and to spend quality time together. We also invite you to explore the region on your own. With a little bit of creativity and effort, you can experience plenty of cool things in the area. There are many, many charming villages around, free buses to the nearby town of Niort (roughly 10 km away) and even some popular tourist attractions a bit further away. Last but not least, our village is the home of the world famous butter, savoured by no-one less than the Queen of England, among others!

• 

  Ayuda

  The main task you would have to do is to play and go for walks with the dog. He listens very well and is respectful with people, even though he is relatively young and still needs to learn.
  
  The other things we ask from you is mainly to water the garden during rainless days and help around the garden for the various tasks that may arise during the summer. There are also bigger and more long-term projects, like building stuff that you could help with if you're interested.

• 

  Idiomas

  Idiomas hablados
  Inglés: Fluido
  Finnish: Fluido
  Francés: Fluido
  Swedish: Fluido
  Alemán: Intermedio
  Italiano: Intermedio

  Este anfitrión ofrece intercambio de idiomas
  As you can see, we're a family full of languages. We both enjoy speaking several languages and learning new things. Among other things I studied linguistic, grammar and French as a foreign language, so I can help you if you're looking to practice your French.
• 

  Alojamiento

  Workawayers would be sleeping in a bed in simple bedroom. There's also space in the garden, in case you have a tent.
  
  Food is always available. Most likely we'll be snacking independently for lunch but gather to eat dinner together.

• 

  Un poco más de información

  • 

    Acceso a Internet

  • 

    Acceso a Internet limitado

  • 

    Tenemos animales

  • 

    Somos fumadores

  • 

    Puede alojar familias

• 

  Podría aceptar mascotas

  Este anfitrión dice que acepta a viajeros con mascotas.

• 

  ¿Cuántos voluntarios puedes hospedar?

  Dos

• 

  Horas esperadas

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