Join our family in the beautiful countryside of Akkerhaugen in Telemark, Norway

Infos

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  Description

  About us
  
  Hi! We are Henriette (33) and Henning (34), and we recently bought our little piece of paradise in Akkerhaugen, Telemark, together with our three-year-old son Elian.
  
  Henriette's two older boys, Nathaniel and Leon (15), also stay with us every other weekend, so our home can be anything from peaceful and quiet to full of boys, laughter and life. 😊
  
  We are a little outside the box as a family. We don't follow the conventional path just because it is the conventional path, and we enjoy exploring different ways of living, eating, learning and looking at the world.
  
  Henriette
  
  I am mostly at home at the moment and have been through a period of illness that has made me rethink many things about life, health and what is truly important to me.
  
  I have a strong interest in the human body, health and natural ways of supporting wellbeing, and I have spent many years learning about nutrition, herbs, the body and holistic health.
  
  I am also very spiritual and fascinated by consciousness, nature, energy and the connection between everything. More recently, I have started working with frequency-based technology and exploring the possibility of eventually working with people using frequency devices and other holistic approaches.
  
  I love learning, experimenting and following my curiosity.
  
  I am also a creative soul and have lots of projects I want to explore — DIY, art, sewing, making things for our home, and eventually learning to sew and knit our own clothes.
  
  Nature is probably where I feel most at home. I love picking mushrooms, finding wild herbs and plants, being outside, gardening, walking, swimming and simply noticing what is happening around me.
  
  And I absolutely love food. 😄 I make all of our food from scratch and eat a lot of fruit, vegetables, herbs and other plant foods. We are not strictly vegan, though, and we also eat eggs and some meat. When we eat meat, we prefer to know where it comes from and choose animals that have lived good lives whenever possible, and preferably grassfed/organic.
  
  We try to grow our food according to ecological and natural principles. In our garden, we want to work with nature rather than against it — no unnecessary chemicals or artificial treatments. Our long-term dream is to turn the garden into something a little wild, abundant and magical, with food, flowers, herbs, fruit, berries and life everywhere.
  
  Henning
  
  Henning works a regular 7–15 job during the week, so he is usually around in the afternoons and evenings and has more time available at weekends.
  
  He enjoys music, working around the house and garden, practical projects and spending time with the family. He has also recently decided that he wants to learn how to play the guitar. 🎸
  
  He especially loves playing with Elian, who is three years old and is happiest when he can be outside exploring, playing and getting involved in whatever is happening. He is a very kind and soft person who smiles a lot :)
  
  Elian
  
  Elian is our three-year-old little ray of sunshine. He is happy, curious and loves to play — especially outdoors.
  
  He will probably be very interested in anyone who arrives here, and if you are willing to build a stick house, dig in the dirt, kick a ball around or go on an adventure in the garden, you may have made a new best friend.
  
  He attends preschool during the week, although our routines are not always completely fixed, and we like to raise him by our own principles.
  
  Nathaniel & Leon
  The boys are 15 year old identical twins from Henriettes earlier relationship. They love gaming, talking around the fire and watching movies in the outdoor hot tub. They do have some social disabilities, and like to be mostly by them selves. They are very kind and have big hearts, but it's hard for them to be get out of their shells arround anyone else than Mom. When we moved here they decided to stay with their dad in our home town one hour away from our new home.
  
  We recently bought this property, and we are only just beginning to discover what we can create here.
  
  Projects
  
  The garden is currently quite overgrown, so one of our biggest projects this autumn and probably next spring is to clear, restore and bring some life back into the garden and outdoor areas. We already have some food growing here, like; apples, pears, apricots, peaches, sour cherries, plums, valnuts (still too young for harvest), strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blackcurrant, redcurrant, gooseberry, aspargus and grapes. There is also a lot of flowers, trees and bushes that needs care.
  
  We have arround 20 raised beds we would like to fill with vegetables, herbs and the like come spring, and possibly move to the other garden. A few old and broken greenhouses we would like to remove. The private dock by the lake was broken by the ice last winter, and will be fixed in the spring. There is space in the big greenhouse for more fruit trees.
  We dream of a garden full of food, herbs, flowers, fruit, berries, mushrooms, insects, birds and little hidden places. A place where you can walk around and constantly discover something new and magical.
  
  We have a little cabin that we would love to transform into a cosy little Workaway home, with a bedroom and a living area. You can see photos of the building in our gallery. This is a project we are planning to begin in spring, but we would also be happy to start earlier if workawayers with an interest in practical DIY projects would like to help us bring it to life. The work may include fitting an additional window, possibly replacing one door, and taking care of various smaller improvements and finishing touches. A simple, welcoming space that future workawayers can enjoy.
  
  We would also like to clear some trees and bushes that have grown up and are blocking parts of the lake view.
  
  Other possible projects include removing the old conservatory on the veranda and building a new railing, painting some rooms inside the house, and perhaps laying new flooring in some areas. Creative projects indoor is also on the wishlist.
  
  We also have an old, completely overgrown chicken coop that we may bring back to life and possibly keep chickens in next year. But this is not decided yet. Lynx often pass through the property, so we would need to make the coop predator-safe.
  
  These plans will depend on our budget, so we cannot yet promise that we will be able to buy materials for all of these projects next year. However, we have a collection of old materials stored in the barn, which could be turned into some fun and creative smaller projects.
  
  Wildlife around us
  
  We share the area with plenty of wildlife: lynx, beavers, deer, ducks and other water birds, several large birds of prey, and lots of fish in the lake. Winter is an especially good time for spotting lynx tracks around the property.
  
  
  We enjoy working on things together, but we also love the simple parts of life: sitting around the fire outside, relaxing in the wood-fired hot tub, watching a movie, going for walks, swimming in the (cold) lake, listening to music, talking late into the evening, relaxing in the hammocks or simply enjoying being together without having to do anything.
  
  We don't need every day to be productive, sometimes the best day is just a beautiful day outside.
  
  We are completely new to hosting and are keeping an open mind as we find our way. We’re genuinely excited to meet new people, share everyday life and skills, and learn from one another along the way.

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  Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre

  Projets artistiques

  Aide avec des éco-projets

  Jardinage d'entretien

  Projets DIY créatifs

  Baby-sitting et jeux créatifs

  Cuisine/repas pour la famille

  Aide à la maison

  Petits travaux d'entretien
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  Centres d’intérêt

  

  Films et télé

  

  Dev. durable

  

  Culture

  

  Événements/vie sociale

  

  Dev. personnel

  

  Ferme

  

  Musique

  

  Soin des plantes

  

  Écriture

  

  Jardinage

  

  Livres

  

  Bricolage / artisanat

  

  Cuisine et alimentation

  

  Art et design

  

  Yoga / bien-être

  

  Nature

  

  Activités en plein air

  

  Randonnée

  

  Montagne

  

  Danse

  

  Plage

  

  Camping
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  Echange culturel et opportunités d'apprendre

  We love cultural exchange and see it as one of the most valuable parts of hosting.
  
  By staying with us, you get the opportunity to experience everyday life with a Norwegian family, rather than simply visiting Norway as a tourist. You can learn about Norwegian food, nature, traditions, family life and what it is like to live in the Norwegian countryside.
  
  At the same time, we genuinely want to learn from you. We love hearing about different cultures, ways of living, food, traditions, beliefs and perspectives on life. We can cook together, share stories, explore nature, have long conversations and teach each other things.
  
  We are open-minded and curious people, and we don't expect everyone to see the world the way we do. Differences are interesting to us.
  
  We especially enjoy the kind of cultural exchange where both people bring something to the table — your experiences, skills, traditions and perspective are just as valuable as what we can share with you.
  
  If you have a recipe, craft, skill, tradition, music, language or something completely different that you'd like to share, we'd love that.
  
  For us, the best Workaway experience isn't simply “you help us and we give you a place to stay.”
  
  It's people from different parts of the world sharing everyday life, learning from each other and hopefully leaving with a little more understanding of one another 🌍❤️

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  Projets impliquant des enfants

  Ce projet peut impliquer des enfants. Pour en savoir plus, consultez nos directives et conseils ici.

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  Aide

  This autumn we mostly need help with things like:
  - Gardening and planting
  - Simple maintenance tasks around the property
  - Helping us with practical DIY projects
  - Sewing or other creative projects
  - Helping us turn some of our ideas into reality
  - Creating beautiful art arround the property
  - Cooking
  
  You definitely don't need to know how to do everything. A willingness to learn, initiative and a good attitude are more important to us than experience.

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  Langues

  Langues parlées
  Anglais: Courant
  Norwegian: Courant

  Cet hôte propose un échange linguistique
  Cet hôte a indiqué qu’il souhaitait faire partager sa propre langue ou en apprendre une nouvelle.
  Contactez-le pour en savoir plus.
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  Hébergement

  We can offer a private basement apartment as accommodation.
  
  The apartment has:
  
  * a bedroom with a bunk bed
  * a private bathroom
  * a fully equipped kitchen
  * a living room, which is mostly available to the Workawayer but is also used by us occasionally.
  
  The apartment gives you your own space and privacy, while still making it easy to join us upstairs whenever you feel like spending time together.
  
  There is one small family-life detail to be aware of: our two older children stay with us every other weekend. During those weekends, they use the bedroom in the basement, so an alternative sleeping space will be provided those days (probably in Elians playroom on the main floor)
  
  We are also preparing a separate room in an outdoor building on the property, which can be used as a bedroom and/or living space during these weekends. This means you can still have your own private space when the whole family is here. This will probably be too cold in the winter months until we have fixed it properly.
  
  We will make sure your accommodation is clean, comfortable and ready for you when you arrive.
  
  We also have space for tents, a caravan / mobile home.
  
  You will have your own fully equipped kitchen where you can prepare your own meals and keep your own food.
  
  You are welcome to join us for meals when it happens naturally, but we do not expect shared meals on a daily basis, at least not when there is multiple workawayers here. We have a tight budget and food is expensive in Norway.. All food from the garden will be shared during the summer/autumn. Light meals, such as breakfast and lunch, will be provided.

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  Autres infos...

  We live in the beautiful countryside of Akkerhaugen in Telemark.
  
  Although we live rurally, it is quite easy to get around. There are buses in the area, and the nearest train station is only about 10 minutes away by car. We can assist with some driving.
  
  The snmall cities Notodden and Bø is about 20 minutes away. From the train station, you can take a train to Skien, a larger city with plenty of shops, cafés, restaurants and things to explore. The journey takes around 40 minutes by train, and 50-60 minutes by car.
  
  There is also plenty to do closer to home. The area is surrounded by farms, forests, lakes and beautiful countryside, with lots of opportunities for hiking, exploring and enjoying nature.
  
  Telemark is a particularly beautiful part of Norway, with mountains, forests, water and traditional rural landscapes all around us. If you enjoy being outdoors, there is a lot to discover.

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  Informations complémentaires

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    Accès Internet

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    Accès Internet limité

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    Nous avons des animaux

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    Nous sommes fumeurs

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    Familles bienvenues

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  Possibilité d’accueillir les digital nomads

  Cet hôte a indiqué qu’il aimait accueillir les digital nomads.

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  Espace pour garer des vans

  We have one nice spot with grass that is perfect for caravans / mobile homes.

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  Possibilité d'accueillir les animaux

  Cet hôte a dit qu’il acceptait les personnes voyageant avec un animal.

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  Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?

  Plus de 2

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