Experience what it’s like to set up a homestead and live life at a slower pace in Cussy en Morvan, France

Infos

• 

  Description

  Salut! I'm Stef, 44 and Dutch. I live with my three kids (4, 7 and 10) on an old farm in the Morvan, a regional park in Burgundy. The house and the land were neglected for 20 years before I bought the place nine years ago. It's about 6000 m² (1.5 acres). Part of it I've tamed, the rest is wild and keeps trying to take over again.
  
  I'm a single dad. The kids are with me every other week, so some weeks it's just you and me in the house. I want women especially to know this upfront, so you can decide if that feels right for you.
  
  There's a lot to do here and I can't do it alone. Outside there's the land and a vegetable garden. Then there's a long list of things to fix and build, and the house itself needs keeping up. You don't need experience. If you're handy, even better.
  
  You work on your own most days. The jobs are written out on a board, you pick what suits you and you plan your own hours. I have a job during the week and I work from home, so I mostly join in at the weekend. That suits people who like to get on with things by themselves. I try to have a few Workawayers here at the same time, so you'll be working together.
  
  I've hosted a lot of Workawayers and I'm grateful for everything they've done here. I welcome people of all ages, sexual orientations, ethnicities and genders.
  
  A few times a year I'm away and need a housesitter. If I'm looking for one, it's at the top of this profile.
  
  Want to come and help? Just send me a message.

• 

  Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre

  Pratique d’une langue

  Aide avec des éco-projets

  Jardinage d'entretien

  Projets DIY créatifs

  S’occuper des animaux

  Baby-sitting et jeux créatifs

  Cuisine/repas pour la famille

  Aide à la maison

  Petits travaux d'entretien

  Garde de maison et d'animaux
• 

  Centres d’intérêt

  

  Auto-stop

  

  Dessin et peinture

  

  Bricolage / artisanat

  

  Culture

  

  Technologie

  

  Végétarien ou végan

  

  Dev. durable

  

  Animaux de compagnie

  

  Films et télé

  

  Vie en van

  

  Dev. personnel

  

  Histoire

  

  Soin des plantes

  

  Musique

  

  Langues

  

  Jardinage

  

  Menuiserie

  

  Cuisine et alimentation

  

  Livres

  

  Art et design

  

  Animaux

  

  Activités en plein air

  

  Camping

  

  Fitness

  

  Nature

  

  Montagne

  

  Randonnée

  

  Cyclisme

  

  Sports d'aventure
• 

  Echange culturel et opportunités d'apprendre

  You get Dutch family life in the French countryside. The kids speak Dutch and French. I speak Dutch and English and I'm learning French. I'd love to practise, so French speakers are extra welcome!
  
  I go to Autun now and then and you can come along, also to my French conversation class if you want to work on your French. Now and then I play table tennis at a club and you can join for that too. There's a table here as well. I go running now and then and you're welcome to come along. And if you can climb and belay, we can go climbing outside together when the weather is good.
  
  In the evening I like playing games: chess, Go, board games, whatever you bring. We often end up making kimchi or baking bread, and recently I've been making my own ice cream.
  
  I'm happy to talk about moving abroad, living in the countryside, working remotely and running your own business.

• 

  Projets impliquant des enfants

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

• 

  Aide

  You help 25 hours a week and you divide them yourself: long days, short days, whatever fits you and the weather. Cooking counts.
  
  All the jobs are on a board in Todoist (an app, you get access when you arrive). Each job says where it is, what you need and when it's done. See something that needs doing? Add it.
  
  Outside: weeding, clearing brambles, mowing, pruning and firewood. The vegetable garden is a mulched permaculture garden with something to sow, plant or harvest most of the year.
  
  Fixing and building: this is the longest list. A compost toilet and shower cabin, an outdoor shower, a kitchen for the safari tent, trenches for water and electricity, ponds to dig, a trailer that needs its lights fixed, shelves and lamps to put up, doors to paint.
  
  In the house: cleaning, tidying and cooking.
  
  I work from home as a web developer, weekdays 9 to 5. Those days you work on your own. In the weekend I have time to work with you, so I prefer that you take your days off during the week. Wednesday is our family day.
  
  Sometimes I'll ask you to babysit, so it helps if you're comfortable around kids. Mine love meeting new people. :)

• 

  Langues

  Langues parlées
  Anglais: Courant
  Hollandais: Courant
  Français: Intermédiaire

  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.
• 

  Hébergement

  In the colder months you get the guest room in the house. It's a modern, comfortable room with heating, and you use the bathroom in the house. On weekdays the room is also my office, so I work there from 9 to 5. If there are more volunteers of the same sex, you share the room. It has several beds.
  
  In the warmer months you sleep in the safari tent in the back garden. If that's rented out you get the big canvas tent. You can stand up in it and it has two real beds. There are outdoor showers.
  
  You can always use the kitchen, the living room and the downstairs toilet.

• 

  Autres infos...

  House rules:
  - Nobody smokes or drinks here. Not in the house, not on the land and not in your own tent. I have three young kids, so that's a hard rule, not a preference.
  - I'm vegan, the kids eat mostly vegetarian. No meat or fish in the house. If you like cooking, please do! I'd love to try your recipes.
  - Breakfast at 8, lunch between 12 and 2, dinner around 6. After dinner we clean up the kitchen together and vacuum.
  - After 21:30 the house is quiet.
  
  Autun is 25 minutes by car. It has restaurants, a cinema, a weekly market and a lot of Roman stuff. There's no public transport here. If you don't have a car, you can come along when I go to Autun.
  
  The area is great for hiking, mountain biking and swimming in the lakes. I have bikes you can borrow. Ask me about the most beautiful hike around here!

• 

  Informations complémentaires

  • 

    Accès Internet

  • 

    Accès Internet limité

  • 

    Nous avons des animaux

  • 

    Nous sommes fumeurs

  • 

    Familles bienvenues

• 

  Possibilité d’accueillir les digital nomads

  I have a 1gbit connection and have a great wired and wireless network in the house and the garden. I'm a web developer by trade, so I know my stuff.

• 

  Espace pour garer des vans

  We have a big parking space at the front of the house. Comes with a nice view and electricity.

• 

  Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?

  Plus de 2

• 

  Mes animaux

  Conan

Sécurité du site

Discutez avec des workawayers qui ont séjourné chez cet hôte

+23

Feedback (30)