Help with gardening at an old farm overlooking the castle of Leiria, a city in the center of Portugal

Infos

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  Description

  HELP IN NATURE, TRAVEL IN THE COUNTRY!
  
  I am a retired teacher and I live in a house situated on a hill, surrounded by nature, overlooking the castle of Leiria.
  
  The house is at a 10-15 minutes walk down hill, then you are right at the riverside park and a footbridge to the city center. Getting back uphill is more 20 minutes on a one lane unlit private drive. From the city center you can take a bus to interesting places in the region. The 2 largest cities, Lisboa and Porto, are reached in about 2 hours, Coimbra in 1hour, for example. The Atlantic ocean beaches are 25/30km away.
  
  The hill was a former farm that produced wine but It is no longer cultivated as such. To be kept nice it needs some maintenance and that's where I need some help!
  
  Besides taking care of the garden around the house, my hobbies are reading and writing.

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  Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre

  Jardinage

  Bricolage et construction

  Aide dans une ferme

  Aide à la maison

  Entretien général
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  Echange culturel et opportunités d'apprendre

  From myself you can expect to be treated as if you're part of the family, sharing a local's way of life. While I was a teacher I founded an exchange project and hosted teachers and students from all the countries in the European Union. I was also fortunate to be a guest at friends' houses around Europe.
  
  Once retired, I wish to go on with this exchange and that is why I decided, either through a B&B or a volunteer platform like workaway, to keep this source of personal and cultural enrichment flowing at home.

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  Aide

  There is a diversity of tasks to do around the house and in the garden, such as: weeding, planting, organising garden beds, cutting tree branches and logs (using a chainsaw), pruning, cleaning pathways (using a brushcutter), etc; inside the house: repairing, painting, etc.
  
  On arrival, I'd show you a list of what I'd like to be done. You could choose what you prefer to do according to your skills and my needs and you would be free to organize your timetable during the week and take a free day, provinding that you the equivalent of 4 hours per working day. Weekends are free.
  
  The work in the farm can be heavy and hard. We have a lot of brambles and wild areas that need to be cleaned and maintained. It would be a plus if you are an experienced gardener/farmer with management skills and the autonomy to use a diversity of tools.

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  Langues

  Langues parlées
  Anglais: Courant
  Allemand: Intermédiaire
  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.
  
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  Hébergement

  Accommodation is in a large study above the living room with private toilette but if you have a camper/caravan there's place for it and you'll be free to use the kitchen, bathroom, and anything you need from the house.
  
  In regards to meals, I provide the ingredients for three meals per day (breakfast/lunch/dinner). During the week, you can cook your meals from the ingredients available and sometimes I will also cook for you Portuguese traditional food.

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  Autres infos...

  In your free time you can rest, relax in the nature or in your room / caravan, play music or paint...visit the city, its castle and museums, there are good walking or cycling trails. There are buses to the beaches and to interesting cultural places as well as to Porto or Lisboa. If you like surfing, you will find very good surf beaches, such as Nazaré (the famous 'big wave' beach - 30km away) and Peniche (world surf league - 80Km away).
  
  Here some reviews:
  
  Rafael & Giovanna, Brasil, 24 Jun, 2019
  "We spent sixteen days with Luisa in the\os gorgeous Quinta, in Leiria. Luisa is an amazing person, with great kindness and a sense of empathy for the other. She came downhill to pick us up at the bus station and welcomed us as if we were already friends. She told us what she would like us to do during our stay (basically work in the garden) and that we could manage the time as we liked. In our free time, Luisa drove us to a lot of places close to Leiria, we have met her friends and family, and she was always full of stories and interesting things to tell. She told us the stories in a way that only the best teachers know how to do. We will always remember fondly the days we had over there, the good conversations, and the people we met. We are really happy that she accepted our request and welcomed us as part of her family! We won't miss any opportunity of paying her a visit anytime we come close to Leiria.
  Luisa, thank you for everything. We miss you already!
  Giovanna and Rafael =)"
  
  Jay, United Kingdom, Sep 4, 2019
  "LUISA IS A WONDERFUL PERSON.
  I spent a month in her beautiful Quinta in Leiria working on her land and I did not want to leave.
  I hope to return in Spring next year to continue where I left off and assist with any new projects that develop.
  There are several positive words to describe Luisa, her casa, the food she prepares, the work she needs help with, the views of a Moorish built Castillo from her great location in the city, the sleeping arrangement for the helper, which is all of upstairs (complete with lounge & office area, bed, and en suite toilet!) although I will use one word to describe it all: OUTSTANDING. In addition to all her beautiful human qualities that make her marvelous, she also understands and speaks fluently different languages. There are simply not enough marks out of one hundred to rate her hospitality, character, company, charm, kindness, generosity or understanding of situations so ‘TOP MARKS IN ALL AREAS’ will barely suffice as an accurate description of what a helper might expect from Luisa who is AN OUTSTANDING HOST!
  I met her family come and go often whilst working and they are all lovely people, too. Helpful, friendly, kind, Interesting and nice to be around….
  I enjoyed my stay here immensely and loved working on the land and seeing it take shape.
  Muito Obrigado por me receber, Luisa.
  Até logo!
  Jay."
  
  Susan, United Kingdom, Mar 3, 2021
  "I stayed with Luisa in 2019, helping her with the garden during the morning and exploring Leiria in the afternoons. Luisa was a great host. She cooked delicious lunches for us every day and allowed me full use of the kitchen to cook evening meal for myself. She also took me out in the car to visit lots of good places around - a monastery (where she translated what the guide was telling us from Portuguese to English for me), Coimbra, Alcobaza, and other great places. She looked after my welfare and always picked me up from the bus when I arrived back after dark. I had the best room with a view of Leiria castle.

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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

  There is plenty of space for you to work on your computer, with comfort and inspiring views. The internet signal is strong and ilimited.

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  Espace pour garer des vans

  Workawayers with campervans or tents are very welcome!! There's place for camping close to the house. And you can have full use of the house facilities: kitchen, bathroom, study with wifi.

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  Possibilité d'accueillir les animaux

  Yes, but not to sleep inside the house.

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  Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?

  Deux

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  Nombre d'heures attendues

  maximum 4-5 hours per day - 5 days per week (negotiable)

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