Help with gardening and maintenance while at the same time enjoying our little corner of paradise in Le Béage, France

Infos

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  Description

  Hi, I’m Sue, a 49 year old single woman. I currently spend half of my year (the best half) at a property in France which is my favourite place in the world. My parents bought it 30 years ago with the intention of turning it into a campsite, but circumstances changed and now we just want to have a smallholding with a simple life. The property has passed to myself and my 3 siblings, with me being the only one in a position to come over for any length of time and look after the place. Eventually I want to live here permanently and have some animals, but my business in the UK is not in a position to run without me all year round.
  I live here with my German Shepherd dog, Sansa, who is the biggest part of my life. She is friendly, well behaved and loves to play.
  
  Our place is located on the Ardeche plateau. It is a 16th century farmhouse and land, nestled in a valley just below the village of Le Beage. It is quite isolated, with the nearest reasonable size town being 25 minutes away.
  There is a river bordering the land which is great for cooling down on hot days.
  
  I have so many plans for the place, but currently the general maintenance of the place is all I can manage on my own. I thought some Workawayers may want to spend some time here and help me get on top of things so that I can get to the point where I can start some of the other projects.
  
  I love to cook, so Workawayers will certainly not go hungry! I also want to go out and explore the area, which is something I never seem to do when I’m here on my own. I will put aside a full day each week for a trip out with Workaway guests, so you won’t end up with cabin fever!
  
  I’m friendly and easy going, I’m quite well travelled and have an artistic streak. I’m open to new ideas and always happy to learn new things.
  I think Workawayers who come to stay here will enjoy the experience and go away with some great memories.

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  Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre

  Jardinage

  Entretien général
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  Echange culturel et opportunités d'apprendre

  I will share my knowledge about gardening, preserving the products of the garden and of course share the food itself!
  
  This area is a good place to relax and recharge the batteries.
  
  As an English person living in France, I am not in a position to help people improve their french language, but I am able to help improve their English!

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  Aide

  Gardening jobs;
  
  Help to keep the weeds down in the vegetable gardens.
  Strimming (Weed whacking!) long grass
  Cutting grass (ride on lawn mower)
  Pruning trees
  Planting trees
  Picking fruit
  Cutting/stacking wood
  General garden tidying
  
  Some other maintenance jobs may include;
  
  Painting woodwork
  Helping me on small building jobs (for example, last year I rebuilt a stone wall and rebuilt a terrace. I have plans to cut some steps into a hillside, build some pathways and install espalier fencing)
  
  I would never ask you to do jobs which I wouldn’t do myself.

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  Langues

  Langues parlées
  Anglais: Courant
  Français: Intermédiaire
  Espagnol: Débutant

  Cet hôte propose un échange linguistique
  I would love a French/English exchange- English being my mother language. If a French speaking Workawayer would like to brush up on their English, this would be perfect! Also, I am happy to help people who are learning English to improve their language skills
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  Hébergement

  I have a chalet available for Workawayers. The chalet has a double bedroom and a twin bedroom, a bathroom with shower, a lounge and a kitchen/dining room. I will provide breakfast foods, tea and coffee for the chalet, but will serve lunch and dinner over in the house.
  There is no smoking inside the house or chalet, but the covered porch of the chalet can be used by smokers.
  
  Guests should be aware that there is limited phone signal here and there is internet in the house but not in the chalets.

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  Autres infos...

  As previously mentioned, I will take guests out to explore the local area once a week; this could be visiting a market, finding a tourist attraction or simply driving to one of the areas of natural beauty. Where we go will be a diplomatic decision. They can also accompany me to the towns where I go grocery shopping on a weekly basis, giving them a chance to get out and explore while I do the shopping.

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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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  Espace pour garer des vans

  Any size Campervan/motorhome could stay here

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  Possibilité d'accueillir les animaux

  I have ticked ‘yes’ to pets because I could accept them, however there needs to be a discussion first. My dog, a female German Shepherd, doesn’t get along with all dogs. She usually likes younger males (haha) and generally doesn’t like other females. She is quite dominant. Other animals? If you’re coming on a horse or donkey, that would not pose a problem and to be honest, I would be so happy! I love all animals and am willing to discuss them coming here, but my dog must take priority.

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  Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?

  Plus de 2

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  Nombre d'heures attendues

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