Join us to experience Almeria and help us around our land in Bédar, Spain

Infos

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  Description

  We're a childfree English couple living full time 2km outside the whitewashed village of Bédar in Almeria, Andalucía, and we're looking for volunteers to muck in with general outdoor garden maintenance, looking after our chickens, and perhaps the odd dog walk.
  
  We are typical Gen X: feral childhoods, self-sufficient adulthoods and fiercely independent now middle aged. Simon is the oddball engineer, often found in his workshop ferreting away at anything from building a Jeep from the ground up, to fixing vintage electronics (if you want a 1980s boombox brought back to life - he's your man!) Emma is the tech-savvy writer, hobby cook and gastronome, who delights in lively political debate. Last, but by no means least, are the 16 chickens of varying temperaments and 3 hounds: Billie (5) and Smurf (14) are French Bulldogs who rule the roost over Trigger (3), a rescue Podenco. It's fair to say we're a family of 'doers' rather than 'contemplators', and really the only mindfulness we practice is the gap on the London Underground. Oh yes - we're atheists, and Emma does tend to throw out the odd religious joke, so it's probably not a household that would suit an easily-offended believer.
  
  So - having, no doubt, frightened most of you away, for the resilient ones still hanging-on in there, let's talk surroundings. We're in a semi-arid region - think cacti, tortoises and cheesy Spaghetti Western films - and in the foothills of some bigger hills (possibly mountains), facing the sea. Bédar is the archetypal picture-postcard pretty Andalucian hillside village - all whitewash, geraniums in pots, and little old men sitting in inexplicable places on white plastic chairs for long periods of time just....contemplating. It has 3 bars/restaurants, a bank, pharmacy and general store, along with a population of around 900. The village is about 20 minutes walk out from our house, and 60 minutes walk back if you've had a few too many vinos and wander off track. We're 20 minutes drive from Mojacar and its playa, which is great for a swim and a frozen daquiri, and we're 45 minutes drive from the region's capital, Almeria. So, you will need your own transport, because public transport out here is a mere theoretical construct, much like unicorns or tetra pack cartons that open without spilling half the contents.
  
  Now to the icky part. The help! What we need help with is a smorgasbord of 'outside stuff'; none of it requiring any particular skill other than a willingness to pick up a tool and a set of ears to listen to any instructions on things which aren't immediately obvious to you. So, it's a little weeding, a little pruning back of over-ambitious plants and shrubs, wire fencing replaced in parts, planting of things that are 'Emma proof' and won't die from the certain neglect they'll have to endure (so...cacti then), the odd cleaning of chicken coop or expelling of creative energy on adding to the 'chicken gym' (think Jenga...only with small branches). When you do the tasks is up to you, but if it's a hot day and we spot you outside helping in the middle of it, we will probably pull up a chair (in the shade), crack a beer and wait politely for you to keel over from dehydration and sunstroke before suggesting you may want to do your stuff before it gets hot, or after it cools down.
  
  Weather wise - we go from baking in July/August in the high-30c to low-40c, to perfect in May/June & Sept/Oct in the mid-high 20c, and in Jan to March it's generally around 14c-16c. It rarely rains but, when it does, it's almost like a personal rebuke for existing.
  
  So that's about it, and now it's time for me to hit the 'Continue' button, whereupon I'll no doubt find out that I've written 105 words over maximum character length, or included something in this bit that's supposed to go in another bit.

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  Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre

  Jardinage d'entretien

  S’occuper des animaux

  Petits travaux d'entretien
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  Centres d’intérêt

  

  Animaux de compagnie

  

  Technologie

  

  Politique/justice sociale

  

  Événements/vie sociale

  

  Culture

  

  Films et télé

  

  Écriture

  

  Cuisine et alimentation

  

  Musique

  

  Histoire

  

  Livres

  

  Animaux

  

  Plage

  

  Activités en plein air

  

  Randonnée

  

  Nature

  

  Fitness
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  Echange culturel et opportunités d'apprendre

  We have a wide range of skills we're happy to share, including vehicle maintenance, DIY, baking, and obviously English, including Emma's extensive knowledge of swearwords (she's literally written a taxonomy of them in her career). In return, pass us on snippets of whatever languages you speak (including the swearwords please!), insights into your culture, and whatever other skills you may want to share that you've spotted we're woefully lacking in.

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  Aide

  General outdoor tasks such as weeding, pruning, planting, help with wire fence replacement in areas, helping with chickens and the odd dog walk.

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  Langues

  Langues parlées
  Espagnol: Débutant

  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

  See? I knew I'd discover a field later in the process that wanted information I've already given in the beginning. By the powers of copy and paste: volunteers will be accommodated in reed yurts, the construction of which will be their first task on arrival. Ok, not really, but that did scare you didn't it. So, the reality is a two-bed/two-bath apartment, and a one-bed/one bath apartment. Both have their own private entrances, king size beds, heating/air-con, walk-in showers, Starlink internet, Smart TVs, and fully operational kitchens with gubbins such as air-fryers, coffee machines, hobs, microwaves and some gadget that may, or may not, be an avocado de-stoner. There is also a pool and a gym - weights, not cardio. You'll get enough cardio walking up and down the slopes.
  
  You're welcome to join us a couple of times a week for dinner, which is really the only meal we eat together as a couple as we're usually on the hoof the rest of the time. Outside that, we'll supply you with food for your fridge and you can crack on with cooking it yourself. We should note that if you're used to 'big brand name' convenience food items, you're going to be disappointed as in rural areas is more a case of basic ingredients (breads, dairy, meat, fish, legumes, veggies and fruit), from which you cook. Having said that, if you want to avail yourself of a takeaway, the nearby playa has a wide range of eats, from Japanese to Italian, and Greek to Indian. We've no problem with catering for vegans either, with the caveat that if you're expecting tempeh, coconut yoghurts and 'beyond meat' type products, the reality is more like tofu and lentils/legumes of every conceivable type. Rural Spain ain't vegan paradise folks.

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  Autres infos...

  Own transport is a must - there's no public transport!
  Non-smokers please.
  Someone who's flexible about schedules - we barely know what we're doing from one day to the next, so we likely won't have a nice checklist of tasks on demand

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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

  Starlink internet access

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  Espace pour garer des vans

  Space for a motorhome up to 8m with electrical hook-up

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  Possibilité d'accueillir les animaux

  Dog-friendly dog is welcome

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  Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?

  Plus de 2

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  Mes animaux

  

  16 chickens - give or take

  a motley crew of 'ladies' who provide us with eggs and amusement.

  

  Trigger

  Trigger is 3, and he's a rescue Podenco. His favourite pastimes are talking to you about everything going on, telling you where the rabbits are and whether you'd like one, and arranging all his toys in a pile where Billie can't get them.

  

  Smurf

  Smurf is an old lady who sleeps most of the day. Even the robot vacuum bashing into her from every angle is not enough to disturb her. Her other pastimes are snoring, farting, toddling into rooms, then forgetting why she's there, so staring into space for 30 minutes. She also likes prawn crackers but dislikes Billie or Trigger shouting at anything because then she feels she has to shout, even if she has no idea what she's shouting about. She used to be able to barrel roll, but now she's just a barrel.

  

  Billie

  Billie is a little monkey of a French Bulldog who is 5 years old. Her favourite pastimes are cuddles, stealing toys from Trigger and Smurf when they're not looking, and staring at you to let you know that she thinks what you're eating looks nice, smells nice, and she's sure it tastes nice too.

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