Practise languages and help in the home in Chapelle Voland, France

Infos

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  Description

  Time flies—I came to France 24 years ago and built a small farm from the ground up. In the beginning, my husband and I focused on beekeeping, managing nearly 100 hives. With around 20 hives mounted on a trailer, we moved them to different locations, leaving them there for a month or two to produce a variety of honey: rapeseed, sunflower, forest, linden, wildflower, and more. During the week I sold our honey at the market along with a range of honey-based products—honey vinegar, honey mustard, jams made with honey instead of sugar, pollen, propolis, cakes, and whatever else we could create.
  
  Unfortunately, my husband suffered from an incurable disease. Despite his hard work there were days when his illness prevented him from tending to the bees, particularly the precise work required for queen rearing. Since timing was crucial, we ultimately decided to sell the hives and shift our focus to raising decorative birds—geese, ducks, peacocks, and pheasants—purely for their beauty, never for consumption. At one point we had more than 100 birds, housed in various enclosures, with some tame enough to wander freely in our garden.
  
  Alongside the birds we always kept a small herd of cows. We started with Charolais before switching to Scottish Highlanders, typically maintaining around seven. However, when my husband passed away eight years ago, I found myself alone with a workload that was becoming overwhelming. Though I always had helpers, managing everything on my own was too much. I decided to sell the cows and most of the birds, and today I have seven geese, a pair of black swans, some hens, a cat, and a beloved pygmy goat adored by everyone.
  
  Of course farm life still requires upkeep—repairs, garden maintenance, and general care. As I plan to leave France at some point, I need to put things in order, so I’m once again looking for a helper.
  
  I’m originally Swiss but have lived in many countries: Sri Lanka, Kenya, Thailand. Before deciding to move to France I lived in Switzerland for a number of years. My home here is deep in the countryside, 375 km south of Paris and 150 km north of Lyon. The nearest small town with a supermarket is 12 km away, though there is a small village store for essentials. Summers here are quite hot, and while winters rarely bring snow, temperatures can drop well below freezing.
  
  For recreation, there’s a Swin Golf course behind my house—a simpler version of golf that requires no prior experience. The area also offers some wonderful places to visit, such as the caves at Moidon and Baumes-les-Messieurs, the latter featuring a lovely waterfall, a picnic area, and a historic abbey. A walk through Château-Chalon provides breathtaking vineyard views and the chance to taste excellent local wines. Other nearby attractions include the château museum at Pierre-de-Bresse, the salt museum, and, most notably, the famous medieval hospice in Beaune.
  
  I enjoy hosting Workawayers for at least 2–3 weeks, preferably longer, and I appreciate non-smokers.

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  Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre

  Jardinage

  Bricolage et construction

  S’occuper des animaux

  Aide dans une ferme

  Cuisine/repas pour la famille

  Aide à la maison

  Entretien général
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  Objectifs de développement durable de l’ONU que cet hôte essaie d'atteindre

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  Qu'est-ce que c'est ?
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  Echange culturel et opportunités d'apprendre

  They can practise French, English or German.

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  Aide

  The tasks are very varied, just whatever needs doing most urgently. At the moment it is a lot of help outside. It might also include helping with housework.

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  Langues parlées

  Allemand: Courant
  Anglais: Courant
  Français: Intermédiaire

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  Hébergement

  A bed downstairs in a sitting room, next to the bathroom. Sometimes the bathroom has to be shared with visitors. We have a big kitchen, where everybody is welcome to stay, and a sitting room that can also be used.

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  Autres infos...

  I live out in the country. There are no public buses.

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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

  I have a large parking place

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  Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?

  Deux

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