Help with gardening at a former water mill in Dordogne, France

Detalhes

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  Descrição

  I am a physicist/economist artist who spent a few years working in Japan when that was the most expensive place in the world to live. I saved my money, worked from 07:30 to 22:00 each day (in three different jobs) and on Sundays not at all and with all those yen bought a former mill in France. Now I am wondering what I am to do with such a great potential.
  I have been an environmentalist since I was 14 years old, always aware of the effect of my activity on the whole world and then it became trendy to think like I had been doing yet no one was actually doing anything about the situation. By situation I mean that many people are wasting their lives away trying to
  1. pay the rent
  2. pay for the car
  3. pay for heating
  4. pay for food
  and all of those things can be reduced to zero when we get our perspectives sorted.
  Why pay rent when you can build your own place?
  Why pay for a car when a bike will do?
  Why pay for heating when if you make your home insulated then there will be NO need to have to pay for heating?
  Food? Well if you can plant some seeds and then learn how to care for them then there may be a chance that you can at some point actually feed yourself.
  
  So, where are you in the rat race right now? Slaving away to pay just to exist? OK, that is not unusual. But take a break and think about trying something else for a change.
  
  I can offer you all the above and for only four hours of your time a day. The rest you can use to work out your own plan. Or join me in learning how to replace the slave system with independent living.
  
  I am someone who talks a lot, but then I also have a need to turn those conversations into practical results. I talk and discuss, then I make decisions and attempt to implement the conclusions, always with an attitude of being able to change. Life is change and so it is important to be able to see that mistakes have been made and that is nothing new. We constantly make mistakes, but to be able to recognise those mistakes is an ability which we can learn to nurture.
  
  
  This location is a former water mill set in a forest just 6 kilometres from Thiviers, Dordogne, France. It has been turned into a home and I would like to get some water power operating but that is a long term project. The best air on planet earth with clear skies at night make it great for star-gazing. An abundance of wild animals makes it attractive for those who enjoy spotting birds, squirrels and various other creatures.
  
  This is the area that the French come to to enjoy the local excellent food. I can cook but would like to get help so that I can use my time to do some reconstruction work on a barn.
  
  Pinky my female cat lives in the house and she is afraid of dogs so sadly I cannot give space to people who are travelling with their own dog.
  
  Regarding long term visitors it would be great if someone is interested in creating a vegetable garden - the river valley soil is rich and soft and a pleasure to work with.
  
  I have been teaching English for decades and could also teach French, German and Japanese should some like to exchange. I would like to practice some Spanish as this is the language of many peoples who are still living the natural lifestyle. I would like to go to Ecuador at some point and learn the traditional methods of preparing the earth for cultivation. Fukuoka, permaculture, Feng Shui are some themes with which I have been involved and of which I would like to deepen my knowledge. Meditation and yoga are practices with which I have been acquainted but wish to further. If I have company with whom I can practice then that is great. I have been working with film and video for 40 years and produced millions of viewing hours of news for people all over the world.
  
  Life is very short and so I don't wish to waste any more time stuck in the usual rut. The internet has appeared and I would be a fool not to use it to find others who are also willing and able to travel the same path as I have done. Don't hesitate too much.

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  Tipos de ajuda e oportunidades de aprendizado

  Projetos artísticos

  Prática de idiomas

  Ajuda em projetos ambientais

  Ensino

  Jardinagem

  Construção/faça você mesmo

  Criar/cozinhar refeições caseiras

  Ajuda a cuidar da casa

  Manutenção geral
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  Oportunidades de intercâmbio cultural e aprendizado

  I can teach English, French, German and Japanese. Many years teaching experience with kids of 10 to 17 and professional adults ranging from "top managers" to "hobby speechologists".

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  Ajuda

  Some things I would appreciate help with:
  Shutters and wooden furniture oiled/varnished, some window frames painting. The entrance bridge has been enlarged to allow larger wheeled vehicles to pass - a draw bridge would be a nice solution for some person who knows about the engineering involved! The barn columns made of concrete need extending so that they reach the roof - a temple to replace the barn is a nice thing to work towards.
  
  I have several pairs of iron gates which need to be mounted on home made concrete columns - foundations for columns and setting these straight - .
  
  Some building work, lots of gardening, a lot of tree felling or hedge cutting. Cooking help would be great too.
  I have 50 fir trees which need to be reduced in height to let sunlight into the grounds. The branches need to be mulched and then used for paths.
  I have created a natural cool pool on a foundation which I discovered is just 530 million years old. Volcanic rock forms the edge of this pool and if I have lots of help then I would like to build a sauna right beside this so that we can jump from cooking hot into freezing cold and then back again.
  Gathering walnuts in October is a regular job, drying them and storing them properly.

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  Idiomas

  Idiomas
  Alemão: Fluente
  Inglês: Fluente
  Francês: Intermediário
  Japonês: Intermediário
  Português: Iniciante

  Este anfitrião oferece intercâmbio de idiomas
  I have attempted to "exchange" language with others but those who have never taught their language seriously are very little help not knowing how to speak slowly, repeating until the knowledge is passed on. It is a dream that there is a 50% exchange and whoever is better will always make more progress to the disappointment of the other. With a group of 3 or more a game can be played where vocabularies of several languages can be improved at once. It has to be FUN to retain the interest of those who are weak.
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  Acomodação

  Holiday home rooms available outside the months of July August. A caravan is on site and can be placed on another 7500sq metre site which can accommodate lots of wind projects.

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  Algo mais...

  Internet wifi around the house. More castles in this area than in the rest of France together. Swimming, fishing, biking, hiking, star-gazing, visiting caves, horse-riding, tennis and French cuisine.
  
  I am hoping to get some help for 4 or 5 hours a day in exchange for accommodation and excursions visiting the beautiful countryside. I can provide simple meals if no one else prefers to cook.

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  Mais alguns detalhes

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    Acesso à internet

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    Acesso à internet limitado

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    Temos mascotes

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    Somos fumantes

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    Pode hospedar famílias

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  Pode hospedar nômades digitais

  The wifi works all around the grounds of this 6000 square metre site. There are lots of places to sit and surf without distractions - I am doing it right now - outside in the shade.

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  Espaço para estacionar campervans

  There is space for three or four cars - a campervan can also stay - it is shaded, but they would have to sort out making it level themselves. A very larger camper which is over 3 metres in height will not be possible at the minute unless you are willing to help cut down a few trees which at some point will have to go anyway as there are too many close together. I know that not being level is uncomfortable but I can help with various materials.

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  Pode aceitar animais

  I love to see people travelling with their pets. The one exception is dogs. I have travelled with my friend Harry the crow around Europe and with Pinky too my female cat, but Pinky does not like dogs in general. She is the boss and so I can't take in people who have dogs with them.

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  Quantos Workawayers pode acomodar?

  Mais de 2

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  Horas previstas

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

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