Join a semi-retired couple and help with our house and garden in Limousin, France

Detalhes

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  Descrição

  We are an English couple Alan & June living in France. We are both semi-retired. Alan will be retiring fully in summer 2024 and I make items to sell at craft fairs.
  We both come from a nursing background. Alan worked in psychiatry and I worked mostly in primary care, latterly with the homeless.
  
  We are slowly renovating our house and creating our garden but when not working we like to relax in the garden, listen to music, cook, read, watch film and TV and explore this lovely area we live in. We are also into researching our family history and are finding out some really interesting things. Alan is a keen football fan (both of us really) and I love to sew, knit and all sorts of paper crafts. I also make a lot of jams and chutneys and we're both wine enthusiasts & like to cook!
  
  We have 4 adult children & 3 grandchildren, who live in the UK so there's always someone visiting from time to time!
  
  We have 2 male cats, a ginger called Bruce & a grey & white one called Freddie. They love nothing more than to be outdoors gardening with us!
  
  We have had a break from hosting workaways for a few years as we put a hold on most of the work for a while but we want to get busy again in 2024 so if you're ready for a challenge please get in touch!

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  Tipos de ajuda e oportunidades de aprendizado

  Prática de idiomas

  Jardinagem

  Construção/faça você mesmo

  Cuidar de animais

  Ajuda a cuidar da casa

  Manutenção geral
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  Oportunidades de intercâmbio cultural e aprendizado

  We are English living in France & can offer an anglo-french cultural 'fusion' with an interest in other cultures & languages. We offer a good standard of English language, & intermediate French. We provide a mix of English & French cuisine & are also interested in trying a variety of world foods.
  Please note we would struggle to accommodate vegetarians & special diets. We eat a varied, fairly healthy diet but are on a budget.

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  Ajuda

  Approximately 25 hours a week which can be worked flexibly to fit in with host & helper needs & the projects being worked on at the time.
  
  We're very flexible with what we need help with as depending on the season it may be more outdoor based. We are finishing the hard landscaping projects and altering our potager alongside the general garden work of planting, pruning & weeding.
  The list is endless unfortunately our purse is not!
  
  A bit of general help in the home is expected. We appreciate help to thoroughly spring & autumn clean the house.
  
  In 2024 outdoors we want to focus on getting the garden design and hard landscaping finished.
  There are also several indoor projects to start or complete so rain or shine there is plenty of work!
  
  Garden/Outdoor projects for this year include:
  1.finishing off the area around the fire pit (laying gravel & some low stone walls),
  2. creating a patio for outdoor dining (hard standing & posts for sails & screens),
  3.installing a small pond
  4. Building a BBQ & outdoor oven
  5. Reconfiguring the outdoor storage area & building a new log store
  6. Repointing walls
  7. Creating a Mediterranean paved/gravel garden area.
  8. Putting in paths & a paved area.
  9. Reconfiguring the potager area.
  
  Indoor Projects for this year:
  1. Fitting out the summer kitchen/utility room
  2. Insulating the sous-sol
  3. making & fitting new windows for the sous-sol.
  4. Refitting the kitchen
  5. Repurposing the 1st floor shower room
  6. Fitting out & decorating the entrance hall
  7. Refitting the ensuite shower room
  8 Fitting out the newly created linen cupboard
  9. Fitting out the under stairs area
  
  
  If you don't mind a bit of hard labour for a few hours every day then we will happily supply you with comfortable private rooms & good food & company in return!

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  Idiomas

  Idiomas
  Inglês: Fluente
  Francês: Intermediário

  Este anfitrião oferece intercâmbio de idiomas
  We are native English (UK) speakers and speak some French. We would like to improve our conversational French and help French speakers to improve their English conversational skills in return.
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  Acomodação

  Our house was built in 1952 in the classic Limousin villa style of that period. It is spread over 4 floors and surrounded by a flat, walled garden.
  
  We can provide a double bedroom with an en-suite shower room and further double bedroom with use of the family bathroom. All rooms are spacious and light.
  We have broadband internet access.
  Strictly non-smoking in the house & garden.
  
  Our house can be cold in winter. We have just changed from oil central heating to a wood pellet system and our hot water is supplied by a solar powered system. We have a log burning stove in the lounge.

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  Algo mais...

  We are situated in a village with a little privately owned chateau, beautiful church, shop, post office and bar restaurant. The nearest town with a wonderful weekly market is 10 km away. We also have an extremely popular Sunday morning market in the village. You can buy locally sourced fruit, veg, cheeses etc. There is food & drink to eat in or take away & quite often live music. The village has expanded in recent years with a growing community of younger people & families seeking an alternative lifestyle living off the land and they are bringing their knowledge & skills of permaculture and environment management into the community.
  
  The major cities of Angouleme and Limoges are approximately 50 km away. For those without their own transport we can pick up from the city train stations or airport.
  
  Due to the rural location it would be better for Workaways to have their own transport so they can get out & about on days off to view the lovely area we live in & get some time to themselves.
  
  We prefer to have Workaways for a minimum stay of 2 weeks and usually no longer than 3 continuous weeks.
  
  The Limousin is known as the land of a 1000 lakes and is really beautiful countryside. The park national regional of the Perigord Vert, where we are situated, is stunning and unspoilt. Green tourism is encouraged, with many opportunities for walking, cycling and canoeing.
  
  Marval is a really active community and there's always something going on. We have a library that is open 2 mornings a week with a little media suite for customers to use free of charge.
  
  Our restaurant, run by Magali & Sid offers a wide range of delicious food to suit many budgets.
  
  There's a lot to do and see, great regional cuisine and traditions. Plenty to do and see but not the action packed buzz of clubs and bars of city life.

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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

  We are happy to host workawayers who work online, however the agreed number of hours work for us at the agreed time of day would have to come first. It would also be dependent on what online business they conduct and they would not be able to use our home as a business address in any way or for marketing purposes.

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  Espaço para estacionar campervans

  A small campervan only. Like a converted Ducato or transit.

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  Quantos Workawayers pode acomodar?

  2

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  Horas previstas

  4 - 5 hours per day per person, flexible (i.e 25 hours per week)

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