Come have some fun joining in on our projects in rural Stara Zagora, Bulgaria

Detalhes

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  Descrição

  Hi, we are starting a new project this year after a couple of years break. We're laying foundations for a new kitchen and pathways & creating a new BBQ area - so there's plenty going on!
  
  We ask for your help Mon-Thurs 9-5ish, easy-going days with meals included. Fri-Sun are your free days - we'll gladly drop you off at the train/bus & collect you if you want to explore the country/local area.
  
  We're very flexible and easy-going - everything is negotiable - we're here to help & want you to enjoy your time with us!
  
  In return for your help we offer the all-important fast WiFi with unlimited download! Separate bedroom, home cooked meals, good crack with a few card games and a beer in the evenings.
  
  We'd like help for up to 2 weeks at a time - however if you're available long-term we'd also be interested.
  
  More info below - drop us an email if you're interested, we look forward to hearing from you, enjoy your travels!
  
  A bit about us;
  
  We are an English couple who moved here in 2009 for a slower lifestyle.
  
  Darren was a landscape gardener in the UK & an avid martial arts fan who taught various styles of martial arts & also arranged competitions.
  Mel was a shopkeeper in the UK & operated a strict fitness programme of walking to the pub & back regularly with mates!
  It's so very different here, we were digging & creating veggie plots, coppicing our many fruit trees & trying our hand at building mudbrick walls, keeping many animals, preserving, being as self-sufficient as possible and having fun in the process.
  Life here goes at about 5 miles per hour, as opposed to 80 mph in the UK, everyone is so laid back and it feels very much 1970's England we think, and we love it.
  We are meat eaters but cater for everyone, any special diet requirements should be mentioned in advance please. And not forgetting the 2 dogs and 2 cats, so if any allergies let us know.
  Some of the work can be hard and some of the days long. We are not 9-5 people, there is always something to be done, if it be the animals, gardening or a building project.
  For us, the most important things are to have a positive attitude, not be frightened of a bit of hard work, know how to have fun, enjoy a few beers, vino, rakia (the local spirit) or water and a BBQ at the end of the day.
  
  Update April 2016
  Looking for people to help out now.
  Lots of projects on the go, building, digging, gardening, looking after animals, processing and many more. Were in a beautiful area surrounded by hills and mountains in central Bulgaria. AS long as your not afraid of a bit of hard work. We don't hold regular hours what has to be done gets done. The weather is great at the moment and will just get warmer, great for walking and fishing if your into that.
  
  Update June 2015
  Got lots to do.... Moving rubble, repairing a mud brick wall, taking down a mud brick wall, digging foundations, processing chickens, and that's just for starters (not necessarily in that order).
  So if your up for a bit of hard work and some beer in the evenings, get your self here. And its red hot at the moment :)
  
  Update April 2015
  Taking requests now, up until it gets to cold outside (About Sep- Oct).
  This year we hope to get our new BBQ area built, Darren took most of it down last year with some volunteers. So need to get rid of the waste (lots of shoveling and barrowing), Dig the foundations and lay lots of concrete before re-building it. There are other areas that need concrete floors that we will be doing (hopefully this year) aswell.
  Spring is a very busy time in the garden, getting all the veg for the year planted and maintaining it over the summer.
  We have many animals, Chickens for meat and eggs, rabbits for meat and turkeys.
  We butcher chickens and rabbits fairly regular, It is optional if you want to be a part of this or if you want to see the process from start to the table.
  We might be getting pigs again this year, but we haven't yet decided.
  
  
  Update: 2014
  WANTED: Volunteers mid June to help veggie planting or Butchering and plucking chickens, all welcome, please don't let butchering put you off!
  
  This year we're planing to be totally self sufficient for meat. We were pretty close last year, and butchered 2 pigs in Oct/Nov, so have a full freezer to start this year with.
  So...we're onto our second batch of 'meat' chickens (totally different to egg chickens if you didn't know that.) They'll be ready to butcher mid-late June (ish.) IS this something you'd like to learn? I started off by plucking, then gradually moved onto gutting etc...I certainly don't kill them though, that's firmly Darren's department. It's up to you if you would like to learn any or all of it. We'll also have some rabbits which should be due around that time too, if that's also something you'd like to learn. This year will be our first to learn to tan the hides...we're determined to use EVERYTHING...it seems fairer to the animal in a way! At that time we'll also have baby chicks to tend which take up a lot of time... and we'll be planting veggies like crazy too.
  
  If this is something you'd like to learn, drop us a line. If it's NOT, and something you want to steer clear of...please drop us a line anyway, we need veggies planting & baby chicks/piglets looking after. We're happy for you to avoid any gory bits and have hosted (successfully I might add,) several veggies.
  
  2013
  
  We have baby bunnies to look after, chickens, pigs, turkeys, and a tiny puppy who's very demanding! The piglets enclosure needs splatting in mud...mud plastering, we have teeny tiny baby chicks & turkeys arriving soon.
  We're planting seedlings like crazy & trying to keep on top of everything, summer is most definitely on the way!!
  
  July; We're going to replace the main house roof & also the main house roof of Darren's brother's holiday home over the road...obviously this is an all hands on deck job, so if you have any experience, great, if not...still great, there's plenty else to do.
  After that, over the summer we intend to box in the staircase so that when it's -15 in winter I don't have to go outside to get to my bed!! It seemed quaint when we moved in, but having to put my wellys on after a bath to go to bed doesn't seem quaint anymore!
  
  So...if you fancy a laugh for a week (or 2 if you can manage the craziness) you're very welcome to come & join in. There's plenty space to pitch a tent weather permitting & there's an outdoor loo. We have a huge 2 bedroom tent if you're travelling without. We can BBQ, or cook something up between us. We're happy to feed you & provide our meager accommodation in return for a bit of help around the place. We certainly don't do 10 hour labour intensive days but it isn't a holiday camp either & you'll need to pull your weight.
  
  Sense of humour is a must & if you're at all interested in martial arts Darren would love to teach you self defense, kick boxing, MMA... or you can put your feet up & watch the sunset with a beer like Mel does! If you like to fish, we try to go regularly & take a BBQ along for grilled fish later. We often break open the home brew vino & play cards in the evenings. Wi-Fi is available in the house & in the garden for you to use as you please. We have 2 very friendly cats so any allergies would be difficult. We don't smoke but you're welcome to do so outside. We eat meat but can easily cater for vegetarians....PLEASE tell me in advance though so I can buy some supplies.
  
  If you know anything about solar power/wind turbines we'd love to hear from you & learn all about it before trying to get 'off the grid'.
  
  Happy Travelling...
  
  Update Spring 2013: We've rescued a gorgeous puppy that escaped from a neighbour's house, she was 6 kg when we found her hiding in our cabbage patch late on last year, now she's 17 kg! She's super friendly & we call her Molly. We've also taken in a 4 week old pup that a friend found on death's door, she's called Tinker & is a mini tornado now :)
  
  Update Summer 2012: We have a fully operational solar shower & are currently working on a solar dehydrator to do sun dried tomatoes etc. The mud-brick wall is progressing nicely as is the stash of home made vino!
  
  Update Spring 2012: We're gradually coming out of hibernation & have started planting like crazy. We now have a poly-tunnel that is amazing at growing weeds & not a lot else so far! Daz's brother, Martin bought a house over the road so we have an extra garden to tend...which we intend to keep pigs in! Our chooks are all doing well, the 2 teeny chicks grew up huge, much bigger than the others so we figure that the early months are vital to size & are encouraging our cockerel to get down to business, the incubator & nursery are built, ready!
  
  Update Summer 2011: We got another 9 chickens, quite young, & 2 teeny chicks :o)
  
  Update Spring 2011: We are now proud owners of 3 chickens and a cockerel!! Hoorah! They are laying eggs regularly which is really rather exciting :o) We are hoping to get more in the coming weeks now the weather is better....bring on the summer!!

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  Tipos de ajuda e oportunidades de aprendizado

  Ajuda em projetos ambientais

  Jardinagem

  Construção/faça você mesmo

  Cuidar de animais

  Ajuda em fazenda

  Criar/cozinhar refeições caseiras

  Ajuda a cuidar da casa

  Manutenção geral
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  Oportunidades de intercâmbio cultural e aprendizado

  You can learn various building methods, walling & stone walling, cooking.

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  Ajuda

  We have chickens to tend, and 3 dogs.
  We're just starting to build a kitchen extension so lots of DIY to do for that, if you want to learn anything.

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  Idiomas

  Inglês: Fluente
  Bulgarian: Iniciante

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  Acomodação

  Spare bedroom, shared kitchen and bathroom.

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  Algo mais...

  Priority is having a giggle whilst getting some stuff done, we love to play board games/cards of an evening over a few beers, come along for a laugh.
  We have WiFi that works throughout the garden with unlimited downloading... so no probs to video call home or whilst having a beer sitting by the BBQ! :)

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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

  Fast fibre Internet, desk available most of the week, I work at home 1 day a week.

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  Espaço para estacionar campervans

  Loads space just outside garden, we live on a corner with excess space to park freely and quietly.

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  Quantos Workawayers pode acomodar?

  2

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  Meus animais / animais de estimação

  

  Tinker

  

  Molly

  Sweetest dog ever who found her way into our garden and never left. Love her to pieces.

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