David & Ruth

United Kingdom
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Profile information

Travel information
We are currently
At home
Description
We are an easy-going, hardworking couple interested in WorkAway opportunities all over the world.
In April 2016 I was made redundant from a charity where I had a variety of roles, from event organising to driving the van & waitressing when needed. Our youngest daughter then left home, Dave gave up his job supporting adults with severe learning disabilities & off we went to pursue a new lifestyle living & working wherever opportunity takes us.
Since then we have pet & house sat in the UK & Spain
We have helped with the mammoth job of preparing a 6 bedroom bungalow with 3 acres of land for the market.
We also helped do up a chalet, done general house decorating & cleared and cleaned a 3 bedroom house. We also spent five months in Sri Lanka backpacking in the past two years
Dave and I are hard-working, reliable, friendly & enthusiastic.
We were respite foster carers, I’ve worked with young unaccompanied asylum seekers as well as for social services. We have both worked with the elderly as well as being involved with our local community running an allotment club and fruit and veg co-op. We’ve worked in catering and with the public.
To get to know us better check out our little Blog about our adventures notrevo2@wordpress.co.uk
We have recently joined TrustedHousesitters to pursue our pet sitting.
Dave does smoke, although always outside.
Interests
Writing
Plant care
Music
Camping
History
Events & social
Culture
Books
Architecture
Photography
Pets
Nature
Movies & TV
Gardening
DIY & crafts
Charity work
Cooking & food
Blogging
Beach
Animals
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Skills and knowledge we'd like to share or learn
We're interested in:
Eco Projects
Some knowledge of:
Gardening
Babysitting and creative play
Being an elderly companion
General Maintenance
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Helping around the house
Animal Care
Hospitality/Tourism
Charity Work
Languages
More details about your skills
Ruth is a confident driver, has driven a minibus & van abroad.
Ruth teaches chair exercises & has project management experience
Dave has experience working with adults with severe disabilities.
We have both looked after children & the elderly.
We can decorate, garden, and cook ( not professionally )
Age
63 & 55
What else ...
We are hard-working, experienced in life ( we have fostered children with behaviour difficulties ) and are keen to try new things and explore the world.
We have a Blog as we have been traveling on and off for over three years now
notrevo2@wordpress.co.uk
Some more information
- Smoker
- Driver's licence
- Allergies
  No
- Special dietary requirements
  Ruth doesn't eat meat, Dave eats everything

Feedback

2 Jan 2020

Left by host (Gardening project and general ...) for Workawayer (David & Ruth)

Ruth and Dave were my first Workaway experience and it worked perfectly.
I spoke with them on the phone prior to my confirming their time here. This happy exchange gave me the confidence to go ahead and I am delighted I did.
They both worked tirelessly at everything I threw at them. They helped secure my donkey enclosures, dug, weeded, moved… read more

(Excellent )

18 Dec 2019

Left by Workawayer (David & Ruth) for host (Gardening project and general ...)

We were Jennies' first workawayers.
She is an excellent, generous and entertaining host. As well as being a kind and patient lady.
We were welcomed from the start, by Jennie and her animal family. Her four dogs Yeti, Pipi, Pepi and Paqi and the two donkeys Gonzalito and Pepe.
Jennie is active in local charity work, helping with beach cleaning,… read more dog rescue and funding.
There is quite a sizeable friendly expat community which Jennie is involved in. We were totally included in this, meeting her friends, many of whom we were introduced to at the local bar.

The work is varied and Jennie never asked us to do anything she wasn’t going to do herself. It Included projects such as preparing an area for paving, exposing a wall, making safe the paddock.
We tended to have two jobs on the go at the same time.
We also painted, moved tiles, slabs and rubble, repaired fencing, strimmed, weeded, did gardening, clearing of land and general tidying.
We choose our own hours, usually starting about 10am, with stops for refreshments and late lunches.

Grooming, feeding & cleaning the donkeys out was done on our
“own time “. Ruth has fallen in love with the little donkey, Pepe, and he would bray hello to us in the morning as well as stamp his foot when we weeded in the hope of getting a treat.
We were joined by the dogs when we worked.
Often with Yeti sitting exactly where we needed to dig, wheel the barrow, weed, or shovel stones.
We tried to make ourself useful when not working by getting wood for the evening fire, doing dishes etc.

Jennie is a fabulous and adventurous cook. She made delicious bread, humus, stews, cakes, quiche.
After enormous dinners we would sit and talk about everything for hours, occasionally adding a log to the fire, sipping a glass or two of wine and throwing Yeti his ball.

We had our own Casita, a small separate house, where we made breakfast and could relax.
We were due to stay for three weeks but extended our visit for an extra week so that we could complete some of the work. We could easily have stayed longer as it was relaxed and enjoyable.

Jennie took us to the local market, we had a lovely day at the seaside and went into town with her. We went to a charity event and accompanied her to the ballet.
Jennie also threw a great farewell party for us, giving us the chance to say goodbye to our new friends.
However it is Jennie we will miss the most along with the adorable dogs Yeti, Pipi,Pepe and Paqi and the donkeys Gonzalito and Pepe.

We throughly recommend staying with Jennie and we hope to return one day for future projects as we feel we arrived as strangers and left as friends.

(Excellent )

23 Jan 2019

Left by Workawayer (David & Ruth) for host (Non profit family farm, ...)

The family were the perfect first WorkAway experience for us.
They are welcoming and friendly, their teenage sons are articulate and interesting. Their pets are a constant source of amusement, all will sit in your seat the moment you vacate it ; three wonderful dogs and a cat which adopted Dave as it's new mum.
The work was varied and not too… read more

(Excellent )

20 Jan 2019

Left by host (Non profit family farm, ...) for Workawayer (David & Ruth)

Dave and Ruth are a really easy going couple happy to turn their hand to anything that is needed. In the 2 weeks they were with us they laid the pipes and dug the trench for our irrigation pipes, pruned almond trees, bottled wine and helped with the collecting of wood.

We really enjoyed hosting them and we(and our dogs) would welcome them back… read more

(Excellent )

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