Beautiful smallholding on the island of Engeløya, Norway

Details

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  Description

  Hello!
  
  If art, ecology, aesthetics, creativity, crafts, poetry, self-sufficiency, fermentation and a multi-species worldview and wild nature is part of your horizon and ignites a spark within you, the door is open to apply! I welcome practical, positive, self-motivated, independent, curious and robust people who are happy to help, eager to learn or share their skills.
  
  I am an artist, cultural activist and change maker concerned with making lost connections visible and sensible in order to re-activate our entangled relationship to earth. I consider every action I do as a part of my artistic universe, making the most out of every moment. The smallholding is my beloved homestead and workplace and the base for a growing community of people attracted to a more-than-human and interconnected way of living, thinking and breathing. This is also the home of the very bouncy and cute puppy Leyla, the supercute kitten Silky, the lovely but slightly shy mother cat Knøttet. The peculiar and slightly bipolar cat Tussi and a bunch of hens and a cockerel as permanent household members and two grownup children, great friends and neighbours and plenty of wild birds as semi-permanent household members.
  
  I practice gardening with permaculture principles and the organic vegetable garden and greenhouse feeds us with greens and beans, root-veg and herbs in the summer and partly in the winter. There are plenty of berry bushes and some fruit trees to harvest in the autumn. The wild and bountiful nature we are in the midst of supply precious food for free including greens, berries, mushrooms, herbs and fish, despite the latitude!
  
  Art, ecology, aesthetics, creativity, crafts, self-sufficiency, fermentation, de-homogenisation and a multi-species worldview is at the core of my life and this place and I would love to host people here with similar interests and passions. This is a workaway home in the true sense, as in an exchange of fruitful, flourishing and creative cultures, ideas and practice, sharing, learning, giving and enjoying the space and time together.
  
  The smallholding is on the beautiful island of Engeløya in Northern Norway, opposite the famous Lofoten Islands. We are surrounded by stunning mountains, white beaches, valleys, woods, fields and the sea is crystal clear with plenty of fish and other weird and wonderful sea creatures. Engeløya is said to be the most beautiful, hidden gem of Norway!
  
  Home is an old and carefully restored, traditional timber house with some mod cons and two wood-burning stoves. There is also a ”writers cabin/guesthouse” and a generous size barn that is home to the hens, my studio and a spacious guest studio for visiting artists-in-residency and the occasional rental guests. In addition there are two well equipped workshops for wood- and metalwork and a ceramic kiln and a potters wheel. As a guest you are of course welcome to use spaces and tools. Sometimes we host workshops, artist camps, symposiums, exhibitions and mini-festivals. Volunteers sometimes share their skills and host their own workshops.
  
  I mostly work from home but also travel a great deal with art-projects elsewhere. You may therefore occasionally need to be here on your own for a few days during your stay. Sometimes I also need people to come and housesit to look after the animals and the garden for a few weeks. This is perfect for someone, or a couple of people, who also practice their arts. Let me know if you want to be on the contact list for house sitters.
  
  I am passionate about wholesome food and love to prepare and eat from the garden or the wild, and from local farms when possible. Mostly we prepare vegetarian food but we also eat fish and meat (local or wild). If you love cooking you have (almost) free reins! I collect raw milk from an organic farm and bake my own sourdough bread, ferment kefir, yoghurt, kombucha and vegetables. I try and eat as local as I possibly can to avoid the transport of food over long distances. I therefore find it hard to accommodate some parts of vegan diets like almondmilk, vegan cheese etc.
  
  Our tiny village only has 45 inhabitants but the community of Engeløya has a population of around 500. There are plenty of opportunities for outdoor activities like hiking in the hills, mountains and valleys or stroll along the beach, climbing, canoeing, kayaking, fishing in the sea or lakes, boating, cross-country skiing, cycling, bird watching, diving, all kinds of art making, writing or music making- or just for being and breathing and enjoying the wild and the quiet! We have a wooden rowing boat with a 6hp engine, a canoe, a kayak and bikes to borrow in spring, summer and autumn and x-country skis and skates in the winter.
  
  This place can be very quiet, dark and contemplative during the winter months and busy, light and buzzing during the summer months. To come here you would therefore have to be comfortable with both quietness and business depending on when you want to come☺️ In winter you may catch a glimpse of the famous, northern lights and in the spring and summer you will experience the eternal days of light and the midnight sun!

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Art Projects

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Farmstay help

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance

  Help with Computers/ Internet

  House sitting
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  You would learn self sufficiency skills, running a smallholding and looking after chickens. You also have plenty of opportunities to enjoy and develop a close relationship to nature and learn about art and crafts of all kinds, fermentation, baking bread, organic gardening, permaculture, ecology and harvesting from the wild in season. You can also learn woodwork and wildlife skills like hiking and mountaineering, fire making and fishing, kayaking and boating.

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  Help

  This winter I am looking for someone to help me make a mosaic floor in my greenhouse! So if you are artistic and good with your hands and colours and making I can teach you how to do it. I am also looking for help with refreshing my very rusty piano playing and would be delighted if you can teach me! Both my puppy Leyla and my kitten Silky are always in need of plenty of cuddles and play and walks, so people with a special passion for dogs and cats are warmly welcome. As the sunlight returns at the end of January, aurora and lots of fires and candlelights will provide light and warmth in the otherwise cold and relatively dark winter months. Welcome to bright and positive, artistic, practical and fire-cherishing animal lovers who also appreciate good food and chai!
  
  In the spring and early summer (May-June) the garden is in focus and it is therefore important that you enjoy and have some experience and interest in the wonders and labour of organic gardening. The autumn is mainly for harvesting vegetables and berries and fruit from the garden and picking mushrooms and berries from the wild. Picking, harvesting and preserving is then at the core. In midwinter (March-April) people who are good with chainsaws or swinging axes for wood chopping are always welcome! November to March is a time for indoor work including painting and decorating, sorting, mending, sowing, upholstery or updating websites and other computer based work. In addition people who can help with general things like cleaning, painting, sorting, cooking, beer-brewing, MAC stuff/Lightroom/Final Cut Pro, archiving, mending etc. are always welcome☺️
  
  In the spring/summer of 25 I would need help by someone who is comfortable with heights for scraping and painting the a wall of my house and the roof of the barn. I promise great views:) I also need help with the organic garden in spring and throughout the summer. I am looking at making a rocketstove outdoor bathtub setup if anyone fancies the thought of that and a frogs pond is also on the agenda.
  
  You need to be practical, self motivated and organised, independent but sociable and, as we all share the cooking and cleaning, you would need to have some skills in this area too. Ideally you would need to have some practice in the tasks we will be doing like; organic gardening, permaculture, woodwork, painting & decorating, cooking, digging, Mac skills etc. Love for animals and plants is very welcome, good humour an appreciated disposition and wonderful if you also have other skills to share like mending, making, sewing or any crafty, artistic or musical abilities or practice yoga for mutual enjoyment or to share with the local community! You are also invited to do your own creative projects and initiatives here and contribute to making this an interesting and diverse place.
  
  This can be a very busy place in summer but in autumn and winter it is more of a quiet place so you would need to be comfortable with quietness and not having too many people around. It is fairly remote with a two hour journey by express boat to reach the nearest city (Bodø) so it is best suited for people who feel happy and comfortable with remoteness and being immersed in wilderness. The weather varies and can be glorious and amazing but also rough, wet, windy and cold. You need to be mentally and physically prepared for whatever happens.
  
  From the end of November till the end of January the sun does not rise. It does not mean it is pitch black but be prepared for only 4 hours of moderate daylight. However, the light there is is totally magical with the sunlight reflected on the snow in the mountains.
  
  From end of May till end of July the sun never sets. That is if there are no clouds in the sky:) This time of year the light is also magical, but for some people it might be hard to separate day from night, and to go to sleep.

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  Languages spoken

  English: Fluent
  Norwegian: Fluent
  Swedish: Fluent
  Danish: Intermediate
  German: Intermediate
  Spanish: Beginner

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  Accommodation

  A good size guest room with an adjoining bathroom, another couple of rooms in upstairs of the house or a small guesthouse in the garden (no bathroom but you can of course use the one in the main house). Computers and internet/wifi available, a screen and projector for films but no TV.
  TV or game addicts would get very bored here...

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  What else ...

  Engeløya is easy to get to by public transport. Either by train or plane from Trondheim/Oslo or Bergen to the nearest city, Bodø, and then by expressboat or bus to Engeløya. Make sure your arrival in Bodø corresponds with the boat from Bodø to Bogøy (on Engeløya) which leaves at 18.00 Mon-Sat. 19.00 on Sundays. Note: The boat is the catamaran HURTIGBÅT and not the HURTIGRUTE destined for Svolvær. You can also come here by bus. We will send you more details and a map of how to get to the boat in Bodø. I WILL SEND A TRAVELGUIDE TO ALL VOLUNTEERS.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Can host digital nomads

  This host has indicated that they love having digital nomads stay.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  This host can provide space for campervans.

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  Can possibly accept pets

  This host has said they are willing to accept those travelling with a pet.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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