Come and help us with our self-sustainability pursuit, in our beautiful farmhouse, in Cotentin, Lower Normandy, France

Details

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  Description

  A well travelled and experienced family living in the heart of the French countryside, Nick, Polly, Thomas, Jessica and Christine welcome you to come and stay with us to expand your knowledge, experience and understanding of a wealth of experiences!
  
  A British family, with Welshness as it's heart and English as the spoken language in the house, we have been well installed in France for nearly 8 years.
  
  Polly is an experienced and qualified English teacher, working remotely thanks to the power of the online world, across France, Australia, Africa and the rest of Europe as well as teaching English on a face to face basis with organisations such as the University of Caen, The Chamber of Commerce and other private businesses.
  
  Nick has retired from his role as managing director of his own heating engineering business due to an accident that has left him with mobility challenges and is the chief homemaker, cooking up some incredible food, doing the chores and supporting the house. Both children are bilingual English and French and strong in German.
  
  Thomas is 22 at university in the UK during term-time studying to be a vet and Jessica 17 is studying languages in Lille. During term time, they are not at the house, but often come back during holidays
  
  Christine, Nick's mother lives in the newly renovated annex, separate to the main house. She is very independent and is a key contributor to the garden and the animal welfare as well as in our family life. She also has her own friends and pastimes as part of the Anglophone Association in Coutances. We live and work as French people and have a multilingual and multicultural existence with friends from the UK, the US, Australia, Germany and of course France!
  
  Our home is a traditional cours de ferme, built from local materials, by local people and was traditionally the main house of a large dairy farm that had been run by the same family for over 200 years before we bought the property in August 2015. The farm was retired in the early 2000s so other than our own animals (sheep, pigs, chickens, a dog and 8 cats!), there is no farmyard! The property is a U shape with a courtyard in the front and we are situated on the third highest point in Manche with stunning views of the sea and the surrounding country of cereal fields, big skies, lots of stars and no pollution.
  
  We have 4 hectares of open space divided into different areas. We have an allotment area for growing our own seasonal, organic fruit and vegetables ranging from a large polytunnel filled with mediterranean vegetables to the external areas that we plant with anything from potatoes, garlic, broccoli, beans to artichokes, beetroot and sprouts.... in fact, everything and anything to help us in our dream of being a sustainable household.
  
  Close to this allotment area is the field for our animals. We have a small heard of breeding sheep (for meat), between 2 and 4 pigs (again reared from meat, but rescued from a local intensive farm to live their lives in peace) every year and chickens for eggs all of which are all looked after in a natural and free environment, free from unnecessary chemicals and medicines, sunlight, fresh air and love!
  
  Nearer the house is the aviary for Zeus our rescued barn-owl, a pool area in the summer, spaces for archery, tennis, football, trampoline and of course cricket, a pétanque court and 2000 sqm of lawn and terraced garden bordered by fruit trees to run around in, hide in or just to sit in and enjoy the sunshine and the view of the sea! In addition to this there is a quiet secluded area away from the main garden with a tranquil place to sit in our fledgling vineyard and fruit garden.
  
  It had always been our dream when we purchased the property to restore it with its original features and characteristics. This has been a huge undertaking and has proved to be an important step in maintaining the history and legacy of the house and its surroundings. As part of our renovations, we have created a home in one of the barns for one of our parents to live in during her retirement. The work on the main house and the outbuildings has slowed somewhat and we have found a rhythm with the seasons to be able to carry out renovations as we need to

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  As already stated, we live and work as French people and have a multilingual and multicultural existence with friends from the UK, the US, Australia, Germany and of course France!
  
  Our house, La Maison Neuve is in Mobecq, a tiny village, merged with the new commune of La Haye in 2016. As part of the rural Canton of Creances (France’s only ‘label rouge’ area for carrot and leek production) and the Arrondissement of Coutances, we have the benefit of the wonderful country side and local produce of the Contention peninsula in the north-western department of Manche, Basse-Normandie
  
  La Haye-du-Puits is our closest town, 3 kms from the house. La Haye du Puits is a medium sized friendly and welcoming market town with a full range of commerces and services including a weekly market, festivals, cinema, library, church, supermarkets etc.
  
  We are in the Marais du Cotentin et du Bessin Natural Regional Park as well as being on the doorstep of the D-Day landing beaches on the east cost and Jersey and Guernsey on the west coast. From Cherbourg and Mont St Michel, the region is full of interesting, informative and fun things to do and see. It is the home of Christian Dior and William the Conqueror, The Bayeux Tapestry and the last stop for the Titanic.
  Simply though, there are beaches, forests and marshes; castles, museums and memories; nature, tranquility and peace.
  
  Anyone staying with us will have the opportunity to improve their English and their French, they would be able to travel the region to immerse in the wonderful things there are to see and do here.
  They would also be encouraged to learn new skills with animals, gardening, land management, with home improvements and with cooking (Polly is a qualified chef and caterer).
  
  We really do offer an incredibly large scope for anyone wanting to see an often overlooked part of France, to experiece rural living, French culture, to stay with an English speaking family and to help out with making our dream of being as self sufficient as possible come true!

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  Help

  Update!
  Following the storms over the winter, including the big on in November last year, we REALLY need people to help us with repairs to the house, such as painting, decorating, a bit of plaster-boarding to make our buildings watertight again (we lost part of the roof, now fixed but interior damage to be repaired) plus a lot of work clearing the garden, chopping, cutting, chipping and moving wood from trees that were blown over :-( and preparing the garden for this years crops ....
  
  Other than that...
  Primarily, we would love to host people who are fond of outdoor work...helping with (according to the seasons of course!) gardening, strimming, mowing, tree felling, wood processing, preparing, planting and maintaining the allotment area, helping to harvest and process the produce, looking after the animals, upkeep of fencing, cleaning out and feeding etc, general (unskilled) maintenance about the house. Physical strength is not a prerequisite, just a willingness to learn and to do!
  
  In the winter months, we would love to host people who can turn their hand to a bit of painting and decorating, sanding, clearing out barns, and generally helping us to renovate and revitalise our main house - anyone with plumbing or electricity skills is a bonus!! Helping to keep the house clean is also a job that would be welcomed
  
  We have all the tools and equipment needed for all the jobs required including a quad, tractor mower, petrol strimmer etc. Anyone staying would not be expected to provide anything but willingness to work and a smile but they would be expected to respect the equipment and tools as their own.
  
  The frequency of helping out would be ascertained on application but would not be more than 25 hours per week unless agreed otherwise. As well as providing free food and lodging, language lessons could be arranged as recompense in English or French.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  French: Fluent
  German: Beginner

  This host offers a language exchange
  I am a qualified and experienced English teacher for people wanting English as a second or other language! My husband speaks Welsh and German and we are both pretty fluent in French. Our children are bilingual french/English
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  Accommodation

  In the main house, we have a kitchen with views over the garden, dining room and sitting room both with a woodburning stove (wonderful in the colder months!), and a downstairs lavatory
  Upstairs there is a bathroom, recently renovated, a lavatory and three bedrooms where the family sleep
  
  Guest accommodation is separate and self contained above the old ‘laiterie’ which now houses the utility room and is known fondly as the ‘West Wing’. Newly renovated but in need of finishing. there are 2 bedrooms (a double and a twin with portable radiators) with a dedicated bathroom with a heated towel rail, shower, lavatory and sink. Views across the garden and fields through large velux windows is a wonderful way to wake up in the morning!!
  
  Heating in the main house is provided by the woodturning stoves and backed up by portable thermostat radiators. Bathrooms have heated towel rails and the hot water to the guest wing is on a separate tank to the main house.
  There are no separate kitchen facilites so meals will be taken together. Breakfast and dinner are included and a light lunch is included during a "working" day. We can cater for most diets but be aware that we have no dietery restrictions
  
  Snacks and drinks (bottled drinks and alcoholic) are not included outside of mealtimes but of course, tea and coffee is provided along with milk and sugar. There can be a dedicated fridge and freezer space and we can provide tea and coffee making facilities should someone want them.
  
  Bed linen and towels are provided as are laundry facilities.
  
  Smoking is not allowed in either the main house or guest facilities although there is plenty of space outside. Drinking of alcohol is moderate and usually at weekends as we work during the week. Faith and religion is not a barrier even though we are not a particularly religious family, preferring to believe in Mother Nature and common sense.
  
  We live in a very rural area so while the 4G signal is ok in the garden, sometimes it can be a bit weak in the house due to the thickness of walls! We have fibre connection with wifi routers and extenders throughout the property and again this can be on occasion a bit weak. there is a landline phone to make phone calls to most of the world without charge (depending on location)

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  What else ...

  We are a relaxed and friendly family and live life to the best of our ability. Anyone who comes to stay with us will need to be able to entertain themselves during downtime and during the evenings. The property is 3km from local services such as supermarkets and shops.
  
  Ideally, a car is a good idea however, from our local town (3km), there is a bus service to Coutances (20km) or Carentan (20km) where a train can be taken either towards Paris (2,5hours) or towards Brittany. There could also be an opportunity to take the ferry to the south of the UK from Cherbourg or Caen
  Train 
  Paris - Carentan 2h50
  Carentan - 25km, 28 Mins
  Coutances - 28km, 30 mins
  Valognes - 31km, 30 Mins
  St Lô - 43km, 42 Mins
  Cherbourg - 50km, 53 mins
  
  Airport
  CAEN - Carpiquet - 94km, 1h10mins
  ST MALO - Dinard - 151km, 1h 51mins
  DEAUVILLE - Saint Gatien Airport - 158km, 1h 47mins
  
  At home, there are many activities to do in the house and garden including a large library of books to borrow, garden games, archery, shooting, tennis, swimming (in the season), British television and English films. The beaches are close and a big part of our life.
  
  Polly has taught people of all ages, all fields of industry and all corners of the world adults for many years and as well as being qualified to teach and train in large organisation in the field of management development, she also has the qualifications to teach english as a second language to all levels according to the European framework and using practical and theory methods to develop reading, writing, listening and speaking competencies in a fun and engaging way. In her spare time, Polly cooks, reads and enjoys gardening and is developing her skills and practice in the complementary health areas of Reflexology and Reiki
  
  Nick is actually Welsh and very proud of his roots and country! He was the managing director the proprietor of his own SARL from 2014 in the area of natural heating and is not retired. He is a qualified sports coach and referee as well as a qualified climbing instructor. He looks after the animals and is interested in history, especially of the local area and the Second World War (D-Day Landings).
  
  Both Nick and Polly play musical instruments - piano, saxophone and guitar and enjoy watching films and entertaining friends and family, introducing a wide selection of cuisines from across the world.
  
  Someone staying with us would need to respect us and our family, friends and our house and facilities as if they were their own, to contribute in their own way, to be polite, helpful and enthusiastic. This includes our environmental philosophies of not using too much water or electricity, respecting the environment and animals, getting out of the experience as much as they put in and being able to "muck in" should the need arise!
  we love to pass on our knowledge and skills, to help people to better their skills and competences - to give them great memories of a time that they can look back on fondly

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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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  Space for parking camper vans

  we have a large property big enough to accommodate most sizes of motorhome/campervan. Electricity and water (within reasonable usage to be agreed) can be provided in exchange for work/help. Respecting nature, barbecues can also be used.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  Hours expected

  Maximum 5 hours a day, 5 days a week