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13 Oct 2024
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Update 16th October.
Hello, we are Brian and Barbara.
We have workaways now booked up until January.
We would like someone strong and practical, maybe end January to help with fixing a car and levelling a mobile home!
Generally the help we need about the place through the winter is as follows.
Weeding. Planting.
Cleaning, tidying and painting and varnishing inside and out.
Tidying on the land in the form of clearing wild asparagus and dead branches from trees.
Pool toilet needs cleaning up and painting.
Also gathering wood for the fires and bringing logs indoors.
Probably we will have puppies, mostly we do and help with them is good because it frees us up for other things. Help with puppies actually means cleaning up their run each morning which is mostly covered in a mix of pee and poo and not the best job in the world. Sometimes the puppies are covered in it too! But after you get to play with them for a bit and the sense that they are now all clean is very rewarding.
Help clearing up areas that have got very untidy! We have lots of wooden pallets that need breaking up. A "builders yard" that has become a terrible mess.
***PLEASE read our profile very carefully before you ask to come. It is long but that is so we can avoid misunderstandings.
We are English, we don't speak Spanish at home. Our culture is English. Although we try to avoid chemicals we do not follow permaculture, we do not eco build.
Spain is an enormous country and we are right down in the south of it.
*️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️*️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️*️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️If we send an invitation we need at the point it is read that workaways reply yes, no or maybe! We often find ourselves waiting days for an answer meantime we are not asking anyone else and turning down others that ask to come here. If you ask to come and we say yes, then please don't leave us hanging about waiting for your confirmation. Same reason as above,
***Sorry, but we are not able to take workaways travelling with dogs. We foster puppies here that are vulnerable to infection.
We retired from our hectic life in the UK in 2003 and came to live on this dilapidated almond farm in a beautiful valley, 35 minutes from Malaga airport. We brought with us various animals, cats, dogs, a rabbit and our collection of ducks, chickens, geese and turkeys. Since then we have lost them all, but gained many more including 3 horses. Right now we have 7 dogs and 1 cat and some chickens.
We made many improvements to the property when we first arrived including installing electricity, drains and water as well as turning what was a four roomed empty building into our now nice home. We did pretty well all of this ourselves.
Twenty years later parts are now needing doing again!
We are getting on a bit now and thus not as able as we were and we seem to achieve much less than we did! Often now we are not able to do things that need strength and dexterity.
We continue to work on the place improving, maintaining and updating. We have, with the help of workaways created an area where we are able to foster abandoned dogs waiting for a home and our first arrived at the beginning of June 2015 and gave birth to 5 puppies 10 days later! Then we had 5 Spanish mastin pups abandoned at about 10 days old and needing bottle feeding. Thanks to the 3 or 4 workaways we had here at that time, all thrived. Since then there have been many more. Sad when they leave, but so rewarding to know we have played our part in sending them on to new loving homes mostly in northern Europe.
There is always a list of jobs big and small, inside and out, that need doing.
Painting, tree pruning, weeding, strimming. In winter bringing wood down from the hill for logs. Always checking and fixing fencing. Bits in the veg garden in winter. Weeding in winter.Types of help and learning opportunities
GardeningDIY and building projectsAnimal CareFarmstay helpHelp around the houseGeneral MaintenanceUN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
We are both very practical people and although we hope workawayers will have some skills when they come here, we hope that we can add to them. Brian is an engineer and can turn his hand to almost anything, machinery, cars, plumbing, electrics. He enjoys sharing his knowledge with willing people. Barbara is a homemaker. She cooks, sews, knits and is a true gardener (as well as mixing concrete, painting etc!) And again is happy to teach others.
We are great conversationalists and have had some very interesting talks with people from all over the world, exchanging views and information about our respective countries. It has been a joy for us meeting so many people some of whom we consider lifelong friends now.Help
Someone to help about the place when Barbara is not here because sometimes she goes away to work though that is rare now. Although Brian's cooking isn't too bad, it is rather basic and he will have been working too, so we would expect workawayers to share the cooking. Also he will need help keeping the place clean.
There are a lot of animals here which like attention. Some would like to go for a walk, some need grooming.
We try to grow vegetables if we can so the veg plot needs an eye keeping on it and there is always weeding needing doing. Regular watering in summer.
If is says on your profile that you do gardening you must be able to do gardening. You must be able to tell the difference between a weed and a plant or at the least be able to learn. You must also commit to doing gardening in the shape of weeding. Once the weather gets drier it becomes really hard to pull up weeds and once gone to seed will be next years weeds. It is really important that weeds are pulled before that happens. During the winter workaways should take advantage of the sunny days to do weeding while the ground is damp and they are easy to pull up. Also, it is less tedious to do an hour or so here and there than have to tackle it all at once when it takes several hours a day for many days.
Anyone good with a paintbrush would be welcome as there is always painting to do.
We have lots of ongoing maintenance, fencing, gutters, bits of concreting.
Outside work maybe quite strenuous but we do have a lot of machinery to help. We expect girls as well as boys to muck in with the manual work.
We are also self sufficient in logs for the fires in winter which means bringing them down from up the hill.
Thus we wouldn't expect more than 5 hours a day (because if nothing else, that's enough for Brian!). There are times though when it isn't easy to find 5 hours work to do.
We would also expect you to help with the domestic chores, such as helping tidying up after meal times, cleanliness of your room and bathroom, taking rubbish to the bins, the usual day to day chores. We don't expect to clean up after workaways. We expect workaways to launder their bedding and towels on the last day and at least hang it up to dry. Also to clean their bedroom and bathroom thoroughly. This is not a hotel and it defeats the object if we have to do a chambermaid service after people have left.
It is important that workaways that come here have common sense and do not need telling over and over what and where things are and have to be told what needs doing on a day to day basis. To us it is obvious that terraces need sweeping, walls need wiping down, poo needs picking up. If something looks dirty we shouldn´t need to ask for it to be cleaned. We also do not want workaways that are not able to do a good days volunteering. We don't want to have to stand over people making sure they are working. We rely on workaways being mature and with good work ethics. Over the years there have been people here that when they are gone we can not see what they achieved and that makes us feel a bit used. In exchange, for those that do do a good days volunteering, there will be lunches out, trips around and nice food and wine or beer. We see workaways as a two way street, we will happily give to those that give in return. We have had lots of workaways here who have left us really sad when it is time to say goodbye, sadly though there have been some that we have been keen to see the back of!
We like to start by 9am and we finish around 2pm and have lunch. We usually stop for a break mid morning. Some days though, depending on what´s happening we may finish earlier or occasionally later. Sometimes we finish earlier and all go off out somewhere even if it is only to the vet or the shops!
We don´t get on well with the attitude that workaways are working "for free". We put a lot of effort into making workaways comfortable. A lot of time, thought and expense goes into providing food and arranging transport and trips.
Please note we only accept applicants who apply directly through Workaway.
PLEASE DO NOT ASK TO COME HERE IF YOU ARE NOT WILLING AND ABLE TO AGREE TO ALL OF THIS.Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Spanish: BeginnerAccommodation
Accommodation is in a room in the house with a double bed, we can squeeze in to the room a narrow single bed. There is a shower room next to it. We used to put workawayers up in a self contained bungalow in the grounds but many workawayers have treated it very badly and it's main purpose is as a holiday let and thus regretfully we have decided to use it only if necessary.
We provide three meals a day. Breakfast is toast and jam and cereal, yogurt, fruit. Lunch is a sandwich, cheese or ham and salad, maybe soup or pizza. Dinner is usually meat or fish and two or three vegetables. We sometimes have vegetarian meals. We don't provide snacks etc. We don't provide fizzy drinks and beer or wine routinely. We are sorry, but we are not able to cater for vegans. Vegetarians must be willing to cook meat and fish for Brian. He becomes a grumpy bear if he doesn´t have meat!!
We live on a UK pension and cannot tolerate waste or extravagance in any form. Workaways must use electricity and water with care. Water is a particular problem here in Southern Spain where we go without rain for months.
At the moment we are not able to accommodate families with children. We have found that it is not always easy for workaways to concentrate on the job in hand and look after children and currently we have no suitable accommodation.
We can tolerate considerate smokers but that means they must dispose of cigarette ends properly, not throw them in the garden or empty ashtrays in the kitchen bin!What else ...
At the point that workawayers agree to come here we will ask for their telephone number, home address and emergency contact number and we will provide ours. When they arrive we will ask for proof of identity. This is for the security and peace of mind of us all
It may be possible for volunteers to have a use of a car now and again, if they are over 26 and have an EU driving permit.
We are situated about 5 kilometres from the village and there is no bus!
From the village though there are good trains to Malaga and from there, all over Spain.
We also have two bicycles, but the terrain is a bit challenging. We try to take our volunteers out to see some of the sights and they are always welcome to join us when we go off shopping or to the vet.
If workaways want to do something on a weekday we can be flexible.
A little about the area and things to do in the free time.
Pizarra is a small town in the Malaga province of Andalucia. Here you’ll be in a perfect spot to get an authentic taste of the region. There are beautiful hilly landscapes to explore close to the finca. The Sierra las Nieves is within a short drive, and is known for its geological features, with important caves and potholes. Of the latter, Sima Honda is more than 130 metres deep. Cave systems worth visiting in are Hoyos del Pilar and Cuevas del Moro.
Not to far away there is EL Chorro a quite famous rock climbing area made even more famous now after the re-opening of the Camito del Rey, King's walk.
Beyond the region’s natural splendour there are plenty of man-made attractions to discover minutes from Pizarra. Malaga city a short cheap train journey away. Malaga is an impressive and modern city with a fascinating history. It was the birthplace of the artist, Pablo Picasso, and you’ll be able to visit the excellent museum commemorating his work. There’s also a great deal of Roman heritage to discover, including a spectacular amphitheatre. We are little more than half an hour from the Costa del Sol. You’ll be able to choose from unspoiled natural beaches and bustling resorts. Among the closest are La Colina and Los Alamos, while the renowned fashionable destination, Marbella, is about 40 kilometres Southwest of the finca.
Pizarra is little more than half an hour from Malaga Airport (AGP), which is one of the largest in Spain and served by a range of budget airlines.A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
We have wifi cover across the property which is generally good though as in all things Spanish there are blips. But the town of Pizarra 5kms away has free wifi coverage. Mobile phone signal here is not good at the house but OK just up the road.
Space for parking camper vans
There is an area just outside the front gates which is flat, there can be an electrical supply to it and the bathroom and toilet in the guest cottage a short distance away.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Hours expected
5 hours Monday to Friday. The weekends are free but if workawayers are here we expect them to help with domestic chores.
Feedback (68)
We were very grateful for his input to the boring task of renovating our pool.… read more
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Accuracy of profile:
(4.9)
Cultural exchange:
(4.7)
Communication:
(5.0)
We were very grateful for his input to the boring task of renovating our pool.… read more
We didn't get off to the best start because we had planned outdoor tasks but then it rained for the first four days!
We had some delays then because we didn't have the… read more
She was good company and they were able to get out and about which was great.
Laura is positive and knows her own mind and gets on a does what is asked of her.
They arrived by car in the afternoon on Sunday, they were tired after an early start and went for a sleep. It was necessary for them to sleep in the guest house, a cat having taken up residence in the spare bedroom! They came along for dinner and after we… read more
Babara always makes such great meals and you can ask her for everything and she will find a solution. Brian is a very funny man, who can teach you also many things and talk to you about everything.
The dogs are the cutest and on weekend they either take you somewhere or… read more
They were here along with a third workawayer and along with Brian got the whole job done - mostly thanks to Benno!
They never stopped working and all the time saw things that needed doing… read more
Barbara had to leave for the UK a few days after they arrived and was grateful to be able to leave capable people who could get on with jobs and not need supervision.
Best of… read more
All we could have asked really.
And otherwise you will always have Something to do If you want.
They have a huge heart to help anyone with anything at any time, which is very rare these days. We loved our special coffee times at Bauhaus together! Still left some to try for the future. Looking forward to it. :P
We miss Barbara's heavenly… read more
They worked their way through a list of jobs not having to be shown too much. They just got on with it which was great for us because Barbara had a deadline to meet elsewhere and Brian had a list of his own! They… read more
We already had a workaway here and so only a few things that Ata could do. Mopping out puppies, picking almonds and carobs and cutting dead branches off trees, so we offered a place on that basis. We… read more
I felt very welcome from the first day on. They always made sure I was okay with the given jobs. I did some weeding, planting, painting, walked Ludo the dog every morning and looked after the chickens every day.
I loved spending time with B&B during… read more
We were lucky to have her here for 4 weeks in October. She was happy to get on with any jobs we gave her and keen to see them to the end. Clearing weeds, planting, sowing seeds, painting.
She is a happy smiling girl who became part of the family and we were sorry to see her go.
Best of all she took our dog… read more
She helped with the puppies and about the house. She sowed lots of vegetable seeds and knew what she was doing which was great.
We were grateful to have her here while Barbara was away.
She was marvellous with the puppies and went and cleaned them up without being asked.
She is a good cook and made delicious Japanese style food.
His English improved dramatically while he was here.
I want to thank Brian for the trips he took me with him when every time he went somewhere. Even… read more
Barbara cooks nice brittish foods and… read more
She was happy to do whatever job we found for her and we discovered her forte was painting. Even though that meant… read more
The farm sits on such a beautiful mountainous area, and the… read more
We enjoyed Allison's company very much and miss her now she is gone.
Sadly there were some issues about food! Our profile describes what we eat for each meal and roughly when we… read more
It was a pity they could only be with us a short time because we would have loved to have had them here longer. They achieved so much in that short time.
Good luck girls,… read more
Although we have lived here for many years our Spanish is still not good and it was a relief on many occasions when Fabio did the… read more
Amy has been here for six months and has been phenomenal.
She has raised pretty well single handed several litters of… read more
He saw the project of finishing the water tank as a challenge and did exactly that. Now any rain that falls in the… read more
Two wonderful, down to earth hardworking, welcoming and warming people.
I thoroughly enjoyed my short stay there.
Its important for other workawayers who get the opportunity to spend time there... to use their initiative and common sense and not to be afraid to get their hands dirty.
There is always something to do...
If your… read more
Although we had never built a farming net, fixed a digger or helped build a water tank, it was a highly enjoyable and rewarding experience which gave us some confidence for our future project of a house in the fields.
Brian and Barbara were… read more
Sylvia's help with translation meant we finally completed the importation of our camper van - worth her weight in gold. And, the water tank is now another step on thanks to her endless painting.
Nori got up the net tunnel to keep our cabbages free of caterpillars and… read more
I'm so glad I ended up at your place, even tho it wasn't my plan at first. But I stayed almost 3 month, and the time just flew away!! And no doubt that's because of you warm and kindness, which made me feel home from the night I stepped in. And your property.. wow! I couldn't have been any better place under this… read more
He arrived a short while before Spain went into lockdown because of Covid19. We could not have asked for anyone better to have been locked down with and we were more than happy that he was stuck here for so many… read more
Communication before we arrived was helpful and prompt which was especially nice given this was our first stay. We were kept busy with various projects while here (gardening work,… read more
It was good to leave them to it on the weeding and planting work knowing Breezy knew a plant from a weed! They caught up with most of the weeding I have been struggling to find the time to do.
Because… read more
However, we were lucky when we discovered Maureen likes to sew and so got on with making a sofa cover. Maureen also got a lot of… read more
They were very welcoming and adapted the meals so I could eat vegetarian during my stay, thanks very much for that :)
Most of the work we did was in the morning, I did some weeding, rendering (thank you Brian for teaching me !), painting and I took care of the dogs and the puppies ! It was… read more
They worked so hard bringing logs down from the hill and sawing and splitting them, we now have a huge pile which is wonderful.
They are a joy to have about the place, easy going, polite and funny. We so enjoyed having them here.
They are definitely in out top ten workawayers.
It was a shame that their little dog got poorly… read more
He worked very hard while he was here bringing timber down the hill for logs and we now have a huge pile which is wonderful.
He was easy to have in the home, polite and tidy, tidier than us really.
At first we think he found it not so easy having so many… read more
I’m really gonna miss the dogs and puppies (Bodie especially 😢), as well… read more
He got on with whatever we asked of him and if we hadn´t given him anything to do he went and weeded the garden without having to be told.
He didn´t mind what he did and painted, mixed concrete, cleaned up puppy runs, weeded… read more
I would like to stay for more time and finish with solar panels, but time is not waiting. Your lovely dogs,… read more
At first communication was a little difficult but his English improved every day!
Alex was happy to do anything asked of him. He mixed concrete and laid blocks. Sawed dead branches off trees and cut them up. Took an active part with the construction of a frame for solar power. Every morning he took… read more
They fitted in straightaway, got on with things from a list without having to keep asking. Always had a smile on their faces and were great fun.
We hope they are having a good time on their travels.
Nothing was too much trouble for them, they cleaned and swept and tidied and pruned. Philip fixed things on our camper van. And to top it all Veronique made delicious pizza!
They have a great sense of humour and are… read more
Katharina is very caring and respectful and gets top marks for not… read more
She is incredibly self motivated and quite insanely worked out in the garden in ridiculous heat! She didn't mind what she did, she… read more
He is polite, respectful and easy going. He is also proactive, offering to do things and asking if there is something to do. He came with the plan to put up some fencing but was quite happy to help pick almonds because we had got so behind with them. He is very tall so his height was a great help!… read more
Such an incredible place, with a fantiastic couple and dogs. We had more time with Brian to spend so we know him a bit more, and we will never forget this amazing… read more
We had a very good time at your place. With all the lovely animals :)
We enjoyed everyday to take care of the animals and the gardens and having nice and funny conversations with Brian. We felt very welcome and it didnt take long to feel at home.
Wish you all the best and a big thank you for everything!
Robin & Lars
Thank you so much for this amazing vacations! :) I think it was my best trip for the last few years.
I had only 2 weeks and 2 days and I hadn't wanted these 2 weeks ended ever :) I hope I was not useless during this time) And sorry for my English.
It's a great pity that we were not able to meet with Barbara - she was in… read more
Maryse was good company and easy to have… read more
We were there in the peak of the Spanish summer with temperatures in the mid to high 30's. A time when the locals do little else but party, as this was their "Feria", or festival… read more
Melanie is a kind and gentle young lady. She got on and did things without being asked, used her initiative, took great care of the animals and is a jolly good cook! She didn´t mind what she did and completed the jobs she was given.
We wish her well for the future.
To say that they are a funny and caring couple would just be an understatement for their humour and kindness! Apart from that they always make sure that everyone feels welcome at their home and can profit from their free time exploring the local area (Brian… read more
She is one of the workaways that we miss… read more
Food provided was highly enjoyable, being breakfast lunch and dinner. Weekends we were also free to explore the area. Brian was… read more
Bianca came to stay with us after her planned internship at a natural riding centre on the Costa de la Luz went wrong. She is easy going with a ready smile and was happy to do anything that was asked. The work she did on the kennel area enabled us to take our first foster puppies. We hope that we helped turn… read more
This reference is LONG overdue...... I guess the 'ratrace' caught up with me and for some reason it took me ages to find you to be able to write this feedback....????
I ended up staying at your place for 2 weeks in May and I felt right at home with you and all the lovely animals. The jobs to do were not hard and hours all… read more
All of they're animals are beautiful inside and out and we felt quite privileged taking care of them. Feeding, cleaning and keeping they're water bowls full because the weather was boiling! Rafa they're new puppy… read more
They helped us with everything they could, gave us advice, always made sure that we are alright and drove us to the train station or picked us up when we asked them to, so we could really enjoy the nature and the stunning surroundings without being… read more
beautyful and unforgetable Family in Pizarra
Yours today tomorrow and forever.
Joaquin Galisteo.
They staunchly picked almonds and peeled off the outer skins. Dirty, boring work but they carried on every day they were here.
They were kind and respectful which is important to us and we look forward to them… read more
They staunchly picked almonds and peeled off the outer skins. Dirty, boring work but they carried on every day they were here.
They were kind and respectful which is important to us and we look forward to them coming… read more
In general we picked almonds and peeled them. It was really… read more
Francisco tiene un gran sentido del humor y es respetuoso y amable. Recogiendo las almendras es bastante aburrido, pero no se quejo. Nos hubiera gustado que permancer mas tiempo y lamentamos que tenia que irse.
Francisco llego aqui porque quiere… read more
Jenny and Stefano came to us as “ workaway “ volunteers in April 2014 and stayed with us until mid June.
We found them to be very willing. They got on with jobs about the place regardless of how hard, dirty or
monotonous they were.
In their time here they built a 40 metre rock wall, a concrete ramp for the wheelchair of a disabled… read more
We absolutely loved our stay, we had a nice casita at our own disposal so accomodations were really nice. We also liked the jobs we had to do, they never let us do the same job for too long and they were also quite… read more
They were marvelous! In the time they were here so much was achieved.
They worked well alone, as a couple and as part of a team and without supervision.
We needed to move a wooden shed, they emptied it, dismantled it and rebuilt it in the new position on their… read more
Thank you for everything! We had a great time at your place.
We stayed three weeks in Andalusia. The accommodation was perfect. We had our own little casita with a full fridge.
The girls work was mostly sanding and painting, while the boys did concrete etc.
Barbara is a great cook and we laughed a lot with Brian.… read more