Help Us Around Our Beautiful, Rural Property and Have a Laugh With Us In Chambon Ste. Croix, Creuse, France

Description

Bonjour!

We are Alan & Sheila, a down to earth English couple who have retired to France and are enjoying life. We are in our early 70’s, we have a family of 3 daughters and 1 son and 10 grandchildren, all living in the UK. We originally come from Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire.

We bought this Bungalow in France in Jan 2006 as we waved goodbye to our rented accommodation for the over 55s in the UK. Living there was the wrong move, we are not ready for the box, it was like waiting for God! Ever since we upped Sticks and made the big move, we have loved every moment and have put all of our energies into making this beautiful patch of land and house in France our home.

This is a very beautiful and quiet area located in the department of Creuse in the Limousin region of France. The countryside is quite calm with lots of woods, rivers and lakes for long walks and exploring. This isn’t the place to be if you like lots of noise, bars and clubs, but if you enjoy the countryside, the fresh air and good company then you will enjoy this work away job.

You will not have to work on weekends, so the surrounding countryside with its French hamlets will offer you plenty of scenic area to go for a walk, have a picnic and explore. You can visit the Claude Monet Trail which was a point of inspiration for his paintings with breathtaking landscapes of the woods and river. We are also very close to Ruines du Chateau de Crozant, an astonishing ruin site overlooking rolling hills and the River Creuse. You can also visit Lac du Chambon, an artificial lake on the River Creuse. There are plenty of tasty restaurants to have a bite to eat and if the suns out, you can hire pedalos, kayaks, canoes or go water skiing. There are also some artificial beaches at the end of the lakeside, perfect for soaking up the afternoon sun. There are plenty of quaint French villages dotted around the area as well as some larger towns like Limoges, La Souterraine and Gueret where you can find a cafe to spend an hour or two and even do some shopping.

If you prefer to stay in one place with lots of nature and wildlife, we have a 5 acre pasture next to our bungalow where your accommodation will be a 16′ caravan. The caravan has a refrigerator and everything you need to prepare your meals. There is a toilet in the caravan and the bathing facilities are located in our bungalow.

We spend most of our time outside in the Summer as it can be very hot at times. Our garden is for lazy afternoons which we would welcome you with good conversation and a cup of tea if you would like.

We hope you will come and join us in our little paradise, the wine is cool and the sun is warm at the moment… we will save you a seat!

Type of help

Gardening
Building
General Maintenance
Help in the house
Help with Computers / internet

Help

As a result of the work being diverse and at times physical we prefer to have couples (driving licenses are recommended, our car is fully insured). I recently had knee surgery and in therapy now. My wife does not drive, so the physical work and driving will help us greatly.l so need someone to keep her company, help around the house and gardens if they wish to, and most importantly to drive our car.

As mentioned, we have 5 acres of pasture next to the house, we have just put in a chicken coop where we hope to keep a few hens. Aside from help keeping the "hen house" tidy and possibly some driving we may need you to do some light building (overhangs, fences, etc.). We have a motorised cultivator, and an electric log saw, chainsaw and a riding mower that you should be comfortable using. Cutting, moving and stacking wood for the winter may also be a task we will need you to perform.

Languages spoken

English

Accommodation

We have a 16 foot Touring Caravan in our own 5 acre pasture next to our Bungalow, it does not have running water, but has electricity. We do not use it for touring any more ,just for sleeping accommodation for our children, when they visit. The caravan has all the necessities (bathroom, gas, electric, home comforts) and is extremely comfortable and comes with beautiful views of the french countryside!

What else …

The local train station is Gueret and the nearest airport is Limoges. I can collect you in the car from the station/airport. We are approximately 3 hours south of Paris by train and the Limoges International Airport is just 1 1/2 hours away.

A little more information

• 

  Internet access

• 

  Limited internet access

• 

  We have pets

• 

  We are smokers

Volunteering hours expected

in exchange for 5 hours of work a day (you can select the days) we will offer you a weekly shopping allowance plus the use of our car for licensed, experienced drivers.