L’experience

17 Aug 2015 2 Comments

by Carole Gardiner in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , ,

I procrastinated so much about whether to do the Workaway holiday. As with many new experiences I didn’t know what to expect and even right up to when I boarded the plane I wondered if I was doing the right thing. But as soon as I landed in Limoges I knew I made the right decision and couldn’t wait to start my adventure.

I had the most amazing host in Susie, she is funny, witty and very kind. She had many funny stories to tell about her adventures in Morocco and in France and kept us laughing well into the night.

I met lots of new friends including my fellow Workawayers Karet and Karla, a lovely family from Australia and a couple who ran a cattery in the middle of nowhere. Also met lots of lovely customers in the tea shop and guest house.

Compared with my usual nursing career the work can hardly be described as taxing, there was plenty of opportunity to sit and relax in the sun and explore the local area.

I will definitely do it again, it’s a fantastic way to meet new people, have a cheap holiday and experience something new.

team pongo

De nager ou de ne pas nager

17 Aug 2015 Leave a comment

by Carole Gardiner in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , ,

Or……. to swim or not to swim for the non French speakers.

While I was on my Workaway adventure the weather was glorious and very very hot, which was lovely but I was at least 2 hours from the coast. My only option for cooling off was lake swimming.

I’ve always been nervous about swimming in lakes since I watched a programme as a child when someone got caught up in a load of reeds and drowned. Also nasties such as eels and leeches lurk in lakes ready to feast on unsuspecting bathers.

So I wasn’t that enthusiastic when Susie, my host, suggested a dip in a lake in La Souterraine, the next nearest town, but I was so hot and bothered I was prepared to be brave and give it a go.

I needn’t have worried, the lake at La Plage Suisse was man-made with sand on the bottom and not a bit of vegetation or creepy swimming things. The experience was so enjoyable that we went back quite a few times and even branched out further afield.

In nearby Gueret there is another artificial lake called Courtille Lake, which is considerably bigger than the lake at La Souterraine. There was a lot more going on such as sailing, giant water floats, canoeing and other water based fun! The grounds around the lake are perfect for walking, cycling and running. This, however, was much more than I was prepared to do in the sweltering heat and I spent the afternoon dozing under a tree!

swimming

En Vacance

20 Jul 2015 Leave a comment

by Carole Gardiner in Uncategorized Tags: , , , ,

When a person finds themselves single again there is always the dilemma of what to do for a summer holiday. A lot of my friends are married with younger children or in relationships. My sons are adults now and certainly do not want to spend a couple of weeks in a foreign land with their old mum. I’m not really a lying in the sun kind of person and definitely wouldn’t want to do that on my own.

So having scoured the internet for ideas for holidays for billy no mates I found a site called Workaway. In return for 5 hours of work a day, 5 days a week, (on average), a host will provide accommodation and food. There are hosts in a variety of settings offering all kinds of work worldwide. As this was my first adventure I decided to stay close-ish to home and look for a placement in France.

Imagine my delight as I found a vintage tea shop in the Limousin region in a small town called Le Grand Bourg. My joy continued when I discovered that I could fly directly there from Bristol.

According to the site, the work included baking cakes and bread, serving customers and helping out in the bed and breakfast attached to the tea shop. As none of this sounded too taxing I booked myself in.

The next few posts will tell the story of my grand adventure en Francais.

workaway