Noeme

The first clue is @manx.net. To the uninformed we live in the Isle of Man, to most outsiders only known for the TT motorbike races. The Isle of Man is situated between Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales. On a clear day from the top of the highest peak, only five minutes drive from our house, all four destinations can be clearly seen. The island has a population of approximately 75,000 with the Offshore Finance industry being the biggest employer. Currently there is full employment and because of this experienced staff are imported in from abroad to maintain certain key functions, ie. nurses. The IOM is ideal for walkers of all abilities. The hospitals and nursing homes employ 500 over Filipinos who are highly regarded by the government and the local community. The total Filipino population is close to 1,200 You may ask how do we fit into the picture? My wife is Filipino working in the finance industry.  The Isle of Man in the summer is a paradise, everywhere is green and beautiful, it never gets above 25c and there are very few tourists. That is all fine in summer, but what about the winter? This is how Northern Portugal fits into the picture, the Isle of Man can be a miserable place to be in if one is retired, because it has it’s fair share of cold, wet and windy weather. We decided 18 months ago to look outside the island to pastures new so that we could spend as much time as possible outside the island. At a very early stage we decided that a small holding in a rural location which gave us an opportunity to grow our own organic vegetables, herbs and fruit trees was our ideal requirement, we were not looking for a holiday home. In late 2004 our ambition materialised, we are now the proud owners of a lovely modern comfortable house with an adjacent run down old ruin and plenty of scope to live off the land and be almost self-sufficient. That certainly is the idea. However before all this becomes a reality, there is a lot of work to done and we would welcome some help and guidance. In return in true Wwoofers tradition we will offer very comfortable accommodation, good food and an opportunity to take plenty of time off to explore the beautiful country side both in Portugal and near by Spain.