British Columbia: BABY BOOMERS: be a VICTORIA "FARM GIRL" once a month

Your circumstances:
Female. Born in the 40'to 60's. Fit and active lifestyle. Always wanted to have a farm. Able to get away once a month for 3-4 days, ideally with another friend.

My circumstances:
I am also a female, born in 1948. I have a pretty little 4-acre organic hobby farm right outside Victoria. It has a 3-bedroom farmhouse we've used in past seasons to house international 20-something's who exchange their strength and stamina for accommodation and meals. That gets the work done, but it's gotten stale. There's no continuity -- and well, let's face it after awhile there's not that much companionable stimulation as a blur of young strangers enter our lives for a week or a few.

My plan for 2010 was to try to find women from the mainland who would come over as pairs (each bedroom has 2 twin beds), ideally arriving on the first ferry on Monday morning and leaving after supper on Thursday. I'd hoped to find women who would like to get to know a farm intimately over many seasons by coming back once a month, not Dec & Jan.

I plant, weed, harvest, and put up food. If that sounds like fun, I'd love to have you join me! Without doubt there is farm work that is simply too taxing for most women our age, I'd need to arrange to have the heavy work done.

Parting thoughts:
The plan I've just described has become a little more complicated. I was already "behind" in getting seeds starting, supervising fencing repairs, etc because I'd been out of town looking after my elderly parents, in the midst of which my husband (read: part-time tractor operator and fence builder) unexpectedly had open heart surgery ! Needless to say, the farm is a little neglected right now ! It may not be the year to realize this vision.

NONETHELESS, I'd like to see if there are interested women "of a certain age" out there. If there is interest, I'll arrange some get acquainted 2-day sessions in late March or early April. I'd prefer that you bring your own roomie-friend, sister, cousin. I'd be at least provisionally open to other demographics...so let me know if you'd perhaps come with your adult daughter, or your husband.

What I emphatically do not want to do is host your one-time free getaway to the island! I understand that you need to come and try it out -- and in that process you could discover it is not a good fit. So PLEASE know yourself and don't use this for a short holiday if you cannot envision the long-term commitment.

Part of the richness of the experience I'm offering is seeing the tiny leeks you pinch off and pot up in April grace a spectacular potato soup in October. Or gathering a few handfuls of raspberries this summer, and bucketfuls a year later. If that's what you'd like to experience, I'd love to hear from you! But if you simply could not envision making room in your life for a once-a-month commitment (for 8-10 months of the year) season after season, then please look elsewhere for an island get-away!

Sorry, this is a totally a non-smoking (anywhere on the farm) and no-pet offer.