Victoria Twead is the New York Times bestselling author of Chickens, Mules and Two Old Fools and the subsequent six books in the Old Fools series. After living in a remote mountain village in Spain for eleven years, and owning probably the most dangerous cockerel in Europe, Victoria and Joe retired to Australia. Another joyous life-chapter has begun.
I wrote...
Chickens, Mules and Two Old Fools
By
Victoria Twead
What is my book about?
Forget quiet retirement. If we’d known what relocating to a tiny Spanish mountain village would really be like, we might have hesitated. The truth was that Joe and I were thrown into a new life of surprises, adventures, and laughs. Every day was packed full of fun and sunshine that spilled over into six more books in the Old Fools series.
How could we guess that we’d become reluctant chicken farmers causing fights amongst the village ladies as they queued for fresh eggs? We had no idea we’d own the most dangerous cockerel in Spain, or help capture a vulture, or be rescued by the village mule. And when the village ladies gave me their favourite recipes, of course I shared them in the books. I guarantee they are delicious.
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The Books I Picked & Why
Driving over Lemons
By
Chris Stewart
Why this book?
I bought this book when the idea of moving to Spain was just that, simply an idea. By the last page of Lemons, my mind was buzzing. We could do this, I thought. And we could, and we did. So that’s why I recommend Chris’s book. He inspired our own move to Spain and without his book we may never have driven over lemons, (or figs, or olives, or almonds), or rescued a vulture, or lived in a tiny, crazy, mountain village, or written a series about our own adventures. Thank you, Chris Stewart!
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Spanish for Dummies
By
Cecie Kraynak,
Susana Wald
Why this book?
Who hasn’t learnt useful stuff from one of the “For Dummies” books? Our command of the Spanish language was lamentable when we first moved to Spain and we had to learn super-fast. The step-by-step approach in this book made learning the language a little less daunting and the accompanying CD was great for hearing how words should be pronounced. Although not hugely enthusiastic about following the course, the Spanish girl’s husky voice held Joe’s attention...
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Pardon my Spanish!
By
Harrap
Why this book?
This pocket slang dictionary was given to us as a leaving gift when we waved goodbye to England’s grey skies. It has had me sniggering ever since. I guarantee you’ll never hear sentences like those in Pardon My Spanish at your Spanish class. Oh no. It will teach you essential phrases like ya estoy cansado de ser yo siempre el pagano (I’m fed up with being the stupid mug who always ends up paying) or hoy esta de malas pulgas (she’s really ratty today). Totally invaluable.
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Buying a Home in Spain: A Survival Handbook
By
David Hampshire
Why this book?
If you are moving to Spain, you’ll appreciate David Hampshire’s guides for deciding which region might suit you, how to choose a home and settling into your new way of life. Hampshire includes vital advice like making a Spanish will, driving and finance. He even provides checklists of things to do before the move, and after arrival. We’d have appreciated advice on what to do if one's removal van knocks over the village fountain, or how to stop our cockerel attacking visitors, but I guess we were just unlucky.
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Tapas Revolution
By
Omar Allibhoy
Why this book?
Not only did we fall head-over-heels in love with Spain, but we also developed a love of Spanish food. The village ladies gave us recipes scribbled on the backs of envelopes which we often lost, so this book by the delicious Omar Allibhoy holds a permanent place on our bookshelf now. Believe me, his croquetas de jamón are to die for, and I agree with the reviewer who claims that Omar changed the way she cooks tortillas forever. The photos of the finished dishes are arty and attractive and (cough, cough) there are plenty of Omar himself which are also pretty easy on the eye. If you don’t believe me, check him out on YouTube.
