For me, Chris Stewart’s Driving Over Lemons sets the standard by which all travel memoirs are judged. Q: You did all the building yourself (with some help from friends), and did a complete renovation of El Valero. Peter Gabriel seems to have played drums on a couple, and the Christopher 'Chris' Stewart (born 1951), was the original drummer and a founding member of Genesis. I had recently learnt a piece by Gaspar Sanz, the “Dance of the Washerwomen”, and there was a part of me that wondered if they might not stop what they were doing and dance, if I were to play that piece. I told them of my Chinese aspirations and they told me it was a shame they hadn’t met me earlier as they had just sent three people to China to do the Rough Guide.

All of the characters, especially his wife, were more supporting cast than ever having real personalities of their own (except maybe Romero). This is the story of his adventures coming to terms with the terrain, the lifestyle and, of course, the locals, who possess all the rugged, homespun charm you'd expect. In fact I enjoyed it more the second time around because I have visited some of the places and seen some of the things described - hillsides covered with olive and almond trees; the Moorish influenced houses that appear to cling precariously to the mountainsides; the acequias designed to bring water from the high Sierra to irrigate the crops and much more! Alvaro and Manuel, La Pepa, added: “We are delighted to be working with this multi-talented team to bring Driving Over Lemons to life, particularly as huge fans of Dan’s writing and work. If it rains, the water must be contained so it can be used later in the year when drought takes hold.Christopher Stewart (born 27 March 1951) is a British author who was the original drummer and a founder member of Genesis. We’re excited to partner with Nick, Alvaro and Manuel to bring this “slice of sunshine” drama to audiences at home and beyond. Then, fifteen years later and married to Ana, we found ourselves one day lamenting the dullness of our lot.

I remembered a half-forgotten snatch of song, something about a lovelorn gypsy throwing lemons into the Great River until it turned to gold. I’ve come to consider — foolishly perhaps — the thought of living in a house built by somebody else as faintly distasteful, like wearing other people’s underclothes.Unfortunately, in Zagreb, confused by signs in Serbo-Croat, a language I never mastered, I rammed a tram and knocked it off the rails. This particular specimen was published in the 90s and was so successful that it has developed into a trilogy (in four parts! Instead I took up classical guitar, and during the long lonely agricultural evenings I would pore over weed identification charts and work on my guitar playing.

DRIVING OVER LEMONS may not have the broad appeal of Peter Mayle — it has not sold like the Provence books, and I don’t think it will; it may be a little too raunchy and earthy for the common taste, in a similar way to the fact that Andalucia is a little raunchier than Provence. Although people have been kind enough to say that the book is ‘charming’, I have tried not to paint too romantic a picture, and have included the heat, the flies and the dust, as well as the setbacks, catastrophes and disappointments that are the inevitable concomitant of any such half witted undertaking.Eso hace que a una casi le den ganas de tomar sus pilchas y buscar su propio paraíso-no paraíso agreste.