IAIN MACDONALD

Originally from Northumberland I spent twenty-two happy years on an arable farm, it was a fantastic up-bringing and I always felt that I was lucky to be living in such a rural area of northern England. There is a lot to learn being a farmers son and there is no doubt that it was hard work and also very enjoyable. However, in my early teens I realised that farming was not for me and finished my schooling to head off into the catering trade.

I had been a very young kitchen porter for some years by this time and had gradually worked my way up the catering ranks of my local restaurant to become a comis chef and occasionally serve in the restaurant. Six years later came another career change, into the pet trade which at the time was enjoying huge success. After obtaining business management qualifications my Father and I launched the family pet store which proved a healthy venture for the following five years.

Being in my early twenties meant that I was itching to "flee the nest" and get involved in the property ladder. I had met my partner Gayle a year prior and a few years after that along came Josh (or "Rubio" as the Spanish call him due to his blonde hair). Two houses later, the desire to re-locate to hotter climes became an irresistible urge. Spain made sense for a number of reasons: the culture, the food, the healthy lifestyle and the small fact that Gayle speaks fluent Spanish!

So a kind of full circle, back to rural living as I am most certainly nowhere near the Costas - for me Spain had to be "real" Spain. 2003 saw the most challenging relocation to date, a complete change of life and the challenge of submersing ourselves into a new culture as a family. I always say that our village of Orce found us - we did not find Orce. The choice of property is by no means conventional either, cave houses are having a huge revival in Andalucia and this was to be the renovation project for the first eighteen months. Now my new life in rural Spain has settled down slightly, instead of bricks and plaster its barbeques and tapas. I enjoy the mountain views and the clean, unpolluted air every day. The local produce is organic, the lifestyle healthy and the village is a genuinely friendly place to be. Will I move again to begin another chapter? I doubt it!

Iain