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Chickens, Mules and Two Old Fools: Old Fools, #1
Unavailable
Chickens, Mules and Two Old Fools: Old Fools, #1
Unavailable
Chickens, Mules and Two Old Fools: Old Fools, #1
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Chickens, Mules and Two Old Fools: Old Fools, #1

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

4.5/5

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About this ebook

*New York Times bestselling author*
*Wall Street Journal Top 10 Bestseller*

If Joe and Vicky had known what relocating to a tiny mountain village in Andalucia would be like, they might have hesitated...

They have no idea of the culture shock in store. No idea they'll become reluctant chicken farmers and own the most dangerous cockerel in Spain. No idea they'll help capture a vulture or be rescued by a mule.

Will they stay, or return to the relative sanity of England?

The Telegraph-- "a colourful glimpse of Andalucían life. And a psychopathic chicken or two. Charming...funny"

LanguageEnglish
PublisherAnt Press
Release dateJan 3, 2014
ISBN9781497703148
Unavailable
Chickens, Mules and Two Old Fools: Old Fools, #1

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Reviews for Chickens, Mules and Two Old Fools

Rating: 4.341176376470589 out of 5 stars
4.5/5

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Anything in print with the power to make me laugh out loud is a score. I've never moved and I'm not fond of travel, but we are getting to the point in our lives where we are starting to plan to pull up stakes and move to the place we want to retire in. It certainly won't be as dramatic as this couple's adventure, but I am hoping to somehow ease the transition. The story is engaging, the writing flows nicely, and as a lovely bonus, each chapter begins with what certainly appears to be an authentic recipe. I will read the other entries in her series.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is a very enjoyable book. The stories are interesting and either amusing or outright funny. Every story had me either smiling or laughing out loud.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A fun memoir about a couple from England relocating to Spain.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Great read! Was very interesting and exciting! Love that it is a real life experience. Would recommend this to everyone to read! Also like all the recipes.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    (For some reason my orginial review disappeared) I loved this book! I have read twice - just to relive with Victoria and Joe the joys of retiring! I bought a copy for my in-laws to enjoy. They are now retired and are remodeling a home in Florida... Let's hope their time is memorable as this book!Chickens, Mules,and two old fools is a great read! Highly recommend!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    t's taken me a long time to write the review for Victoria Tweed's Chicken, Mules, and Two Old Fools: Tuck into a slice of Andalucian Life. The delay was caused by my absolute reluctance to finish the book because finishing the last page seemed like leaving behind people who would be a pleasure to have as neighbors and a privilege to have as friends.Tweed and her husband and her reluctant to move husband, Joe, make a contract between themselves to find, renovate and live in a house in Spain once he retires from the military in England. Victoria is fed up with the climate in England and eager to relax in proverbial sunny Spain. This is the story of their transition. With every new challenge, the reader has to wonder whether, at the end of the five years, Joe will say its time to return to soggy but familiar England.You find yourself pulling for Victoria to win the bet; they simply have to stay in the small, friendly village up in the mountains. You hope they will be able to survive the challenges of remodeling and building first the run-down home they buy and then the two they build on-site. While you await Joe's decision, you come to know the unique and fascinating villagers and even a few ex-pats who make the village their home and contribute to the warm, welcoming life that comes to envelope the Tweeds.They have unexpected adventures, from Away Days where they explore the countryside and to wine making with their neighbors. They have to learn to adjust to a different pace of life, a different cultural view of gender roles, and how to relax amid challenges and chaos.It was a delightful read, and one that I found myself sharing with my husband when he would ask “what are you laughing about.” He, too, came to think of the Tweeds as a couple we'd love to know better because they experience life with a keen eye, an adventurous spirit, and a kind, loving heart. Victoria Tweed has a wonderful way of sharing their life that makes you feel as if you were experiencing with them. Thanks to Library Thing, I was able to escape to the south of Spain through Victoria's book and feel better for having done so. I highly recommend this book, and look forward to more time with this delightful couple. If you are almost ready to buy, but not quite there yet, may I add that there are about three dozen delicious Spanish recipes in the book as well. So there you have it: part travelogue, part real life adventuring, and part cookbook. What is not to love and enjoy?
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was such a fun read! it was lighthearted and hearing about someone's move seemed like a strange concept to me before reading but it was very interesting and i thoroughly enjoyed it :-)
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The story of a couple who are fast approaching retirement and feeling that they need a change in their lives. Joe and Vicky decide to play a form of Russian Roulette, that includes a soviet era style "five year plan." El Hoyo a small village in the mountains of Spain is their location of choice. The book is a delight in two ways, first the story and then all of the culinary recipes. With a Spanish flavour that are thrown in for good measure. Their new family includes a batch of chickens, with delightful names that reflect the chickens character. A handful of human characters including locals and expats. Not forgetting the mule in love. All are woven into a light hearted tale. Reliving televisions "The Good Life" in a sombrero instead of wellingtons. A charming story written with a relaxed attitude that reflects the manyana lifestyle that Brits find so hard to understand - but all so easy to adopt. There is no central plot other than the building one. There is however, much to tempt both the heart and the taste buds.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I really enjoyed this book! Victoria and Joe Twead decided to retire to a small Spanish village. This is the story of the hilarity that ensues. Vicki and Joe buy a falling-down house in El Hoyo, Spain, and spend their time renovating and getting to know the cast of colorful characters who populate the village. The next door neighbors address Vicki and Joe as "English!" There's a guy who's in love with his mule (and his mule is in love with him). There's a small-sized rooster who makes up for small-chicken syndrome by becoming a poultry Lothario. This book made me laugh and was well-written. At the end I wanted more, so I immediately purchased the sequel. I can't wait to read it. Recommended for those who like humorous travel memoirs.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Subtitled “Tuck into a slice of Andalucían Life”. Non-fiction account of how two fifty-something Brits quit that rainy isle and retired to a mountain village in sunny Spain. Intelligent & amusing – plus luscious-sounding recipes!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Travel to a small Spanish village called El Hoyo and stop awhile to visit with Vicky, Joe, and their wonderful neighbors who seem more like characters from an entertaining novel than real people. Even their friends who come to visit are unique and fun-loving. Vicky and Joe are able to laugh at themselves and respectfully laugh with their neighbors who are so culturally different.Enjoy their frustrations as they remodel a "home" that lacks the amenities enjoyed in their life in England. The author allows the reader to "enjoy" the obstacles they encounter because she and her husband face challenges with a remarkable sense of humor.My favorite scene in the memoir was of the couple sitting on an abandoned, yellow vinyl sofa in their orchard being entertained by their family of chickens. All, of course, had been given names to suit their personalities and quirky natures. The Tweads took pleasure in the small passing moments that many are too busy to notice or enjoy. The couples' ability to relate chicken cliches to their own brood was delightful.Photographs add to the reader's images of life in this small, hole-in-the wall village. Hoyo, after all, does mean hole in Spanish. Spanish recipes are an added bonus. If you are in the mood for an escape to a charm-filled village with an upbeat couple, Chickens, Mules and Two Old Fools is the place to visit.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A very entertaining story and, at times, laugh out loud hilarious. I enjoyed reading about the many (mis)adventures Vicky and Joe had while moving to and settling in a small Spanish village. Also great for those adventurous types who want to try cooking new things...I've passed the recipes on to my husband.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A fun read about a couple who move to Spain from dreary old England.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I loved reading about the adventures of Victoria and her husband, Joe, in Spain. The stories were funny, and the people all very likeable. After reading this book I want to move to a small town in Spain too. The recipes are a great bonus. I haven't tried any yet, but they look really good.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    What a wonderful and funny book!! I, like others, have found myself literally laughing out loud at the antics of Vickie & Joe as they acclimate to a tiny Spanish village. Talk about culture shock! At times they must have wondered if they were even still on the same planet as England. The villagers are described so well that I can close my eyes and almost see what they truly look like, smell like and (sometimes) what will impossibly happen next. Loved it!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Fun fun read! I was reading it on a plane and laughing so hard at the earthquake story that I finally had to share with the person sitting next to me. Enjoyed the book very much, for the humor and the lighthearted approach to life!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Oh this is a fabulous read, very funny, insightful, witty and extremely accessible. Some of the stories are hilarious, laughing out loud funny. Others are wryer in their humour.The characters are full bodied, richly drawn and people you want to meet.Victoria makes living in Spain sound doable and if you've spent the winter in either Britain or Ireland this year, desirable. The good bits, the bad bits and the farcical are all listed here.Plus the added benefit of recipes galore.Applause to Ms Tweed, excellent book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is a delightful book about a British couple moving to Spain. It is professionally written, but not written by a professional, the difference being that it was believable and very entertaining. most everyone who has lived in a Northern location dreams of moving somewhere warm and sunny and this book details how it is a complicated, and confusing but ultimately rewarding decision.I will definitely be reading the follow-up.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    A charming story of a brave couple that moves from England to Spain. A quick, easy, humourous, enjoyable read that makes you want to pack your bags and head for unchartered territory of your own. Although I would suggest that you are a fan of chickens as most of this book involves chickens.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Another reviewer said that she felt as though she were on vacation herself while reading this book, and I have to agree. Its the middle of a dreary winter here in New York and this is just what I needed! There are so many funny and endearing parts, I felt like I wanted to jump on a plane headed for Spain and experience this myself. The description of the people and surroundings was so well done I felt like I was watching a movie in my head. The chickens....well.....you have got to read the story and you will have a new appreciation for chicken owners! I cannot say enough, this is a wonderful story and I highly recommend it to anyone. Also of note, there are mouth-watering recipes included in the book that can help you authenicate your Andalucian experience!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I was lucky enough to win a copy of this book. It's non-fiction, the true tale of a couple who decide to leave England to retire to Spain. There are a few laugh-out-loud moments, and generally the book made me smile. The author made a decision to leave the UK one rainy day. Joe, the author's husband, was not sure about the move, so they compromised, agreeing a 5-year plan. They would move to the remote village of El Hoyo in Andalucía for 5 years and if it didn't work out they would return to the UK. Victoria Twead has a gift for describing people, places and actions so that the reader feels they are actually there. She is a fabulous storyteller. 'Chickens, Mules and Two Old Fools' is a wonderfully entertaining book. I feel as though I know all of the eccentric characters described in the book, and would recognise them all immediately if I took a trip to the village. I would recommend 'Chickens, Mules and Two Old Fools' to everyone, it's a real tonic. Reading the book I almost felt as if I was on holiday, right there in El Hoyo watching these strange and wonderful characters (and animals!). I didn't want the book to end, and in a way it hasn't because interspersed throughout are traditional Spanish recipes, all of which sound delicious and which I will be trying out!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    An excellent excellent book. it's easy, it's fun and it is full of sun ,what more can I ask for? the only thing I would ever want is that ,Please Victoria go and live in some other country and write us another charming book about your next 5 year project there.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Chickens, Mules and Two Old Fools proves once again that moving to a foreign country and fixing up an old house never works out quite as you planned. This time the setting is the Spanish Alpujarra mountains and the naive couple are Joe and Vicky, a British couple looking for a place where the sun always shines. At first the writing struck me as a bit unedited and rough around the edges, but as the book progressed the style grew on me until I wouldn't have had it any other way. Vicky comes across with a refreshing frankness, leaving nothing out as she and Joe stumble their way into their idyllic, Spanish life. You haven't properly described the book until you explain how utterly hilarious it is. From the first meeting with their German estate agent where they have to explain that they would like a house with a roof and walls to their hysterical chickens and wacky building contractor with his team of Equators you will be laughing all the way through. I highly recommend this book for a lovely period of escapism. You will thoroughly enjoy hanging out in Spain with Joe and Vicky!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    SYNOPSISPerhaps if Joe and Vicky had known what relocating to a tiny village tucked in the Alpujarra mountains would really be like, they might have hesitated... They have no idea of the culture shock in store. No idea they will become reluctant chicken farmers and own the most dangerous cockerel in Spain. No idea they will be befriended by an 85 year old spliff-smoking sex-kitten or rescued by a mule. Life is never dull as they embark on their Five Year Plan.At the end of five years they must decide. Will they stay or return to the relative sanity of England?Vicky and Joe’s story is packed with irreverent humour, animals, eccentric characters and sunshine. A truly hilarious page-turner, awarded the HarperCollins Authonomy 'Gold Star'.REVIEWSHarperCollins wrote:‘laugh-out-loud funny...especially the Spanish women heckling over eggs from “The English”...hilarious...engaging...the interspersion of recipes is charming’ Lucy Fox, author of The Keeper of the Enchanted Pool wrote:‘Oh, I love it! It’s one of the funniest things I have read in a long while. It reminds me a lot of one of Billy Hopkins’ books. 
Your recollections of everything that happens on your venture into a new life are brilliant and extremely well told. The people you met were real characters, especially Dick and Dale.
And the trotter, how could you have done that to your poor husband! Evil, but hilariously priceless.’Danny Gillan, author of ‘Will You Love Me Tomorrow’ wrote:'I love the relaxed writing style and easy humour of this. Great stuff!'Robin Bayley, author of ‘The Mango Orchard’ wrote:‘Victoria Twead is a natural storyteller with a knack for charm and wit.’ Aleck Loker author of 18 books including ‘Ancient Explorers of America’ wrote:'This is wonderful. I have tears in my eyes...the humor, the warmth, the joy...I love this book...the two of you sitting on the sofa in that dusty street listening to Spanish tunes on the crackly radio. What a sight you must have been...'
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    If you're looking to experience sunny Spain, and maybe even life in a tiny village in the Alpujarra Mountains, and without leaving home, then CHICKENS, MULES AND TWO OLD FOOLS is the book for you.Approaching retirement, Vicky and her husband, Joe, one day decide to pack up their bags and leave their comfortable Sussex, England home and settle in the village El Hoya, Spain. It is not long before they come to learn village life is full of surprises and quirky mishaps, and with hilarious culture clashes at evey turn. When Vicky and Joe unintentionally find themselves chicken farmers, Vicky says:"Oh, Pease! Our Spanish neighbours already thought we were insane, sitting on the yellow sofa gazing at our flock, letting them hop onto our laps, talking to them."Whether saved by a mule or sitting at a party table in the middle of the road celebrating a neighbour's birthday (and blocking traffic), CHICKENS... not only paints a warm, humorous and colourful picture of rural Spain, but also tells of how two zany Brits came to fit right in. Light-hearted and full of sunshine. A thoroughly enjoyable read.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I rocketed through the first four books of the "Two old fools" series. Funny, self-deprecating "old fools" and eccentric characters you'd expect to find in a tiny mountain European village. My absolute favourite chapter of this first book is the Equators - laugh out loud in my case.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This memoir reminded me a bit of the James Herriott books which I adore. His books are more charming, but this was good. Maybe 3.5--good enough that I look forward to reading the next in the series.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This completely charming book by Victoria Twead had me laughing out loud as she recounted the misadventures of her and husband's new life in Spain. Moving from the dreary ever raining skies of England to the sun soaked mountains of the Andalucian region of Spain, Victoria weaves her story around their new home in the tiny village of El Hoyo. Ms. Twead's easy going writing style carried me along with her and her husband in this humorous tale of trying to make a livable home out of a crumbling and decrepit hovel, complete with its own cave. Meanwhile, their new neighbor, Paco and his wife, insisting they need chickens, presents a whole new challenge as she regales us with the antics of her personality driven flock.The daily interactions of life in El Hoyo are all the more colorful by the ever present language barrier and social customs they encountered on a daily basis. Late night callers demanding fresh eggs, Uncle Felix and his adoring mule, along with Sancho and his daily flatulent walks all combine into a delightful and often humorous view of village life.I thoroughly enjoyed this heart warming and funny story of new beginnings and new friends. Dreams do come true.