Blue Skies & Black Olives: A survivor's tale of housebuilding and peacock chasing in Greece - Hardcover

John Humphrys

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0340978821 ISBN 13: 9780340978825

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton, 2009

Synopsis

It was a moment of mad impulse when John Humphrys decided to buy a semi-derelict cottage and a building site on a plot of land overlooking the Aegean. A few minutes' gazing out over the most glorious bay he had ever seen was all it took to persuade him. After all, his son Christopher -- a professional musician fluent in Greek -- was already raising his family there so he would help build the beautiful villa that John dreamed of. What could possibly go wrong?Everything. John was to spend much of the next four years regretting his moment of madness.Some of it had its comic side. He learned to cope with the escaped peacock that took over his lemon grove and even a colony of rats that took over the cottage. Some of the humans proved trickier: the old man demanding payment for olive trees in the middle of John's own land; the unfriendly neighbour who tried to barricade him in and the friendly neighbour who dragged his lovely old fishing boat onto the beach and set fire to it after a row with his wife. And, of course, the builders. If you have ever struggled with builders, read this and be grateful.John learned a lot about Greece in a short time. He grew to love and lament the country and its people, but was never for a moment bored by them. And Christopher learned a bit more about John. Their shared experience revived keen memories for him of growing up with a father for whom patience was never the strongest virtue...Here father and son tell a story by turns hilarious and revealing about a country that intrigues and infuriates in equal measure.

About this title

About the Author:

John Humphrys has reported from all over the world for the BBC and presented its frontline news programmes on both radio and television, in a broadcasting career spanning forty years. He has won a string of national awards and been described as a 'national treasure'. He owned a dairy farm for ten years and has homes in Greece and London. Christopher Humphrys is John Humphrys' eldest son. He has lived in Greece for the past sixteen years and is a cellist with the hugely popular Camerata Orchestra based in Athens.

Review:

A tale of how sunshine, rough wine and a deep love between a father and son conquers Greek beaurocracy to build a dream house. Funny, touching and one of the most enjoyable reads of the year. * Country Life * Entertaining * The Lady * carried along with wit and style * Irish Times * a profoundly instructive course in the idiosyncrasies of Greek law, custom and culture...Entertainingly chronicled * Saga * a very funny tome * Daily Telegraph * hilarious * Daily Mail *

About this edition

• Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0340978821
• ISBN 13: 9780340978825
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 288