The final habitational observations is that of the rose tinted glass, king of all you can survey, lord of the manor as far as the eye can see, Campo Finca!

Yes, everyone's idea of what living inland off the Costa should be like, but the truth is actually very different as we've found out.

There are some wonderful homes and properties in the countryside, there's no doubt, however, the Finca', (country house, farm, small holding etc) takes on a whole new dimension when you actually start living in one.

We have a number of acquaintances who have chosen to live au natural', opting for the rustic, more secluded way of life, however, it doesn't come without it's draw backs! On the positive side, living in a converted barn or purpose built dwelling surrounded by ten thousand meters of land filled with fruit trees, with a beautiful view is something I have to admit I envy.

But then take a look at some of the more common and negative aspects, for instance, access.

Some of the places we first viewed as stated earlier in the feature saw us taking bone shuddering rides up tracks and gravel paths which were just passable during the more clement months. But then how would you like to be stuck the wrong side of a swollen river or with no road at all for weeks or perhaps months, cut off from re supply or a main road. Or how about your water well drying up, having then to ask a neighbour to borrow a cup of water or await the arrival of a town council water bowser just so you can wash. Or how about going to the toilet and not being able to flush or finish the paperwork properly. Or how about the electricity failing every other week or having no power installed at all having to rely on solar panels or generator. Or how about having to rely on unreliable mobile phone signals or intermittent radio broadband for your computer.

Or how about suffering an injury during an accident and having to wait hours for help or a helicopter rescue. Or how about being of a more mature age when all these things put together make life harder rather than easier!

As we have seen, these things can somewhat spoil the dream and has done for many. We know of a number of people who have had enough of the idealistically classed rural life who wish to move back to some semblance of civilisation, even if just to drive on a tarmac road or be near a bar or shop or to experience any of the above I take for granted. There are those who, unfortunately, are trapped by their own means or the current economical climate, either by not being able to sell or unable to raise the funds to enhance their property lot.

Whatever the reason, the dream for some as we've seen and heard from, has gone sour with little or no option left open to them but to either grin and bear and wait it out, or cut the losses and move on back to the homeland.

Campo living can be exciting, adventurous and idealistic, especially for those who can either afford someone like me to help look after their property and provide assistance when they need it, or can afford a second property say nearer to a town and all it's amenities thereby giving an ideal all year round living solution. But it can become an absolute nightmare which people have come to realise too late and thus for them the days drag on with little or no comfort.

Sounds melodramatic? Well if you had asked me that twelve months ago I'd have said yes, I mean, surely things aren't that bad for people? But now I've seen and witnessed it for myself, I can only thank my lucky stars that my wife and I decided to forego the acreage and seclusion and settle where life happens all round us whereby we can enjoy the convenience of being in the middle of it.

While the kitchen farce was happening all round us, I had decided that if we couldn't live inside the house due to the mess, how best could I spend my time outside?

The obvious answer was to tackle the dreaded full house paint which undoubtedly became our No1 cosmetic job before winter. It was still only the second week in September so it was still relatively Scorchio, but I decided to go ahead anyway believing getting it done before any forecastable rain came was the best option. Oohhh, and did I pay for it!

The lady at the local Valentine Pintura' paint emporium was extremely helpful, explaining best she could what paint to buy, what brushes, preparation of the stone and so forth, after all, how many people in England actually painted their whole house! Yes, you normally do things like guttering, doors and window frames, but never the whole thing, it was certainly a new one on me. We had brought out a jet wash and after a minor plug conversion and a hose run, we were ready to wash and prepare the Villa ready for painting.

Now I know I said it was only a one story property, and I know I said it had a tiled roof, but that's where the first of my challenges began. Getting up on the roof wasn't the problem, it was staying up there! All too soon I discovered that balancing precariously on a 4" ledge with the karcher in one hand, the jet lance in the other, and a whole hoard of angry wasps trying to protect the myriad of nests built up over the years under the loose tiles was less than fun I can tell you. Rose refused to watch fearing the worst, preferring to be somewhere else while periodically shouting up to see if I was alright, only to be met by my, shut up woman, I'm trying to concentrate on not falling and injuring myself!'

Though that may have been an easier option!

Every time my foot wandered off the supporting central wall structure, I would hear that now familiar snap' as another brittle tile cracked causing yet another expletive to seep from my lips. There was a job for later I thought, so far I had managed to count at least forty broken tiles while adding at least another forty of my own doing to the list.

Three days later and after many near misses and minor tumbles, I had finished the preparation leaving the Villa somewhat like a derelict in appearance what with all the old paint and loose chipping's now covering the floor. I decided to take a day off to rest as just the cleaning part had wiped me out, after all, the temperature was in the low nineties and my water intake had risen to around a litre an hour, I just couldn't get used to working in the intense heat.(Lesson learned now of course).

I decided after my rest day to crack on and no matter what it took, I was committed to getting it finished ASAP.

The roof had to be the most difficult, though not as dangerous as the jet washing part, there was still a problem with keeping balance while running a stone paint roller around the roof walls. The wasps became good friends as stinging had reduced to around ten per day leaving me looking like a test bed for an allergy unit. It took me nearly a week just to complete the apex areas having erected an ingenious wooden gantry platform which sat on the roof causing minimal damage while holding all the accruements needed for the job. Rose would periodically throw bottle after bottle of water up onto the roof as it appeared as soon as it was drunk, it was out again in sweat. I imagine the neighbours thought it good entertainment in those early weeks to see the new Guirie' (tourist) doing something which most Spanish shy away from, choosing to hire someone else to do the home maintenance. (In fact, DIY was almost unheard of until the coming of the British immigrant, but more about that later).

The next two weeks saw me take at least a thousand trips up and down my ultimate ladder with a number of trips to the paint shop to pick up yet another twenty five litre drum of Plasticoat', though by now, the lady in the shop had lent me a paint trolley in which to run it home for return later.

By week four I was coming to the end of this momentous project. I had progressed to the outer terrace and adjoining property wall while Rose had started painting the metal wrecking bar security grills to finish it off.

By the end of the week, four rollers, four paint brushes and eleven empty drums of paint had been taken to the dump as we stood and surveyed our handiwork. I had to admit, it looked bright and fresh as borne out by the neighbours who now saw fit to walk slowly past admiring and smiling as they went.

It had been a harder than expected task, causing me more than a few headaches and pain, but it had been worth it. Apart from a couple of touch ups here and there, it should last a few years, the only thing that let the appearance down now was the multitude of broken tiles that adorned the roof, sigh!

Useful hint
Although I talked about the pros and cons of buying a car in Spain, choosing one for your particular needs is just as important. Take us for example. We bought a relatively new, popular Spanish saloon care. Comfortable, easy on fuel, great for a long trip on the open road or town shopping. But when it came to running our business, it soon became apparent that a typical family saloon is no match for some of the roads, tracks, or lack of them I may and did encounter!

If you live in the country, for most a 4x4 is not only handy, it's got to be essential. It became somewhat of a pain that some of the people we had come to know, actually invited us to their homes for dinner or a Barbie or just a social call. What an inconvenience then that they had to come and pick us up from the nearest main tarmac or concrete road because our own car was no match for that kind of Campo terrain.

We have no such problems now of course, having acquired a 4x4 4 litre Jeep Cherokee which eats up just about any track (as well as copious amounts of petrol!) or dry river bed without much trouble, and doubles as a great business workhorse for carrying just about everything. So now we have our saloon for the road and the Jeep for the rough, and of course the dogs, who absolutely love being driven into the middle of the Rio Grande (Big River) for their walks.

Useful tip
Strange but true, but if you, like me, have decided to repaint your home, just be careful and check to see if there is a by law in place which restricts you from doing so, especially if you plan to paint it a different colour. There are certain villages that rule you can only paint your house white, or its original colour, or not at all unless you get a permit. You can be fined, even arrested or ordered to repaint it back to its original colour. It could cost you more than a can of paint!

Spanish facts
It is exactly 998 miles from our old house in Weymouth, (as the mother-in-law flies on her broomstick!) to our new home in Cóin.
The longest river in Spain is the Tajo' (Tahhoh) which sources in Albaraccin and runs into the sea off Lisbon. Length, 1007 klms.
The Spanish Guinness book of records gives the absolute highest mean temperature in Spain as 51.5 Celsius recorded in Seville on 30th July 1876.

Useful phrase
?Tiene una habitaction doble con bano/ducha?
Meaning: Do you have a double room with a bath/shower?
Pronounced: Tee-e-nay oona a-bee-ta-thyon doblay kon ban-yo/doocha?

Next week
Painting done, now to mend that blinkin' roof!