He came in last place for the position of local councillor in the 27 May 2007 local elections in Órgiva representing the Green Party, where he received 201 votes (roughly 8%). But the writing was on the wall and the famous Jonathan King, the manager, persuaded the lads to throw me out. Between all of that, he brings his eccentric neighbours vibrantly to life on the page and you learn about their lives in Stewart’s beloved valley — which, at the end of the book, you learn is under threat of a dam.

Stewart has also contributed to two books in the Rough Guides series: the Rough Guide to Andalucia and the Rough Guide to China. A Parrot in the Pepper Tree, the sequel to Lemons, follows the lives of Chris, Ana and their daughter, Chloe, as they get to grips with a misanthropic parrot who joins their home, Spanish school life, neighbours in love, journalists beating a path to their door . Following in the footsteps of his first book, here we have another delightful sojourn at El Valero, in the Las Alpujarras in Spain - at the eco friendly home of Chris, Ana and their five year old daughter Chloë. His books are in the Peter Mayle vein, low-key and humorous: an Englishman finds the good life abroad and tells amusing anecdotes about the locals and his own mishaps.We sweat with him as he shears impossibly lumpy, scrawny tick ridden sheep, and enjoy the ride when his ever ready neighbour helps him rebuild the bridge across the river, the only access by road to the farm. Kriss Stjuarts apraksta savu reālo dzīvi Alpuharrasas reģiona nomaļā vietā Spānijā, un viņš ļoti labi prot aizraut lasītāju tiktāl, ka pēdējais arī grib mainīt savu dzīvi uz līdzīgu.

All three are also available as audiobooks (Lemons ISBN 0-14-180143-3; Parrot ISBN 0-14-180402-5), and Almond ISBN 0-7528-8597-9, narrated by Stewart. Despite the extraordinary success of his first two books, Chris, Ana and their daughter Chlöe continue to live on their farm, with their numerous dogs, cats, chickens, sheep and one misanthropic parrot. This sequel felt considerably more engaging than Driving Over Lemons, perhaps because the individuals described are understandably more familiar.

In the first book in the series - Driving over Lemons - he introduced himself and something of his life. By this time, his first book had become something of a literary sensation, so he reflects on its composition and early reception, remembering when the Mail sent a clueless reporter out to find him. The rest of it continues the theme of “Lemons”: the things that go on in the Alpujarras, the characters, life on the farm, the curious case of the ecological swimming-hole, a journey up to the high sierra, a life threatening encounter with a murderous desperado.