How does one squeeze a lifetime into 250 words – oh well, here goes.

I left fulltime education aged eighteen and began a career in retail. Ten years later, I found my true vocation after buying into a small printing business. After 13 years of blood, sweat, and holding back the tears, I sold up to pursue my dream.

In May 2002, my wife Melanie and I left our home town of Huddersfield in Yorkshire. We squeezed all our worldly goods into an aging executive saloon and headed off to Spain. Not for us the tourist packed Costas of the Mediterranean coast, or the hills of Andalusia. We headed for Galicia – a remote and little known region in the northwest corner of Spain.

I began writing in 2004: a weekly column about our life in Spain. Over the last few years I have written a number of articles for the Trinity Mirror Group and online publications such as My Destination. In May 2013 I published my first book, ‘Journey to a Dream’. It tells the story of a turbulent first 12 months in Galicia; but this was just the start of our adventure; I have plenty more stories to tell.

As well as writing, my wife and I own a traditional Galician farmhouse that we rent to tourists from around the world. I’m also an enthusiastic wine maker and ocassional drinker.