Snail Trail Update 3: At the end of the second series, we were renting a lovely house in Guaro and the programme said we had sold the fishery. In fact we had not sold it but in July 2005 leased it for two years to a man called Keith Russell.

He had an option to buy until July 2007. Having signed the papers we were off with Brandy and Tilly on the next ferry to Spain. We had two idyllic years on our plot near Coin, Malaga waiting for the final sale. In May 2007 we got a call to return to UK as Keith Russell was ready to complete the sale. We got back in June and paperwork flew between our solicitors until in early July we received news that Russell could not be contacted at the fishery. We tried but failed to contact him so drove up to North Wales only to find that he had vacated the premises, taking anything that was not screwed down - including our telephone. It transpired that he had taken out various loans before leaving and we had numerous calls and visits from bailiffs, loan sharks and banks looking for him.

We put the fishery straight back on the market and tried to find someone to caretake it in the meantime. As we began to receive enquiries and tentative offers, the recession began to take hold. One couple who were very interested had received an offer in principle of a mortgage from Northern Rock, only to find a few days later the TV News was showing vast queues of people trying to extract their savings from the very same bank. All this seems to follow the usual path of bad luck that we seem to drag behind us wherever we go.

Then one day in Summer 2008 someone called at the fishery offering to supply plants to sell on our forecourt. He was a nurseryman who rented polytunnels from a garden centre. This meant that he was limited in what he could grow and sell as he could not be in direct competition with his landlord. We saw an opportunity for both of us and offered the fishery to him and his partners (a couple who drove him around and worked for him) for 12 months RENT FREE. There were three acres of unused land to put polytunnels, a half acre car park for display and sales, a cafe and of course the 25 years established fishing lake and fish sales business. Yes! You've guessed it, it all went wrong again. The nurseryman was afraid to commit as he didn't want to spend any of his own money. His partners could see the great potential so took us up on our offer, only to realise very soon that they were in fact incapable of running the business. We had, of course, gone straight back to Spain as soon as they took over and it wasn't long before we had a call from them to say the boiler in the mobile home had burst and despite leaving details of all services including a plumber, they insisted that we return to sort it out as they did not know what to do or who to call. To remind you, we had let them have the whole site for NIL rent for 12 months and they kept all the money made from the businesses. So we reluctantly returned yet again. We were then trapped back at the fishery with the threat that if we left, the muppets (as we now called them) would not stay on.

So passed Winter 2008 when Lee swore we wouldn't have to endure another winter there. So in Spring 2009 we decided enough was enough and put the property in the hands of Auctioneers. The reserve price was £50,000 less than we were due to get before the recession. On the day of the auction in May 2009 we received two offers well below the reserve. The following day we had a visit from someone who had seen it on the auctioneers website. She seemed very taken with what she saw and the following day returned with her husband. They then offered the reserve price and we accepted - happy to take a loss to get away back to the sun. Then followed three months of agonising torture while the buyers tried to find reasons why they should get a discount and to delay the completion. But by late August 2009 the papers were finally signed and the deal was done.

NOW we are back where we feel at home in Andalucia. In the interim Lee has taken a beekeeping course and become an apiarist. He is also investigating the use of ladybirds as an organic form of pest control. We are happy on our small plot but now need something larger to house the expanding menagerie which now includes snails, worms, bees, ladybirds and two old ladies called Brandy who is 96 in dog years and totally deaf and Tilly who is 76 in dog years and partially blind. They both still love travelling and are happy to be wherever we are. Where we go, they will follow. Lee, of course, is not above searching for another deal and is now looking at distressed properties with a bit of land owned by people who may be thinking of handing back the keys to the bank. His idea would be to take over the mortgage and give the owners a cash bonus to ease the pain of moving.