If you'd rather place an order by talking to one of our cheerful order desk clerks, please call 1-888-232-4444 (USA and Canada only) or 250-383-6864. From Europe, ring our UK order desk clerk at local rate number 0845 230 9601 (UK only) or 44 (0)1865 722 113.

The Eucalyptus Dance

by Ken Barlow

297 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #07-2557; ISBN 1-4251-5694-0; US$22.25, C$25.59, EUR17.35, £11.50

At fifty plus Ken & Sue fell in love with a small rural Portuguese mountain village on their first holiday together and took a decision changing their lives for ever.

About the Book

Changing lives at fifty plus is not an easy option. So when Ken and Sue, an English couple, fell in love with Alombada, a small rural working village at the top of a mountain in the Beiras region of Portugal, a few days into their first holiday together, they took a decision which completely altered their lives. Over the two to three years it took to buy a field of brambles and build a home and holiday apartments they kept a diary. The fun really started once they realised they would never require the Portuguese word for "bored."

From the start Ken and Sue faced setbacks at every stage, often appearing impossible, but they were made of sterner stuff and refused to give up, enjoying their new lives together and integrating fully into a community which hasn't changed for generations.

Their refreshing and sometimes unconventional way of dealing with an intransigent, bureaucratic system is entertaining, exasperating and thoroughly enjoyable.

A heart-warming and moving tale, with characters and locations brought vividly to life, which shows you can really make your dreams a reality as long as you have a passion for adventure (and eucalyptus flavoured honey!).

...Sue, heaving a great sigh, started to walk away with tears in her eyes. I caught up with her, put my arms round her shoulders, looked her in the eyes and asked earnestly: "How much do you really want to live here?"
"Desperately."
"Okay then, let's go and see what can be done."

...Just before noon, I glanced out of the window. Natalio was walking past pushing a wheelbarrow, which had the four legs of a porker sticking up in the air.
"I've just seen Tuesday's lunch going by," I called out.
"That's what I call fresh."

Reviews

Ken Barlow and Sue Cooper had a dream… And that's where it might all have ended, like thousands of other 'wanna be's, who dream of escaping Britain's crime ridden, overcrowded towns and cities, swingeing taxes, miserable weather, and their 'treadmill lives'. But for Ken and Sue this wasn't just some flight of fancy, they were determined to fulfil their aspirations and move to Portugal.

Those of us who have made that leap of faith and not looked back, will read their tale with a knowing smile having been down the same bumpy road. It will certainly bring back memories, which, hopefully, most of us can laugh about now. Because it isn't easy, and determination (and stamina) are the prerequisites necessary to withstand the disappointments, misunderstandings, let downs and nonsensical laws which one must brave to reach your journey's end.

You can follow Ken and Sue's journey with all its trials and tribulations, the highs and the rock bottoms, the many friends they made on the way (especially those who enabled them to succeed in their endeavours, like Rui and Cláudia), and the villagers of Alombada who helped them secure their dream.

This is a charming, lighthearted read, and a 'must' for anyone entertaining the idea of upping sticks to sunnier climes - it isn't as simple as it seems.

But don't let that put you off, all you need is bucket loads of patience and you too can watch the Eucalyptus dance.

Sherry Hughes
The Portugal News, Book Review, 9th. Feb. 2008

"Changing lives at 50 plus is not an easy option. So when Ken and Sue, an English couple, fell in love with Alombada, a small rural working village at the top of a mountain in the Beiras region of Portugal, a few days into their first holiday together they took a decision which completely altered their lives".

"Two characters really stand out: Natálio, a local farmer from whom they bought the overgrown piece of land and Augusto, a splendid, beaming villager who, with his wife, entertain Ken and Sue to traditional village feasts that last from noon until the last person goes home at night.

The tiny village of Alombada is so remote that delivery men, plumbers and bureaucrats alike have never heard of it and spend days searching for it in the vain hope of actually delivering something or finding the building site!

The builder, Adrio, sounds just like builders that those of us who live in the Algarve have dealt with, with the exception of being impossibly punctual.

The to-ing and fro-ing between the UK and Alombada with the progress meetings between Adrio, Ken and Sue as well as Aldina, the scatty lawyer, sound wearily familiar. Houses facing the wrong direction, a concrete slab where there should be a vaulted ceiling, 'extras' and lost files are problems that most of us have dealt with but Ken tells it in a lucid and entertaining manner.

Their refreshing and sometimes unconventional way of dealing with an intransigent, bureaucratic system is entertaining, exasperating and enjoyable, and the way in which they throw themselves into becoming part of local village life is heart-warming.

Being based on a diary, it unfolds like one and there are many tales and much detail of 'delicious' meals and strong drinks drunk!

The characters and locations are brought vividly to life and reading The Eucalyptus Dance made me want to visit the region as soon as possible!"

Linda Taylor-Gonçalves
The Portugal Resident, 24th. Jan. 2008

BASED on the real life story of a couple's move to Portugal, The Eucalyptus Dance is a fascinating tale of the trials and tribulations of packing up life in the UK and heading for the sun.

Former Newbury residents Ken Barlow and his partner Sue Cooper left the relative safety of their families and work to live in Portugal, after falling in love with the country while on holiday there.

What follows is the story of the couple's often frustrating, but equally amusing, time spent trying to build a house for themselves and two apartments for holidaymakers on land in Alombada, a small village in the Beiras region of central Portugal.

Aside from the obvious language barriers and a completely different planning system to our own, the couple is at the mercy of local landowners, builders and other workmen, in an attempt to make their dream a reality.

A host of characters are introduced with enough detail to allow the reader to make links between, for example, Portuguese builders and those most people have come across in the UK.

The reader can really empathize with the couple as they suffer setback after setback and in the end you are almost willing them to keep their resolve and continue with what sometimes appears to be an impossible dream.

The book is packed full of fascinating detail, from descriptions of the location to the people they met and the delicious food and drink they sampled.

A cautionary, but an amusing tale that should be essential reading for anyone planning to take the plunge and move to another country.

Katherine Broomfield
Newbury Weekly News, March 6, 2008

WAKING up to the sound of lapping waves and taking lunch at a seaside taverna is how many of us love to spend our summer holidays. But some yearn for more: those 14 days of sun, sea and sangria just aren't enough.

Moving abroad can be a daunting prospect, with enough barriers caused by language and cultural differences to put people off.

But the dream can become a reality – and to prove it, a couple have written a book to tell you how.

Ken Barlow and his partner Sue Cooper found love and a new life when they took their first holiday together in a rural Portugal, against the backdrop of a mountain. Now, almost 10 years down the line, the couple are enjoying life in their home that they built from scratch despite the trials and tribulations of living abroad.

The Eucalyptus Tree is a heart-warming tale of the journey that Ken and Sue underwent to find their ideal plot of land in Alombada, to build their perfect home, and to create the ideal life they both dreamed of.

Their tale starts when they first met at a Newbury social group, and tells of their first holiday to Portugal when, on just their second day, they took a drive down a coastal road and had a vision of the future.

Speaking from their idyllic home on a sunny August afternoon, Ken said: "We were driving down and I got down to the first corner and stopped, it was like a thunderbolt.

"We looked across the valley and I looked at Sue and I said, 'I could do it, could you?' and she said, 'If you are thinking what I am thinking, then yes, I could.'

"And now, here we are. And this book, which we have both co-written, is like a little diary of the experiences we had moving out here."

The couple fell in love with Alombada on that second day of their very first holiday back in 2000. But it took another four years before they could finally move in to their new home – and, they say, they have been there living every day with a smile on their face ever since.

The book is about packing up and moving to a different country when you are over 50, the challenges you face, the bureaucracies of foreign countries, and the cultural change of moving into a rural, village community.

Ken says: "We had no reason to leave England behind, we were both very happy with our lives and our jobs, but we fell in love with Alombada and we decided this was the life we wanted.

"The transition was not without its challenges. At every corner we seemed to face a battle with the legalities of moving to a foreign country and buying the land to do it, but through those difficulties we made good friends and we laughed about it.

"Everything we have done has been a challenge, yes, but it has been great fun and the life we have now is just perfect."

The book brings to life the characters whom Ken and Sue have met along the way – it inspires colour and laughter and it makes you want to live abroad.

As it is written like a diary, you experience the journey with Ken and Sue and you learn not only about the formalities of a move abroad, but of the dinners and dances and social experiences they enjoyed every day.

Ken and Sue left family and friends back in England, they were both living in Basingstoke before they left and in years gone by, Ken had spent time working as a machine manager at the Evening Post.

Speaking of leaving behind their life in England, Ken said: "Do I miss it? Not at all. We have everything we want here, and our friends and family come and visit us in this beautiful place.

"We get to spend quality time with the people we love, rather than a snatched coffee here and there, the odd lunch meeting or a fleeting moment on the street.

"Our life here really is wonderful, we wake up and deal with our press business back in the UK which we have kept going for the income, then we go for lunch at one of our local tavernas, we eat the meal of the day and have a litre of wine, all for around £4, and then we enjoy the rest of the afternoon.

"What more could you possibly ask for? My advice to other people who are considering it, would be just to do it.

"If you read our book, you will get some useful information on how to deal with the bureaucracies of living in Europe, and I hope people will take the step to do it. Life is fantastic, make the most of it."

Speaking of the title, The Eucalyptus Dance, Ken said: "You have to read it to understand it."

Natalie Slater
The Reading Evening Post and The Wokingham Evening News, August 2008

About the Author

Ken Barlow was born in Manchester in 1947 and christened Cyril, which made for a very individual and interesting childhood. His class was the first intake in Infant One at the new post-war Barton Clough County Primary School, leaving after the 11+ for Great Stone Park, then entering printing at 15. He spent several years in his early 20's travelling Europe and working in restaurants. After arriving back in the UK and suffering a broken neck in a freak motor accident, before returning to printing at The Reading Evening Post. More recently he was the landlord of the Swan at Wycombe Marsh, where his son, Christopher, was born: then the Castle Public House in Basingstoke for over 12 years, with Christopher and his two stepdaughters, Louise and Nicola. Afterwards he set up his print company, before embarking on this journey.

Sue Cooper (nee Bradford) was born and educated in Liverpool at Heatherlea and Belvedere Schools. On leaving, she gained experience as a secretary at Sefton General Hospital before moving to Switzerland with The World Health Organisation. She returned to London and was employed as personnel assistant for a firm of Management Consultants, married and moved to Kingswood, Surrey, where her two daughters, Lucy and Mary, were born. After working at an international agricultural company for a number of years, the office was re-located to Berkshire. She met Ken two years later before moving out to Portugal.

Ken and Sue now live happily together in Portugal on 5 * acres of land, and split their time between tending the fields, gardens and vegetable patch, the two holiday apartments, printing business, writing, and in their spare time they produce home made chutneys, jams, wine and Jeropiga. They share a mutual enthusiasm for life, as well as a finely honed passion for entertaining and cooking, especially Indian curries.