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00:00This is freedom. Pick your Vista, any one you like.
00:05Pursuing bucket list experiences...
00:09Yay!
00:11..and newfound freedoms.
00:13We could walk around butt naked if we wanted to.
00:15While Brexit has made it a battle...
00:17I've applied for two visas. I've been denied two visas.
00:21..many are still giving it a go.
00:23Come on.
00:24I wanted to know what else life had to offer.
00:26I like the idea of just spending every day together, don't we?
00:29We did.
00:30From launching bike tours in Spain...
00:33Well, this is my office here. I couldn't ask for more.
00:35..to glamping sites in Italy.
00:37Build it and they will come. We hope.
00:41But will it be a smooth ride?
00:45Or their ideas come crashing down...
00:50..as they begin their new lives in the sun.
00:53It's an adventure.
00:55Loving life.
00:56Today...
00:57Ready for another day in the sunny Dardine.
00:59..after a bumper launch night,
01:01can a pair of publicans keep the tills ringing?
01:04I'm just making a little sign with our opening times,
01:07then we're going to go into the lake and pull it up.
01:09..in Spain, there's cause for celebration.
01:12I'm officially a resident.
01:13But is it one step forward and two back?
01:16For a couple's guest house renovations...
01:19Slightly bigger hole than we expected.
01:21Looks like we've just had an earthquake.
01:23..and after winning the keys to a French B&B on a TV game show...
01:28What? What? What?
01:30..a couple from Belfast claim their life-changing prize.
01:34Do you think it's real?
01:35Oh, God, yeah.
01:36I don't...
01:37I just still feel like we're in someone else's house.
01:39I guess it's not an everyday occurrence
01:41where you get a house handed to you.
01:43For many British families, the daily grind has become just that.
01:57A grind.
01:58With barely any time to enjoy the moments that really matter.
02:02Oh, there's a pecan there.
02:04I've never been in that one.
02:06But the Dunn family from Huddersfield
02:08decided they weren't going to settle for that.
02:11There we go, we can start practising horse riding already.
02:15I'll get some cowboy boots.
02:18Emily and Dave, along with kids Willow and Hugo,
02:21have moved to the Dordogne in south-west France
02:24where family time isn't a luxury, it's made a priority.
02:28Bonjour.
02:34From exploring local markets together
02:37or enjoying the countryside surrounding their new home
02:40in the village of Santestef.
02:43We wanted them to be free on the bikes.
02:46Free to move around and bike ride and enjoy the countryside.
02:50Best life ever!
02:53You're definitely taking advantage of it, aren't you?
02:55Yeah, 100%.
02:57To sustain their new lives here,
02:59the couple bought and recently relaunched an English-style pub.
03:03Ready for another day in the sunny Dordogne?
03:06A big career change for former car sales manager Dave
03:10and travel agent Emily.
03:12I'm not very good at looking after plants.
03:13I like to kill them.
03:15We're creating a hub for people, aren't we?
03:17Yeah.
03:18Somewhere where hopefully pull the French in and the English
03:20and, you know, allow people to meet people
03:24that they've not met before and just, yeah,
03:27bring the community together.
03:30But after sinking a huge chunk of their savings
03:33into getting their new business open,
03:35it's now important they see a return on their investment.
03:39If the business is paying for itself...
03:42We need to break even, don't we?
03:44Yeah, if we can break even,
03:45we're both comfortable with that, aren't we?
03:47Yeah.
03:50It's early June,
03:52and after serving over 150 people
03:54at their pub's official opening three days ago,
03:58all has now gone quiet.
04:02The launch on Friday was a huge success, wasn't it?
04:05Yeah, it was.
04:06The best part was people were spending money.
04:09Today's Monday...
04:10And a bank holiday.
04:11And a bank holiday,
04:12so we probably will be quiet cos we're not doing food.
04:15We have put it out on social media that we're open.
04:18If you want to come in and bring a picnic, feel free.
04:21So far, a couple of locals have popped in for a drink.
04:24What can I get for you?
04:26Uh, Demi Guinness.
04:27Oh, yeah?
04:28Not having their kitchen open for food orders yet
04:31means the other potential customers are heading elsewhere.
04:35We're eight.
04:37Uh...
04:38To eat this midi?
04:39Uh...
04:40No, uh, no.
04:41Just, uh...
04:42Ah, drink.
04:43Yeah.
04:44Uh, well, that's fine, then.
04:45Thank you very much.
04:47Sorry.
04:49Good morning. Au revoir.
04:50But this is the shame you say.
04:52We've got to be ready for it.
04:53Yeah, no, no, we have.
04:54But we've got a couple of weeks to get started.
04:56Being new to the pub trade,
04:58the pair want to find their feet behind the bar
05:00before launching their new menu.
05:03So, how much did we say we were going to charge for fish and chips?
05:06Which is still a work in progress.
05:09We'll start small.
05:10We've got to start small.
05:11If we don't start small, we're just going to make a mess of it all
05:13and then...
05:14Yeah, burn out.
05:15People won't come back.
05:16No.
05:17Until they're ready to launch their food service,
05:19their priority is getting more people in for drinks.
05:23I'm just making a little sign with our opening times,
05:26telling people that we're open,
05:28then we're going to go into the lake and put it up
05:30because it'll be really busy down there today
05:32with all the families being off.
05:34Erm, and hopefully,
05:36we can drive some business.
05:38I can't spell that.
05:40Fortunately, Willow and Hugo,
05:43who are settling in well to their new French school,
05:46are on hand to help with translation.
05:48There's no internet upstairs
05:50and I need to know how to spell Wednesday in French.
05:52What do you know?
05:53Do you know how to spell Wednesday?
05:54Yeah, but how do you spell it?
05:57No, it's Merc.
06:01Merc ready.
06:02Right. Merc ready.
06:05Merc ready.
06:08There we go.
06:10Nowhere around here opens on a Monday
06:12and we've decided that we will
06:14so that we can have Wednesday off
06:15to be with the kids
06:17because that's important to us.
06:20As Emily holds the fort at the pub,
06:23Dave heads to put the new poster up at the village's local lake
06:28that's popular with families.
06:31Knowing that we're going to be quiet today,
06:33I think I'd rather be down here myself, to be honest.
06:36I should have brought a staple gun.
06:39This is going badly.
06:42If Em sees this, they should be very upset with me because it's not straight.
06:47There we go.
06:48Hopefully that'll get a couple of people in.
06:50With their future in France at stake,
06:53Dave and Emily desperately need these quiet days to become a thing of the past.
07:0590 miles to the east is the little village of Fenier,
07:09which is just a stone's throw from the lakes of the Milvash Plateau
07:14and the meandering River Cruze
07:16that winds majestically through the landscape.
07:20It's now home to Roy and Nicola,
07:22who've moved here from Devon to run a B&B.
07:25Can't believe how warm it is today.
07:27No, my natural.
07:29Previously, Roy was a pastry chef
07:31and Nicola has experience running a tea room,
07:34but their new life isn't something they spent years planning or saving for.
07:39Instead, it's a prize they fought to win in a TV competition.
07:46It hasn't sung in that we've won this.
07:48At least once a day, one of us say,
07:51we're youngness.
07:51We're youngness.
07:51Can you believe her?
07:53The pair had been picked out of hundreds of applicants
07:56and were pitted against five other couples across three weeks of challenges.
08:02This has given me the realisation that we have to have double linen.
08:08There you go.
08:10All in a bid to prove to the judges that they could be top B&B hosts.
08:14We're behind a little bit of time.
08:19We'll not be behind.
08:20There's no role for error here.
08:22There's no room.
08:24The competition pushed them to their limits
08:26and tested their teamwork.
08:28So theirs are getting cold while you're faffing round.
08:32Stop stressing that.
08:33It's over.
08:34It's done.
08:34But after giving it their all,
08:37they were crowned the winners.
08:39You have won a B&B in France.
08:43What the...?
08:44What?
08:45One.
08:46Congratulations.
08:47Oh, we haven't made it.
08:48Oh, my God.
08:50One.
08:51So the moment we won is still a shock to me.
08:56I don't really remember what happened that night.
08:58We're still in cloud nine.
09:00The property they've won is a stunning French townhouse
09:03at the heart of the village.
09:05Four of its five bedrooms are turnkey,
09:08while on the top floor there's an added bonus of a huge attic,
09:13prime for expansion.
09:14And outside there's a storage barn and a pretty courtyard.
09:19Nicola and Roy plan to hit the ground running
09:22by opening their prize B&B this season.
09:25There's a million things to do before we open.
09:28We think we're ahead of ourselves
09:29and then we realise that there's so much more to do.
09:32We have things to do every day, all day.
09:34It's now September, two months after Roy and Nicola
09:40won their life-changing prize.
09:44Today they're packing up their things
09:46and moving out of their home in Paynton
09:48before catching the ferry to France.
09:50The stuff we're taking with us is all personal stuff, really.
09:59I didn't downsize any clothes or shoes.
10:03Should I?
10:04Roy did, but I didn't.
10:06With very little time to spare today,
10:09they'll need to lean into their winning teamwork once again.
10:13You haven't told me what's in that box yet, because it's blind.
10:16I haven't numbered it yet.
10:18French customs have to see a list of what they're transporting,
10:22so they've devised a system for labelling their boxes.
10:25One to five.
10:27Yeah.
10:27The trouble is, they can't quite agree on what the system is.
10:31No, it's not one to five, though.
10:34One to five is one, two, three, four, five.
10:36I've now got two, three, four and six.
10:40This is going to take longer.
10:41Box one.
10:42When did you put that there?
10:43On there, when you were talking.
10:44You didn't tell me.
10:45But eventually they figure it all out
10:48and soon the van starts to fill.
10:50We have about 25 to 30 boxes.
10:55Plus, we're having a range cooker delivered this afternoon,
10:59so the range cooker should go here
11:00and then we'll have to build the rest of the stuff around it.
11:03While most of their belongings don't need to be handled with care...
11:08I wish you could load everything, I guess.
11:11Nicola does have a collection of special ceramics that are fragile.
11:16I have plates that I adore and it cost a fortune
11:19and I used to have them in the tea rooms
11:21and if they get damaged, I don't know, I'll do.
11:26This must be Nicola's expensive plates.
11:29They are very expensive and they're heavy.
11:34So, make sure they don't fall off that wall.
11:39With a ferry to catch, Roy works quickly
11:42to get most of their belongings in the van.
11:45Where's my plates?
11:46On the pan, with everything on top of them.
11:48But they're not, Roy.
11:49No, they're not.
11:50They are, too.
11:50They're not!
11:51They're not!
11:52Where actually are they?
11:54There, with the pillows on top.
11:56OK.
11:56OK?
11:57Hmm.
11:59Having packed up and cleaned, reality hits.
12:02Very nice.
12:03Very nice.
12:04How's the end of it?
12:07Once we leave today, the job's gone, the accommodation's gone.
12:12We're homeless for a day.
12:13Well, we live in a boat for the day.
12:16Yeah, yeah, we're homeless for a day.
12:17In the van.
12:18And then, yeah, we'll move on to our new adventure and our new home.
12:21After battling to win this life-changing opportunity...
12:27Let's go to France.
12:29Now that the game's over, can they make their new lives as B&B hosts a success?
12:34Coming up, things get heated as a couple push on with their Spanish guesthouse renovations.
12:45It's too hot to be doing this sort of work.
12:47I'd rather be on the beach.
12:49And temperatures also rise for Emily and Dave.
12:52Wow, it's super hot.
12:53As they take a gamble on a new event to pull in punters.
12:57I'm just in the process of making lasagna for 50 people.
13:01Not really sure on the quantities.
13:03Making the move to mainland Europe after Brexit can be tough.
13:16But there are still plenty of people determined to overcome the hurdles.
13:21There you go.
13:22Like Nigel and husband Fede, who moved to the small mountain village of Pelopos
13:28after leaving behind their lives running a pub in Bath.
13:32Congrats.
13:33Thank you very much.
13:35While Fede is Spanish-born and has family roots here,
13:40Britt and Nigel must have a residency permit.
13:43And five months after buying a former guesthouse at the top of the village,
13:47there's good news.
13:50I'm officially a resident.
13:52I'm really happy.
13:53A lot of hard work Fede's put into it.
13:55And, you know, that's the result.
13:57It takes a lot of pressure off.
13:58And we can focus properly on getting the B&B up and running.
14:02Cheers.
14:03Cheers.
14:04With their paperwork now in order,
14:07the pair can crack on with their ambitious plans
14:09to try to open their new bed and breakfast business in October
14:13while also continuing to immerse themselves in village life.
14:17I'm pretty sure Nigel will learn Spanish.
14:23At the moment, it's quite limited, so just greetings.
14:27No, what's the wine?
14:28The wine word, vino.
14:31Yeah.
14:31Tinto de verano.
14:32Tinto variano.
14:34De verano.
14:35Tinto vino.
14:36Tinto vino.
14:37Very good.
14:38It's now mid-June,
14:43and after difficulties plumbing in a new guest en suite,
14:46Nigel and Fede have been given permission from the town council
14:50to dig up the road outside their property,
14:53as they need to create a new connection to the main sewerage pipe.
14:57I'm just going to flick it so it makes a line on the floor.
15:01To keep costs down,
15:03the couple are doing most of the work themselves,
15:05with some help from neighbour and local builder, Brian.
15:09We're just marking out the mapping of the floor
15:11to where we're going to dig up,
15:13so this just gives us an outline that we can follow.
15:17Although they've received some guidance from the authorities
15:20about where to locate the outlets for water and waste,
15:24finding their exact location still involves an element of guesswork.
15:29I think the waste pipe's coming down here somewhere.
15:33The main water is there.
15:34Before they start digging,
15:36they need to turn off the water supply to the house.
15:39There's one against the wall.
15:41There's one against this wall.
15:44But as their background is in running pubs,
15:47they're more used to bar taps than stop taps.
15:51It seems there's still water pressure in the street, so...
15:55And Brian's power drill is proving no match for this old concrete road.
16:02This piece is thicker than anticipated.
16:05With renovation work inside the property currently on hold,
16:10pressure to fix their plumbing problems is rising,
16:13as are the Spanish summer temperatures.
16:16I'm sitting down on a five-minute break and watching Brian.
16:26It's too up to be doing this sort of work.
16:29I'd rather be on the beach.
16:31After fruitlessly chipping away for most of the morning
16:34and no sign of the waste pipe,
16:36it's time for plan B.
16:40Brian's brought out his digger.
16:43Slightly bigger hole than we expected,
16:45but, hey,
16:46seems to be taking out the whole driveway.
16:50Bringing in the big guns
16:51is a messy affair.
16:55Looks like we've just had an earthquake.
16:58But they're feeling hopeful it will speed things up.
17:05Two days later, Brian is back on site and the hunt continues.
17:10I hope, I hope, it's after week I go.
17:14But as there's no X to mark the spot...
17:17There's a stone.
17:18There's no way of knowing if their freshly dug trench
17:23ends at the existing pipes.
17:26But finally, success!
17:29There's water.
17:31He's only gone and done it.
17:33We found water and bust the pipe.
17:35Would you believe?
17:38There it is.
17:40There's the water pipe.
17:41It's only a thin one.
17:43Tiny.
17:44They might not have struck gold,
17:46but when it comes to keeping the renovations on track,
17:50this find is almost as valuable.
17:52Now we've just got to find the sewage pipe.
18:02Across in south-west France,
18:04it's now late June.
18:06Wow.
18:07It's super hot.
18:08While advertising locally and on social media has resulted in some extra trade,
18:15Emily and Dave's pub is still quieter than they'd like it to be.
18:20So today, as well as being open for drinks as usual,
18:23they're also preparing to serve a special evening meal service,
18:27complete with live music.
18:28I'm just in the process of making lasagna for somewhere in the region of 50 people.
18:37Not really sure on the quantities.
18:40I'm hoping that I'm over rather than being under.
18:44But as Em says, I am a bit of a feeder, to be honest,
18:47so I'm sure I have over-catered.
18:50I'm just so scared of not serving people enough food.
18:53As the pair are still not quite ready to launch a full menu,
18:58they hope their offering of lasagna followed by a chocolate fondant dessert
19:03served across two evening sittings
19:05will give them an opportunity to get some practice in.
19:09We're actually over-booked.
19:11We said that we were going to cap it at 40
19:13as it's our first paid catered event,
19:18and we've pushed it to 43,
19:20plus the singer and his team, he's 46.
19:22Hopefully, I'll get to eat at some stage,
19:25so that's a lasagna for 50 people.
19:30Choosing today to trial a meal service is a deliberate choice,
19:34as it's a big date in the French cultural calendar.
19:38Today, all across France, it's an event called Fête de la Musique,
19:43a celebration of music, basically.
19:45So lots of places around have got various acts on tonight.
19:50The towns have got things happening as well,
19:54so I do feel quite fortunate that 45 of those people
19:57have decided to come and dine with us.
20:00The two-course set meal will cost 20 euros per head,
20:04and they hope plenty of drink sales will boost their profits
20:07to cover the cost of hiring their own musician.
20:10Tonight, we've got some live music,
20:13about three, four hours' worth of singing.
20:16I'm not very excited about tonight yet,
20:18because our friend who's supposed to be helping me
20:21is actually quite poorly,
20:22so I don't know if I'm going to be on my own.
20:24Hopefully, she'll feel better, but if it's just me,
20:27I don't know how I'm going to run the bar
20:28and get the food out to 45 people on time.
20:32Full of stress.
20:33As the clock ticks towards 3pm,
20:36there's still no news from Emily's friend,
20:39and the couple are starting to consider
20:41whether they may need to hire some waiting staff moving forward.
20:46Once the tourists start arriving,
20:48I just think it's going to be flat out then
20:49until the end of August, isn't it?
20:50Yeah, I think we'll probably need some help out front.
20:52I don't think I'll be able to do it all.
20:54No. Reach out for somebody part-time maybe
20:56and get us through it.
20:58Musician Chris has just arrived to get set up,
21:03and the scorching French summer temperatures
21:05means he's also feeling the pressure to deliver.
21:09I hope I'll still be standing after four hours.
21:13It's going to be a bit hot for everyone to start dancing too early,
21:17so I'll probably keep it quiet for the first two hours
21:20and then ramp it up when it gets dark.
21:23Back in the kitchen with the lasagnas cooking,
21:25Dave moves on to 90 pieces of garlic bread.
21:30I might be able to get out and hear a song or two
21:34because the last concert that we had on, that didn't happen
21:37because I was just too busy inside,
21:40so I didn't actually hear any of the music.
21:42So I couldn't tell you whether it was good, bad or indifferent.
21:46We just need a steady flow through the bar.
21:48The last thing I want is Em getting overwhelmed
21:50and feeling like she's not got any support from me
21:53because I'm just in the kitchen.
21:54Is he cooking, then?
21:57He is.
21:58It's just awful, isn't it?
22:00It's got to be hot in there.
22:01Yeah, he's got a fan on him, but he's nearly done now.
22:06In hindsight, I think we probably should have just said
22:08we're going to open on the evening for the concert
22:10so that we had the full day of us both being able
22:13to prepare the food together
22:14rather than me having to man the bar
22:15whilst Dave's in there on his own working twice as hard.
22:18But we've had a couple of people in, so...
22:20and the regulars that we like, so it's worth it.
22:23The first sitting, we've got 23.
22:27They'll all be on that side
22:28because the sun stays on the terrace at this side quite late
22:31and then the 8.30 sitting will be on this side
22:34when the sun's dropped down.
22:36With no sign yet of extra help front of house
22:39and their first guests due to arrive in an hour...
22:43Dave, can I just go and freshen up or not?
22:46Yeah.
22:46There's no turning back.
22:49He's trying to stop everything blowing away at them, isn't he?
22:52So can Emily and Dave pull together
22:55to make their first paid meal service a success?
23:02Coming up...
23:03Oh!
23:04Hey!
23:05It was a bit bright.
23:06Roy and Nicola explore their prize B&B.
23:10Our wine shower.
23:11We've got to store all the wine.
23:12Are the naughty guests?
23:15And Nigel and Fede spot some fresh inspiration
23:18for their renovations.
23:20You can see the photo.
23:22Here is our house.
23:24When it was white.
23:26So that's the colour we are trying to get to.
23:38In the little village of Fenier,
23:40TV show winners Roy and Nicola
23:42have just arrived at their prize B&B
23:45with their possessions.
23:48It's a moment they'll remember
23:50for the rest of their lives.
23:52Let us go.
23:53I hope it's this one.
23:54I hope it's one of them.
23:57If Roy can find the right key.
24:00It's always the last one.
24:05During the competition,
24:07the couple ran the house as a bed and breakfast
24:09for just 24 hours.
24:11On three.
24:12Ooh!
24:13It seems bigger than what it was before.
24:15It seems bigger, doesn't it?
24:16And look.
24:17So they didn't have long to get to know the place.
24:20Here, I don't remember this.
24:23Oh, jeez.
24:24That's waiting.
24:26That is old, isn't it?
24:28It's beautiful.
24:29It's gorgeous.
24:31This is the first time they've been back
24:33since they won a couple of months ago.
24:37Do you think it's real?
24:38Oh, God, yeah.
24:39I don't.
24:39I just don't feel like it's ruined someone else's house.
24:42I guess it's not an everyday occurrence
24:44where you get a house handed to you.
24:45To me, this is just...
24:47Someone's going to come along in a minute
24:48and say you need to leave because you're intruding.
24:51I can actually get butterflies driving down to the town.
24:54I can't wait to see the rest of the house.
24:56I can't.
24:58While they might be the new owners,
25:00they still have plenty to discover.
25:03Where's the lights, love?
25:04Can you remember?
25:05No idea.
25:06Oh, over there, beside the...
25:09What's this?
25:09Oh.
25:10No.
25:11Here.
25:12Oh.
25:12Hey.
25:13That's a bit right.
25:15Do you remember what's in here?
25:17The latch.
25:18I remember that.
25:21Wow.
25:22Here, I wonder if this clothes is behind you.
25:24Our wine cellar.
25:25I don't want to store all the wine.
25:27Are they naughty guests?
25:28Most of the bedrooms have already been decorated
25:33and just need bed linen and pillows
25:35before the couple can open up for business.
25:39Ah.
25:41Now you're talking.
25:43While upstairs, there's the bonus prize of a huge attic
25:47offering bags of potential for their future in France.
25:51Why, come on.
25:52I'll save you from the spiders.
25:54So, this is a games room, then?
25:56Is there a light?
25:59Pfft!
26:00I'm not scared, though.
26:01You're the one that's chicken.
26:03Pull table here.
26:05Yeah?
26:05Yeah, definitely.
26:07TV there with a sofa.
26:09My God, look at the spider's webs.
26:11There's nobody been up here, anyway.
26:13I've got to work it out in here.
26:14Really?
26:16Well, everywhere else is pretty much fine.
26:17It's a turnkey.
26:18It's a turnkey downstairs.
26:19Yeah, but for what we want up here,
26:21we've got work to do.
26:24Hang on.
26:25Where's my torch?
26:25Nicola and Roy will finalise their plans over the next few weeks.
26:31But for now, there's still a van parked outside waiting to be unloaded.
26:37My hand is going to break.
26:39While most of the boxes are light enough for the couple to carry on their own, the oven
26:44they've brought from the UK is a problem.
26:47Whose idea was it to buy a six-range cooker?
26:51Huh?
26:51But after taking part in the competition, the pair are no strangers to thinking on their
26:57feet, and Roy soon spots a possible solution on the neighbour's roof.
27:04Roy's found a couple of guys in the building site, down the road to help lift the cooker
27:08off.
27:09I can lift it, but I don't lift it from the van down.
27:11Yeah.
27:17And the step.
27:19And another step.
27:26Merci.
27:28Oh, thank you.
27:29Get yourself a drink.
27:31Merci.
27:32Merci.
27:33Merci.
27:35I love the French.
27:36I'll tell you what, my French is improving.
27:39I went, bonjour, do you speak English?
27:43Now that the cooker is safely over the threshold, there is one more vital job to do before the
27:52couple can settle down for the night.
27:54Here, cats.
27:55Don't you dare.
27:56They need to check that Nicola's most prized possessions have survived the journey.
28:02Now, they're not everyone's cup of tea, but they're mine, and I love them.
28:05With the news that all the crockery is intact, Roy and Nicola's first day in France couldn't
28:11have gone much better.
28:13It's all good.
28:14And it's been a promising start to their new venture.
28:18It's beyond our dreams of what we could ever possibly have.
28:22In Pelopos, in southern Spain, it's more of a bumpy start to life as B&B hosts for
28:34Nigel and Fede.
28:36There's just no sign of it, is there?
28:38No.
28:39Well, it makes me wonder whether it's in the next one.
28:41As their hunt for the waste pipe connecting their property to the village's main sewage
28:46system continues.
28:48It's a case that we need to find this pipe, not that we want to.
28:51If this is what digging gold's like, blimey.
28:54It's a setback they could do without, especially as they've started to get inquiries to book
29:00their B&B.
29:01So they need to find a solution, and fast.
29:04When you ring the water board and tell them that we've dug up where they told us to, we've
29:11only come across the water in pipe, not the sewage pipe.
29:14We don't want to go and dig in any further, because we could be digging down to the end
29:20of the drive.
29:21While Spanish-speaking Fede phones for help, Nigel and Brian do the spade work.
29:34And an hour later, after further information from the water board and almost two days of
29:39digging, they finally strike gold.
29:42There it is. It's there.
29:46Or so they thought.
29:48It goes the wrong way.
29:50We found it at long last, but instead of coming out and down where it's meant to, it's coming
29:55straight down to the drain down the bottom.
29:59Which has a knock-on effect, as they try to lay the new pipe work.
30:05That's just right.
30:06Yeah, it's not that.
30:07We're short by probably half a metre.
30:10We measured it to here, where I'm stood, but unfortunately we've had to dig out more,
30:15so we're a little short on pipe.
30:17At over €100 apiece, new piping doesn't come cheap, so Nigel and builder Brian need to work
30:24out a plan to minimise costs.
30:27I'm meant to be the foreman and watch over everything, not be involved.
30:32Grab a hold of it.
30:38To help bolster their renovation budget, Fede's begun a new part-time job, a cleaning role at
30:45the village school.
30:46At the moment there are four kids in the village, unfortunately not enough for opening daily.
30:51They just use it from time to time to teach the elderly and doing community courses.
30:57It looks more like a museum of the education of the last decades.
31:02Fede was last here over 20 years ago, when he attended a craft workshop.
31:10I remember being here when I was maybe 14, 13 years old, but just for one day.
31:17But it had such an impact to be socialising with the kids of the village.
31:23I still remember just only one day that I had here.
31:27This place still plays an important part in the life of the village, offering courses
31:32for adults, and it's about to have a new student.
31:36Nigel will be here at some point this month learning Spanish.
31:40Hopefully he will be well behaved, but I think we all doubt it.
31:45With the school's spick and span, it's time for Fede to move on to his next cleaning job.
31:51This building is home to the local council and the village doctor.
31:56So this is where my granddad used to work when he was the doctor of the village.
32:03It is nice to be back and be part of the history as well of the village.
32:09The mayor's office contains another snapshot of times gone by.
32:14You can see the photo of the whole village and here is our house.
32:21When it was white, so that's the colour we are trying to get to.
32:28While the pair are drowning in plumbing problems,
32:31restoring their property back to its former glory feels like a pipe dream.
32:37But back at the top of the village,
32:39Nigel's doing all he can to help them get back on track.
32:43The downpipe's coming down the side of the building to here
32:47and then put the manhole a bit further down,
32:50which then will hopefully let the sewage pipe go to where it's needed.
32:54So we won't hopefully have to purchase anything else apart from another manhole cover.
33:00I'm going to cut it all out here now, this whole pipe.
33:03Clean it all out, square it off,
33:05and then tomorrow I'll put a concrete base in it, brick it up,
33:10put the pipes in and the job will be good.
33:13Relying on Brian's expertise,
33:17Nigel and Fede hope that after a tough couple of weeks,
33:20they can soon put their plumbing issues behind them.
33:27Coming up...
33:28Are you OK, Em?
33:29I don't know, really.
33:30With their pub kitchen open,
33:32the pressure ramps up for Dave and Emily.
33:34It's a little bit stressy right now
33:36because I can't physically do this on my own.
33:38While in Spain...
33:40Are you all right?
33:41You're leaning.
33:42..things are also nerve-wracking for Nigel and Fede.
33:45The wind's picking up,
33:46so I want to make sure it's secure before we go up there.
33:49Cool.
33:51In the rural village of San Testef,
34:04it's a big day at Dave and Emily's new pub.
34:07A ticket. Come here.
34:09As their first paid dinner service is starting soon.
34:13Merci beaucoup.
34:14While Dave has some help from the pub's former kitchen assistant,
34:18Veronique, who they've recently rehired...
34:21Four.
34:22Yep.
34:23Salad.
34:24Emily's friend has confirmed she definitely isn't well enough
34:27to help front of house,
34:29so nerves are creeping in.
34:33It's a little bit stressy right now
34:34because I can't physically do this on my own.
34:38So...
34:40God knows what I'm going to do.
34:42Um...
34:44Desperate for the evening to go well,
34:46they've no choice but to draft in some emergency help.
34:51OK, seven.
34:52It's 80, 70.
34:53Uh-huh.
34:54OK.
34:55OK, thanks.
34:56It's good.
34:57Local student Tim,
34:59who has previous waiting experience,
35:01has come to their rescue.
35:03Veronique's here.
35:04She's been doing lots of work.
35:06Um, Tim's come along to help us, um,
35:09with, you know,
35:11if the bar gets really busy,
35:13then we could still be under pressure.
35:15But definitely don't drop any plates
35:17because we haven't got enough lasagna.
35:19OK, we've just got the good amount.
35:21Ready?
35:22Yes.
35:23Wait.
35:24Wait, wait.
35:25Everybody's ready.
35:26Emma, are you ready?
35:27No.
35:28OK.
35:31Ready or not, their beer garden is filling up.
35:35Keeping Emily busy on the bar...
35:37This one's slightly sweeter.
35:39That one.
35:40That one, yeah.
35:41And it's soon time for Dave and Veronique...
35:43Two more, wait.
35:45..to dish up the first 23 portions of lasagna.
35:49This one, apri, is for the singer.
35:53This one, vegetarian.
35:55Yeah, OK.
35:56Vegetarian, OK?
35:58With Tim's help, their diners begin to tuck in.
36:02Dave's bumper-sized portions going down a treat.
36:06Lasagna, salad, garlic bread.
36:09Absolutely delicious.
36:11Has everybody got the food?
36:13Have you served Chris?
36:15Yeah, they've had it, yeah.
36:17We couldn't do it without Tim.
36:22It was full-on for about ten minutes there,
36:24but Tim's just been back and forth serving all the food,
36:27so I was just doing the money and the drinks,
36:30so we've just got one table of sticks left at seven,
36:33and then we're done,
36:34and then we can work on the half-past eight.
36:36So far, so good.
36:38Good.
36:39So far, so good.
36:40So far, so good.
36:41Their first sitting couldn't have gone better.
36:48But as their second set of diners begin to arrive...
36:51I'll take one of each.
36:52One of each?
36:53One of each?
36:54Yeah.
36:55Emily is soon swamped.
36:58I can help you bring them out.
36:59You OK?
37:00Not really.
37:03Leaving Dave no choice but to jump behind the bar.
37:06Just order these two drinks.
37:08OK.
37:09And I'd like some sparkling water.
37:11OK.
37:12Just two glasses of grenadine and water then, please.
37:15OK.
37:16But he can't afford to be too long,
37:18as he's needed back in the kitchen
37:20to keep their second food service on track.
37:23It's OK if we come back?
37:25Yeah.
37:26Er, the plates?
37:27Yes.
37:28Wait, wait, wait, wait.
37:29It's OK.
37:30I feel like Tim might be feeling under pressure a little bit now.
37:34While it may have been a little heated in the kitchen
37:37and behind the bar...
37:39Sweating buckets.
37:40Every plate is eventually delivered without a hitch.
37:44And their guests can dine to the sound of musician Chris.
37:49Everybody seems happy.
37:50Everybody's fed.
37:51The bar's not under as much stress now.
37:53Tim's doing an amazing job.
37:55Veronica's doing an amazing job.
37:57We can get everything cleared back
37:58and just look after people for the rest of the night then,
38:01fingers crossed.
38:02We'll see.
38:03I might have spoken too soon.
38:05Having faced an empty beer garden just two weeks ago,
38:09their efforts to advertise the pub
38:11and get their kitchen open are beginning to pay off.
38:16Ten euros. Merci.
38:19We've had a good night. It's been a lot of fun.
38:22It has.
38:23Food's been fab.
38:24It's lovely.
38:25Really lovely people.
38:26Lovely atmosphere.
38:27It's been great.
38:28Tonight there was a lovely dinner.
38:30The first time they had dinner over here.
38:32One of the first, but I think many will follow.
38:38I am proud of us.
38:39We muck in and we deal with it, don't we?
38:41It's been a massive success.
38:43I think so, yeah.
38:44I mean, you know, we're only not even a month in
38:47and thus far the business is paying for itself, isn't it?
38:50It's covering its bills.
38:52I'm pretty optimistic, actually.
38:54Yeah, it's definitely time to have a drink.
38:56Yeah.
38:57850 miles away in Pelopos, things are also moving forward for Nigel and Fede,
39:13because at long last they can put their plumbing problems behind them.
39:18The road is finished.
39:19The new en suite is finally connected to the main sewage.
39:23The waterboard were happy and it's all back to normal and it's all hunky-dory.
39:28Hiring builder Brian to complete the extra works has dented their renovation budget.
39:33But as DIY novices, there was no other way forward.
39:37Now that all the groundwork is finished and isn't going to be dusty from now onwards,
39:45so we can now continue with the project.
39:47As September rolls around, the pair have been working hard to try and make up for lost time
39:54on their B&B renovations.
39:56This is the fourth bedroom.
39:59Not sure where I got the colour scheme from.
40:02Looks a bit like a well-known airline.
40:04They've now managed to refurbish four out of their five guest rooms,
40:09including the old first floor living room.
40:12Coming to my boudoir.
40:14Which is now...
40:16a furnished guest bedroom with a fully functional en suite.
40:21We've been given the furniture, updated it with paint and we've made a coffee station in there.
40:29While they're making progress, there are still parts of the B&B that remain untouched
40:34as the pair face another unexpected setback.
40:38August has been a difficult month for us.
40:41A dear friend of ours has been seriously ill in hospital and I've had to return to the UK to support them.
40:51It's one of those things that, you know, you need to down tools for your friends and family when they need you.
40:57Things are more positive back in England, which makes it easier to return and get cracking and get the house back on track.
41:04The time away from the B&B has, however, forced them to make a difficult decision about the booking they had penciled for next month.
41:13Due to the delays over the summer period, we've cancelled the guests for the beginning of October
41:19because we don't think we'll be ready and we're just playing it safe to make sure that we don't let them down at the last minute.
41:25While it's disappointing to let the booking go, now that Nigel's back in Spain,
41:31the pair are determined to push on and today they're tackling the job at the top of Fede's wishlist.
41:38Did you drop your sponge? That was a wet one.
41:46With the picture adorning the wall of the mayor's office still fresh in their mind
41:51and with the help of Brian and friend John, they're giving the B&B's exterior a glow up.
41:57Cup of tea time.
41:59Cup of tea, love.
42:00It's making already a big difference because everybody in the village is passing positive comments
42:05or how bright and beautiful it looks.
42:09But a property this size can put even the most skilled workers through their paces.
42:14We've finished painting the centre of the house so we're just going to now dismantle some of the scaffolding
42:23to get it past the electric wire that drops in front of the house.
42:26Because we're dismantling the top of it, there's no support there now.
42:31So you've got to be really careful that it doesn't fall down.
42:37And as time is of the essence...
42:39Are you alright?
42:40You're leaning.
42:41You're well leaning.
42:42They opt for a shortcut not found in any scaffolders manual.
42:47It needs to go your way.
42:48Yeah.
42:49Can we get another break?
42:50Yeah.
42:51And time isn't their only challenge.
42:52The change in the seasons and the property's location at the very top of the village means
43:07they're also exposed to the elements.
43:10The wind's picking up so I want to make sure it's secure before we go up there.
43:16Cool.
43:18Fortunately, Nigel and Fede can lean into the expertise of Brian and John.
43:24And only once they've secured and checked that the scaffolding tower is safe, can work resume.
43:31I knew I'd do that.
43:33All down the wall.
43:35But with less of a head for heights, Nigel's keeping his feet firmly on the terrace.
43:41This edge is too dangerous to use for a ladder.
43:44So I'm having to lean over the wall, which is manageable.
43:48Just not ideal, but needs must.
43:52I think whichever way we do it, it's a bit precarious.
43:56It's been a challenging summer for Nigel and Fede's renovations,
44:00but they're not giving up on their dream and continue to give it their all
44:05to get their B&B open as soon as possible.
44:13Next time...
44:14Bonjour!
44:16Nicola and Roy feel the heat as they welcome their first guests.
44:21Did that pad catch?
44:22Yeah.
44:23I forgot the turn door.
44:25Temperatures are also raised...
44:27Martin, I think I've got a problem.
44:29..as Emily and Dave host a summer party at their pub.
44:32Maybe some people will eat, maybe everybody will eat, maybe not.
44:36And in Spain, Nigel and Fede switch from renovating to hosting.
44:41We're 20 minutes past the time I said breakfast would be
44:44and we're still waiting for guests.
44:45I don't get as stressed as him. I am, like, the balance.
44:48.
44:52.
44:54.
44:58.
45:06.
45:11.
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