Max and Vicky Hardcastle have a daydream . . .

One day, they''ll sell their cramped city-centre antiques shop and the overflowing upstairs flat and relocate to the beautiful Yorkshire Dales. If they could only find the perfect place to house both family and business, then that fantasy might become a reality. . .

When a smallholding in a remote Dales village comes on the market, it seems like the answer to their prayers. Bullpen Farm might need ''some renovation'', but it has an orchard, outbuildings and all the charm they''ve dreamt of. Before long, the Hardcastles find themselves the proud owners of a collection of ramshackle buildings and the newest members of a close-knit community which seems to have more than its fair share of eccentrics.

From the antics of the antiques trade to the uproarious incidents of village life, it turns out that rural living isn''t quite as tranquil as they''d imagined!

''A happy, satisfying and very funny book'' James Herriot

A vivid and charming portrait of life in the Yorkshire DalesThe enchanting sequel to A Countryman''s Lot, which told the story of Max Hardcastle''s move to the Yorkshire Dales and the richness of life as an antiques dealer, The Luck of a Countryman contains an array of eccentric characters and curious situations which are guaranteed to delight and amuse. Old favourites reappear in new -- and sometimes alarming -- situations. And a myriad of new personalities join in the ups and downs of life in the Dales.Life is not all plain sailing, but the Hardcastles join in wholeheartedly with the trials and triumphs that beset the peaceful village of Ramsthwaite. How will they ever shift Thievin'' Jack''s van from the pond? And will the wedding of the year go off smoothly?

Max and Vicky Hardcastle, newcomers to the beautiful Yorkshire village of Ramsthwaite, are finallly settled into their tumble-down old farm. But their new rural life doesn''t always go to plan, for whether Max is plotting to get the better of rival antiques dealers or battling Elspeth the obstinate goat or restoring the burnished nether-regions of a Greek statue, every day seems to bring new excitement and intrigue. Meanwhile fellow villager Canary Mary finds romance, Long John gets a scorching surprise and local poacher Rabbit Joe devises a wily scheme to make a few bob on the races. And somehow Max ends up right in the middle of every incident!

Max and Vicky Hardcastle have a daydream . . .

One day, they''ll sell their cramped city-centre antiques shop and the overflowing upstairs flat and relocate to the beautiful Yorkshire Dales. If they could only find the perfect place to house both family and business, then that fantasy might become a reality. . .

When a smallholding in a remote Dales village comes on the market, it seems like the answer to their prayers. Bullpen Farm might need ''some renovation'', but it has an orchard, outbuildings and all the charm they''ve dreamt of. Before long, the Hardcastles find themselves the proud owners of a collection of ramshackle buildings and the newest members of a close-knit community which seems to have more than its fair share of eccentrics.

From the antics of the antiques trade to the uproarious incidents of village life, it turns out that rural living isn''t quite as tranquil as they''d imagined!

''A happy, satisfying and very funny book'' James Herriot

A vivid and charming portrait of life in the Yorkshire DalesThe enchanting sequel to A Countryman''s Lot, which told the story of Max Hardcastle''s move to the Yorkshire Dales and the richness of life as an antiques dealer, The Luck of a Countryman contains an array of eccentric characters and curious situations which are guaranteed to delight and amuse. Old favourites reappear in new -- and sometimes alarming -- situations. And a myriad of new personalities join in the ups and downs of life in the Dales.Life is not all plain sailing, but the Hardcastles join in wholeheartedly with the trials and triumphs that beset the peaceful village of Ramsthwaite. How will they ever shift Thievin'' Jack''s van from the pond? And will the wedding of the year go off smoothly?

Max and Vicky Hardcastle, newcomers to the beautiful Yorkshire village of Ramsthwaite, are finallly settled into their tumble-down old farm. But their new rural life doesn''t always go to plan, for whether Max is plotting to get the better of rival antiques dealers or battling Elspeth the obstinate goat or restoring the burnished nether-regions of a Greek statue, every day seems to bring new excitement and intrigue. Meanwhile fellow villager Canary Mary finds romance, Long John gets a scorching surprise and local poacher Rabbit Joe devises a wily scheme to make a few bob on the races. And somehow Max ends up right in the middle of every incident!