Alexandra, a product of Greek Fire. Born into the cradle of civilization. Weaned on the teachings of ancient Greek philosophers, thrilled by the bravery of Spartans and thousands of years of cultural heritage.

Peter, her future husband, a tea-drinking, digestive-dunking product of British society. Working to make a living with no real ambitions or dreams. But then, he fell in love. Everything changed.

At times hilarious, always embarrassing, Peter's story of how he became Greek enough to live with a Greek family includes a near-death experience on a mountain road, eccentric aunts, Greek bureaucracy, melting flip-flops, and the decision to demolish the much-loved family home, replacing it with a five-storey apartment block, complete with a Parthenon on the roof terrace.

To cap it all, someone thought it a good idea to put Peter in charge of the rebuild project, despite not speaking a word of Greek.

What could possibly go wrong?

Martyn Swain