mallorca – Live, Laugh and Learn

So happy to be back on my Bike which i recently secretly named Guisseppe (I always loved the speed of those Italians!). My boyfriend always believes that no matter what you have, if it serves you well, you should give it a name and in time you and he/she will develop a special relationship together. It’s like they develop a soul…. but that’s a story for another day.

This week we totalled around 90 kms. We had a massive day of Adventure which started when we realised our bikes were NOT going to fit into our Jeep. Never being one to give up, we decided just to head for the coast and stop en route for coffee and a map check. We are always thinking of our tummies, so when we arrived at this random little Bar in the Square of Llubi we were thrilled to hear our bill for 2 Cafe con Leche with 2 Very large Napolitanas ( Croissants filled with loads of chocolate) was a total of 4.30 euro, definitely coming back here! So back on Guisseppe and Silver Arrow (Boyfriend’s Bike) we soon passed through some really beautiful country lanes with amazing mountain views. Included, was a town called Sa Pobla, the main vegetable growing area of Mallorca, where we saw fields of Potatoes, Kale, Artichokes, Onions etc.. surrounding us on all sides. We then headed down to the Coast of Alcudia passing through a National Park with natural lakes and surrounded by beautiful wild life all nestled in the endless Bamboo plantations that protect these areas. Unfortunately Andreas, (aka boyfriend) blew a tyre 9 kms before we arrived. No problem, a handy taxi took him to repair it and we continued onward. Now it was 5.30 and starting to get dark so a race to the Train station for a quicker trip home was necessary. We couldn’t resist a quick Gin and Tonic in our local to celebrate this special day before being kindly brought back home in our neighbour’s Van.

I have added a link below to part of the Adventure from the other day. If you use Strava, please join me and we can give each other those Kudos in the challenges that lay ahead. Otherwise, we can connect on Strava via my name Deborah McGuinness.

https://www.strava.com/activities/4324578465/embed/e73669d6df1cb5d3718c576cd99a187869eb65e6.

So hard to write about your own family, why is this? I probably am the luckiest mum, mother, mummy (they all call me different names) in the world. I have 4 incredible children from 34 down to 19! But let’s face it, i think we all have amazing children. When I look back, I often think “What did i actually achieve with my life in all these years?” Its then i realise that probably my biggest success was my children. The life we have shared together this far has given me the best memories I could ever have wished for. Covid 19, has been very hard for us all this year but in July, it was the first time they could all come home to Mallorca and these memorable days made it the summer to beat all Summers… (im sure next summer will be the new best!)

There is never a quiet hour or a dull moment when we are together. The kitchen is the centre of our universe when we are at home. Food, whether its cooking or eating is what brings us all together. My Eldest, Kerri, is a chef in London, spoils us with the most delicious food… infact, she has agreed to be a guest blogger giving us her top tips that makes entertaining at home child’s play. My younger daughter, Laragh, now 21, is a Vegan, I’m afraid I am not a good mother here as i’m constantly offering her things like scrambled eggs or butter on her toast… its hard realising what a Vegan goes through in their quest to make this world better. Luckily her boyfriend is an experienced cook and I remember them both making homemade pizzas this Summer in our wood over at 11 pm, we could hardly see what we were doing but they were so delicious infact, there is no pizza like a fresh one. My Son David, who has just become 30 is a total Carnivore, (yes i have all types). He loves to bring the Meat BBQ together and with his ribs of beef no one is left hungry. My Youngest, Chelsea, now 19, was a vegetarian from the age of 8 until 15 ( she saw sheeps brains in our local supermarket ) and she always thought that Scotch eggs were vegetarian, we couldnt bring ourselves to tell her the truth as she loved them so much.

I miss them all once again but we have dreams to be together at Christmas however, these days it’s impossible to make plans and we must go with the flow and just hope everyone stays safe. Its about being positive and looking forward, these times will come again, all laughing, chatting and telling stories at the kitchen table we love so much. Below I would like to share with you some of my memories from the last few months when every day just got better. My children have definitely given me the ability to live, laugh and learn.