Beatrix pottering: Hiking and hysteria

Poor Jemima. It was my fault, really. She had seemed really keen on after-school Lego club, so I'd signed her up - but I should have remembered that she was so tired last term that I avoided all after-school activities; and that was without moving countries/ schools/ homes/ languages. Anyway, when I picked her up at 5pm, she wasn't that positive about her experience - it was a bit boring, full of older children; and then by bedtime she was completely beside herself with exhaustion. I had to cuddle her to sleep, she got so wound up - not like her at all. No more Lego Club I think.

It had been a lovely day up until that point. We'd another happy scoot to school in the sunshine - as a school run, it really can't be beaten. Then Kevin and I had continued our exploring with a drive around Port Andratx, a pretty harbour full of boats and a front lined with awnings where the restaurants will be in the summer- nice to see from the car, no need to get out. Plus a little detour down a track to the local beach - a bay lined with lots of eerily deserted terraces for a huge number of sunbathers, above a gorgeous dark green sea. Then we drove onwards.

We had talked before arriving about the possibility of hiking - Mallorca is apparently popular for hiking, especially in the winter, and Kevin was keen. So I directed us to a little village called Sant Elm where I'd read about a short-ish walk - something I could manage in my weakened state (poor me, still ill, finally getting better). So we parked up and set off.

It's fair to say we were unprepared: I was wearing my everyday boots; we had no water; and were relying on Google Maps. But it was also not far (only 45 mins) and a very obvious path, so nothing too treacherous. We walked under the shade of the dark green trees, with the bright blue sky above, brown earth below, and the scent of pines wafting amid the faint sea breezes - even in January, there is a spring-like feel in the air in Mallorca: on our drive we passed orchards with the pale almond blossom just emerging above a carpet of tiny yellow wildflowers among the grass. The fact that so much of the greenery is still green really helps too - it is spiky pine trees and cactuses, not our soft, spreading deciduous trees and woodland plants; but an English forest in January would feel a lot more dead than this.

After some mild up and down stomping (our first hike!), we reached our destination: Cala En Basset, a rocky bay spread out beneath us. And very beautiful it was too, definitely worth the walk. A little sit down; a stomp back to the car; and then back to Portals for a very late lunch (how Spanish we are becoming).

On our June recce visit we had popped into a restaurant on a corner of the main road through the village (Chamelli's). This had just re-opened after their Christmas break. Long-standing readers may remember our fondness on previous Spanish trips for the menú del dia. Well, it turns out our local does a cracker - main, drink, bread, dessert for €9.50. The place was packed, with everyone from locals to expats, builders to property developers, mums with babies to office workers with lanyards, most having the menú - who knows where they've all been lunching on previous days. And the food was great - Asturian lentils for me, in a cute little earthenware pot, with chorizo and black pudding hiding beneath; and a tasty pasta for Kevin; followed by lovely melon. Then off to collect a very tired Jemima from school.

Lessons learned. No to Lego club. Yes to a post-walk local lunch.