Lunchtime Post - All going on in Mallorca - Paris and Goldie in the Mood

Have noticed over at Margaret’s blog that Mood Beach Club has had a fund-raising event recently that hosted folks such as Paris Hilton, Goldie Hawn and Terence Howard – it had to happen when I’m back in the U.K. didn’t it!!! Goldie Hawn one of my all-time faves as well!


Tony and Margaret with Goldie Hawn


Margaret with Maria Bravo, Olivia Valere and Paris Hilton!

Blimey it's a major coup for Mood too, just look at the results if you google Paris Hilton and Mood Club, Mallorca - it's all over the web!!


Photo Credits: Celebrity Magazine, Mallorca.

Link: http://www.margaretmiles-bramwell.blogspot.com/

Chartered a boat, first attempt at bike hire

Now am back in UK can get pics of Janette's camera. I mentioned in an earlier post about visting Puerto Portals and Mallorca Sea School and Charters, who do RYA training and hiring of very posh yachts and what have you. Well I charted a self-propelled, low carbon footprint beauty for myself one day last week. Fully equipped with potential for four passengers (two of whom have to pedal like stink) it set me back the a whole 10 odd euros for an hour - good fun I thought.

Paul, Phil and Lucy take to the sea.

Also didn't mention this in earlier posting but before I got the usage of Mike the Bike, I actually hired a beast of a vehicle! Again, low carbon footprint, seating for two and two very small uns can sit up front as well! Heavy as anything and a max speed of about 8 miles per hour I reckon. Wouldn't recommend for long distances!! Although - the Chuckle Brothers always use one and they tour all over the U.K. - top entertainment for young and old alike although I missed their show this year through illness (think it was around Easter time when they did Derby Assembly Rooms).




Paul in a chucklemobile - photo credit to P.J. Siddall


Links:

http://www.mallorcaseaschool.com/
http://www.mallorcaseaschool.com/html/charter.html
http://www.puertoportals.com/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/c/chucklevision_7771425.shtml

190807 Adios Amigo

Well, today it's farewell to Spain,
which is a bit of shame,
cause back home there's rain.

We've had a lovely time out here, seen a lot of new places and faces. But ... I bet I've gained more than the half stone I'd set out to so from today it's back to Food Optimising big style!!

Am not even going to mention Derby's 4-0 drubbing yesterday. But did get to Golf Fantasia Crazy Golf last night to finish off what we started a few nights ago but got rained off (in Spain, I ask you?). An update will follow but suffice it to say my putter was hot!!!

I think it's worse the day before you fly back when you've got all the cleaning and finishing off of stuff to do, duty frees to buy (have I mentioned that I've survived a fortnight in Spain without a ciggie??). Seems right that the picture's a bit grey, matches my mood! It'll be red hot in a few hours though!

180707 Illa Del Torro Cycle Ride

Went out for a possibly final bike ride here in Spain. Still didn’t get to Cap de Cala Figuera which is irritating as it should be accessible I just couldn’t find the road to it. Did get to a place to view Illa Del Torro. There is a marine reserve here with a couple of tiny islands at the end of a peninsula. Took a couple of pics on the phone and borrowed Janette’s camera so will update this posting with decent pictures when I get back to the UK. Took about an hour and a half at pottering about speed – some slopes to get up but mainly easy going. Certainly easier than the Casino route yesterday!

Link for Reserva Marina Del Torro – http://dgpesca.caib.es/user/reserva/toro_descripcio.ct.htm
Not sure what it's all about as it's a bit Spanish-heavy!!



The Route Taken (not necessarily planned!).

Paul at Illa Del Torro

Illa Del Torro, Mallorca

Marine Reserve Sign.

170707 Son Amar Dinner Show 2007!

If you’re coming to Mallorca you have to visit the Son Amar Dinner Show. Stunning doesn’t come anywhere near enough describing the experience. The venue itself is spectacular being set in a 16th Century Mansion at a place called Bunyola, it’s about 6 or 7 miles I’d say out of Palma City on the Palma-Soller road. Once in the mansion you enjoy a very high tech professional production (loads of Apple Macs running lighting and lasers, projection screens – the band moves in and out on a moving stage, stages appear and disappear – amazing show t’is).

Tony, Margaret and the Siddall Clan at Son Amar Dinner Show, Bunyola

Last night we were lucky to be invited by Tony and Margaret to watch the show as their guests and enjoyed platinum seats which gave us a great view, super food and super company. We can't thank them enough for what was a great night, enjoyed by all.

The show has changed in a lot of areas since we saw it in 2006 but it keeps on getting better. The food was tremendous – P.J. was amazed that there were five courses (and only mentioned it a hundred times), Lucy was so mesmerised by the show that she forgot to eat her dessert (which was ice cream and fruit and Lucy never misses ice cream!). Pick of the acts were (Hi 5 – says Janette (don’t know what she see in a bunch of handsome young men who can sing , really don’t!)) and Ballet Espana for me, although the jugglers Strahlemann and Soehne and ventriloquist Kevin Huesco were both excellent as well (both are what you might consider traditional variety acts but with a super twist that has to be seen!). Am not going to spoil it for you by telling you everything about the show – go and see it, it never disappoints.


Ballet Espagnol (image slightly borrowed from Son Amar website)

In fact we so enjoyed it we bought the DVD of the show which for twenty odd euros came with the 2006 show and a Son Amar fan no less - bargain!

Link: http://www.sonamar.com/

Also worth mentioning that Slimming World members get a free upgrade from Gold to Platinun packages which is a saving of something like 30% - see the members lifeline online website for more information on http://www.slimming-world.com/

170807 Casino Run!

Went for a spin this morning. Camera wouldn't work so had to use phone hence rubbishy pics. Went up past the Gran Casino Mallorca which was a nasty hill to start with and then ended up the other side of Portals Vells I think. There's some caves in the cliff side so should be able to identify. Hour and fifteen minutes was all I could afford this morning have some important IT work to finish off today!

Update: am reliably informed by a Mr James in the U.K. that Portal Vells is a nudist beach (and he'd know) - well it's not been while I've been there folks but maybe will go later in the day tomorrow!


Paul looking moody outside a building site at Portals Vells (he thinks).



How good a shot would this have been with a decent camera?


Gran Casino Mallorca.



Portals Vells I think??

16th Aug - Morning Bike Ride

Out on Bike to Portals Veils

Was out on bike for an hour and three quarters this morning. Was trying to get to Cap de Cala Figuera which is the most southwesterly point I think I can get to. However, made quite a number of navigational poor decisions and ended up on the cruddiest road in Europe with the steepest hill down into Portals Vells which is nothing to write home about really (might delete this posting in fact!!). On the map it looks like you have to go south after Poniente Golf Course – which I did, you then get on this awful road which is uphill for ages and it’s through the middle of this scrubby wood so there’s no views to speak of. Eventually you see signs of life, then there’s a sign to Portals Vells. So, maybe I could have continued on Southwards and found Cap De Cala Figuera but had lost a bit of confidence in the navigation so turned bacjk for home – in fairness it only took 45 minutes to get to Portals Vells from Palma Nova so it might not have been much more than another ten minutes worth? I'm going to try and get a decent map of the cycling routes today I reckon.

Intended route - however only got to Portals Vells!!

Me in Portalls Vells


Good news is that I’ve located a puncture repair kit – again Tony’s Ferreteria (think the Spanish word for iron-mongers – if you go expecting to be able to purchase ferrets you’ll be sorely disappointed) came up trumps. For your information if you ever need a puncture repair kit, cycle lock, or bike pump while you’re in Palma Nova and don’t want to go into Palma itself this shop can be a life-saver.

The long and cruddy endless road of dullness!!


Poniente Golf Course which I rode up a lane in the middle of.



Portals Vells - pretty little place but rubbish to get to.


But they do have a very nice sign half a mile outside the village!

150807 – House of Katmandu Trip

Took the family over to the House of Katmandu attraction (don’t know what the correct term for it would be?). Basically it’s a sort of house of exhibits of general weirdness, some of which are really good and some of which are fillers really. The ones that really impressed were a computer suspended in midair in a box that was kind of done with mirrors and stuff but I don’t know how – it was just good.

There was also a number of exhibits such as New York made from tooth picks and Hogwarts Castle made from matchstichs and things like that. Another cool one was a mermaid that goes from skelton to whole using holograms or something as well as a status with the face holographically projected onto it somehow – quite good. It cost 56 euros more or less which I think is about £40 back home and I think it wasn’t too bad. Probably less than an hours woth of entertainment in it but they do give you vouchers for the restaurant so probably it’s ok value wise. There was also this thing that 'proves' perception really is reality where you walk across a bridge inside a tunnel. The tunnel revolves around the bridge so you 'know' the bridge is fixed and stable, however your eyes interpret the tunnel as being steady and the bridge leaning to the left - hard to describe but if you have a go it'll make you laugh at how daft you feel when you're hanging onto the bridge trying not to fall off!

We’re off to Meson C’an Pedro tonight which some folks from work might remember as being the place with the top steaks – that’s what I’m planning on having anyway – Food Optimising ever so slightly out of the window at the minutes but bearing in mind that a work colleague has lost five pounds the first week after holiday I’m not too concerned. Am doing lot’s of cycling (and quite a bit of pushing) so no worries!!

Wednesday morning 15/08/07 first casualty of Mallorca 2007

Disaster struck this morning – first of all camera was flat in the battery department and shortly after that Mike the Bike was flat in the front tyre department.

I kind of expected this in the back of my mind to happen and now have to find a puncture repair kit which will be tricky unless the hardware shop in Palma Nova can come to my rescue again! Not to worry, such is life and luckily I was only the other side of Portals when it went so only had to push the bike about a mile and a half – no great shakes. Found a picture on my phone I’d forgotten about which I took as a self-portrait walking up the hill to Margaret’s so I’ve posted it. Quite pleased about the quality of the 2 megapixel camera on the phone and the fact I did it myself!

Poorly front wheel waiting for a puncture repair kit!

Flamenco Night

Tuesday Night 14/08/07 Flamenco Dancing!

Good stuff / bad stuff – went to Apartotel Ponent Mar last night because Tuesday nights are Flamenco Night! Great stuff for the kids and have to admit I enjoyed it myself more than I’d have expected. The hotel is located about a hundred yards up the hill after you pass the boat club (Club Nautico). There’s no entrance charge and the drinks prices are very reasonable too, they also do a buffet for I think 17 euros which is okay if you like that sort of thing. Any way it was good fun and I got ever so slightly drunk as a lord! Not so bad that I couldn’t get out on the bike the following morning – more of which to follow!

Link for Ponent Mar - http://www.ponentmar.com/

130807 Missed Posting - Magaluf, Puerto Portals

Missed a posting yesterday, had a ride round Magluf and then down to Puerto Portals. For those no in the know Portals is known as the port in the Med for the rich and famous. Every boat here is worth a small or in some cases large fortune and the area surrounding where you park your boats is filled with restaurants, boutiques and companies servicing the boating crowd. There are a couple of companies who I have a knowledge of worth mentioning. Last time I was here in Oct 06 (will post up some pictures, see if you can spot any changes!) we were entertained by a company called Mallorca Excite who put together packages for team-building and fun really. Mallorca Excite made use of another company called Mallorca Sea School and Charters who basically do anything you need in the boat fulfilment avenue (in terms of our crowd they made avalailable three sailing boats (yachts might be the technical term – think like the Duran Duran video Rio and you’ll have an idea of what I mean). We also had RYA trainers on each boat to show us how to work them before finishing off with racing them – which was grand. Will put the weblinks in later. Am off for a spin on Mike the Bike in a mo. Not decided where yet but that’s just a technicality to be resolved on the road!

Links : http://www.mallorcaexcite.com/ and http://www.mallorcaseaschool.com/

Palma Nova – Santa Ponsa - The right way!!

An


Getting to Santa Ponsa!! - was giving you loads of duff gen yesterday you don’t want to get to Santa Ponsa the way I was going! Shouldn’t be seeing a place called Port Adrianne at all! What you should be doing is going down the main street in Palma Nova then ride the cycle track in parallel with the motorway – bit of a climb to start off with but nothing too taxing. You then follow the cycle track that runs in parallel with the big road into Santa Ponsa. There’s nowt to it! And it’s much shorter than the daft route I was on yesterday – there’s now wonder I never got to Santa Ponsa it’s probably miles out!! Anyway had a most pleasant run this morning to SP and back, start off with the sight of emus (No Rod Hull, of course r.i.p.) which were in the grounds of a lovely looking house that is right next to the bridge over the roundabout at the top of Palma Nova. Weird huh! Clouds over the mountains were beautiful as well, not something you associate Mallorca with if you’ve only ever experience the Magluf club scene when here. You have to get out and drink in the views – it’s a beautiful place.

Reasons to be cheerful are … at the very least three!

What a great day it’s been. First of all, have walked all the way from Palma Nova down to Portals, up the hill to Costa D’en Blanes and collected a mountain bike that I’ve got exclusive use for the next few days. How, you say? Read on my friend, all will be revealed (will be a day or so but let's just say an angel stepped in and made things happen for now - watch this space for more info in due course!!).



Secondly, in the tourist hotspot that is Palma Nova I managed to track down bike pumps and bike locks for the afore-mentioned mountain bike which was not as easy as I expected but was not an insurmountable challenge for a DCFC fan.

Thirdly with mountain bike duly serviced with nicely inflated tyres and what have you I rode down the coast (eastwards I think) towards Palma City without being run over by any local crazies (report to follow, them local crazies had a go but were no match for reflexes honed in the badlands of Derbyshire(Jeez, Louise it's a good job no-one knows where you're from)) or tourists for that matter and visited Illetes which readers who know me will be aware was a place I visited last year with work. Pictures attached see if you can make sense of em.




Reasons to be cheerful?, more than you can point a stick at matey!

Blog Update: Friday 10th Aug

Blog Update: Friday 10th Aug – managed to get some bandwidth yesterday so was able to do an update on the blog and read my emails. Two of which were from folks telling me not to get down about the weight gain gain, you’re on holiday, loosen up. Thank you for the support, people, I do appreciate it.

I do lose perspective sometimes but it’s natural, I guess – have come a long way with the weight loss and since stopping smoking the weight loss has been slower and feels hard fought for, so to bang on 3.5lbs in a heartbeat and wipe out all of July’s loss and a bit of June was a bit crushing.

3.5 is also a bit of a magic number in the sense that it’s quarter of a stone, you don’t ever want to be putting on a quarter of a stone do you?

Positive ending : still not smoking even though the ciggies are cheap here (have now lasted 5 weeks and 4 days). Am not even using the patches at the moment – they’re useless with sun tan lotion it seems!!

Shock, horror, on hols weight disaster!

Shock, horror, on hols weight disaster!
For only the second time in the past 24 weeks I’ve had a weight-gain. But this is no ordinary weight gain! This is a 3.5lb alcohol-fuelled nightmare of a weight gain (wonder if Marks and Sparks would consider using some of my marketing ideas, note to self – make a call, no ordinary call to M&S on return to Blighty).
I managed to attend a very, very exclusive group as a visitor yesterday (I could not possibly talk about it in detail, don’t you know) and could not believe the gain – was utterly floored by it. Think that’s because I’ve decided that I’m magic at Food Optimising and that even out here I’ll keep losing weight by magic. Well now I’ve had my reality checked (must have someone have a look at my sanity next!) it’s magic but it requires the magician to exert some control.

Just goes to show the impact that demon Alcohol has. I’ve been thinking I’ve been pretty good – always ordered a diet coke for first drink, haven’t had more than a pint with a meal out. The problem is too many sherberts sat out on the balcony so from today am going to start reining it in. Am off for a walk in a mo while everyone’s asleep (am writing this at 6am BST or 7am Spanish time – have had a rethink on the running front as my shins (not the knees this time) are killing me in the mornings!!), have not cracked the internet access bit yet – can see two secured wireless networks but without the WEP key they’re useless to me. Not to worry, might nip off at lunchtime for a coffee at Cappucino’s on Paseo Del Mar, or drive down to Portals and nip into Mood Beach Bar so I can grab a bit of bandwidth!
Right now I should be thinking about Derby County’s upcoming start to their Premiership campaign on Saturday but now I’m thinking about damage limitation and Food Optimising big style.
.
Always finish on a positive note I say – “Have had zero cigarettes!”, which is nice! But three and a half pounds on (it’s half a point’s worth of BMI and makes me 13lbs away from my target, aaaagghhh (not quite a positive finish but let’s see what happens next week – in a way it is positive as I could be getting back to UK a stone heavier and feeling right back where I started so in a way I’ve nipped it in the bud hopefully).

Mallorca Sunday/Monday 5th-6th Aug

Had made the decision last week to go with running rather than biking for exercise while I’m in sunny Spain. Although am thinking about hiring one for a few days next week perhaps. However, running is going great, last night (Sunday) ran from Palma Nova to the Steam Engine Roundabout at Portals and back. No problem, so went out this morning at 7:30ish before it gets too hot and went a bit further into the Port itself where the big boats of the rich and famous reside. Anyway the exercise regime is currently 50 minutes of running based on this morning’s session. I’ve had to work out the timing by adding up the tines of the first 10 tracks of Black Sabbath “The Dio Years” which accompanied me down to the port and back. Am going to keep on pushing the time out while I’m here and hopefully when the next part of my cunning holiday weight loss plan is revealed (masterstroke approaching) everything should be tickety boo!! Been shopping this morning - apples, bananas (see picture - even Mickey Mouse approves!), lean bacon all the usual, low fat yogurts, diet coke, even bought some half alcohol lager (2.5% I think which is a bit like what Carling have done in the u.k. – so you’re having a pint but without all the calories – smart choice I think).

Geeky or what - only updating on hols!!

Am in Sunny Spain, it's 32 degrees outside but nice and cool where I'm sat right now (technically the coolest new club called Mood Beach Club (http://www.moodbeachclub.com/) on the island). I spotted it last night while running from Palma Nova down to Portals and back. It only opened at the weekend so it's the hottest ticket around at the moment.

And you can see why - it's classy, cool, and somehow there's a sort of wave of relaxation going on from the moment you walk through the door it says 'it's nice here, relax, my friend' (probably says it in Spanish thought but you know what I mean!). Not only that, but there's free internet access to customers hence the update!! Might have to do a daily update (see how that goes down with she who must be obeyed!!!).