Port de Soller, Mallorca, Spain - sun, sweat and chocolate

There was no particular agenda for the day although it had been mentioned that if it was a nice day, sunbathing was in order.

Shortly after I got up at 8am, this truck arrived

and delivered 2 huge bags of gravel to the patio below our terrace. Finally they were going to get started on Liz's patio.

Fi was up first and out for a run around the track opposite the apartment. I think she's enjoying better weather for running.

Sarah was up next and immediately out in the morning sun.

Heather (with Fiona later as her assistant chef) had big plans for breakfast.

Nutella and strawberry french toast rolls, french toast sticks with chocolate sauce, lemon/lime juice, sugar, honey and fresh squeezed orange juice.

Liz let Heather pick lemons and limes yesterday and gave us a lesson on telling the difference on the trees (as the ripe limes are yellow too)

The girls headed down to the beach after breakfast, lay on the sand for a while and Heather and Sarah went in the water. Photo by Sarah.

Back for lunch of pasta salad, cheese, pate, crackers and olives (for Fi and I) and then Liz asked if the girls would come and help with the gravel. We had helped a little yesterday and this had been arranged. Liz has a very broad Scottish accent and the girls often look to me to translate what she is saying. They mostly just smile and nod.

First part of the job was to shovel gravel into plastic bags and move them up to the future patio area for Gabrielle to put in the cement mixer. After we ran out of plastic bags we used black rubber tubs to ferry the gravel.

Sarah asked if she could help transport the cement, thus freeing up Paulie to spread and level it.

We transferred all of one of the big bags and about 3/4 of the other but ran out of bags and tubs.

We worked for nearly 2 hours, with breaks for pop,  and Paulie (who has teenagers himself) said these 3 were not "usual".

Rewarded with Cadbury Flake easter eggs

and Heather, who is obsessed with Vespas, got to sit on Liz' pink Vespa and send a picture to her Mum (trying to "wind her up")

She even went in and chose her clothes and sunglasses to colour co-ordinate.

At the end of the work day the watering system for the citrus trees had been cemented in and the leveling grid was complete.

Tomorrow 4 more bags will be delivered. Liz has offered to pay the girls for their work but it will be up to them whether they want to spend more of their holiday doing this.
We had a late supper as we all ate too much chocolate. Sarah again made a pasta recipe.

Here's the recipe for the One Pan Garlic Chicken Pesto Pasta that Sarah made the other night;

• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 2 chicken breast sliced into 1/2-inch strips
• 2 tbsp garlic chopped
• 1/2 tbsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tbsp black pepper freshly ground
• 3/4 cup (180 ml) heavy cream
• 1/2 Parmesan cheese grated
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) pesto
• 3 cups (720 ml) penne cooked and drained
• 3/4 cup (180 ml) cherry tomatoes halved
• Parmesan cheese to garnish
• basil chopped to garnish

• 1.Heat the oil in a pan over high heat.
• 2.Combine the chicken, garlic, salt, and pepper, cooking until chicken is browned.
• 3.Then, mix in the heavy cream, parmesan, and pesto, stirring until evenly combined.
• 4.Next, bring to a boil and cook until the sauce has reduced, about five to seven minutes.
• 5.Toss in the cooked pasta and cherry tomatoes, stirring until evenly coated, and then remove from heat.
• 6.To serve, sprinkle parmesan cheese and basil on top! Enjoy!