This time tomorrow...

...I will be packed and nearing ready to go.

There will be a few things I shall miss, tortoises in the garden, on the road, near the beach and under the trees.

Lizards galore - same places as above.

The Hummingbird that flits around the Orchid tree as dusk and hovers around the flowers enjoying the nectar - desperately avoiding the camera but occasionally being too nosey and coming right up to me whilst I try so hard to get that elusive photo.

The warty toads that sit near the lights in the garden waiting for it's dinner to fly near enough...

The constantly changing view of the islands and the sea. Today choppy and cloudy, yesterday calm and mill pond still.

I'm not so sad to be leaving the hot, uncomfortable temperature - I'll see how long it takes for that sentiment to change!!

Basil's

Basil's is one of the 3 bars on the island but is the more established of them all. They have the occasional 'Jump Up' a rather lively evening with a band and lots of expensive cocktails on offer.

I arrived late and had one glass of champagne, one passionfruit and vodka cocktail and 3 Baileys and chocolate cocktails. I chatted with an American woman who's husband is an upholsterer. They were contacted a week ago to do some work for someone and found themselves flown out here for a week. She was so shocked that not only would they fly her and her husband here, put them up in the house with meals provided by the chef, fully kept, but they were going to pay him as well!! Hilarious!

I then met a Kiwi bloke who manages a few properties here and he promised to show me some of them - I'm not holding my breath. The Kiwi population seems to be one of the highest not counting local, British or US. Not that I am sure they are of the good ambassadorial types...

Off to the beach now for the daily dipping of sore ankles (not much skin left for the little blighters to eat now).

OK, so maybe it's not so bad...

Boy, not sure what I was on earlier! But I'm not on it now!

After writing my last blog I went for a 'drive'. I say 'drive' instead of drive simply because it is hard to go for a drive on an island that is 3 miles long and 1.4 miles wide. It is however possible to go for a 'drive'.

I went to the north end of the island and looked for the Herons. None there so went to a little beach instead. Spent 4-5 minutes there - long enough to dip my well eaten ankles in the sea and take a photo of a palm tree. Retraced my earlier drive in the hope I would see a Heron... none there. Until I was about to go 'round the bend (haha) and I saw, from the corner of my eye, one fly in so up the road to do a U turn and then back to take another dozen or more photos.

I'm guessing the occupants of the villa right where the Heron was may have wondered why I went past their place 3 times - innocent I promise!

Off to the airport - approximately 45 second drive - and a little plane was about to take off so stopped to have a look and snap another photo. Into 'town' (3 shops) to get a can of coke ($EC4 - Eastern Caribbean dollar) and a chat with the shop keeper.

As I was heading back to the car a man stopped me and asked if I had made it to the Lagoon the other day... Took me a moment to recognise him and the one who gave me directions - turn left up the road between the 2 trucks, turn right, follow the road to the incinerator, but keep going - not nice there, first break in the bush on the right and follow road all the way to the end. I did make it and it was well worth the bother. We had a little chat and as like so many here he is from St Vincent and works here.

The lagoon is a fresh water oversized pond that housed an amazing amount of wildlife - approx 1GB worth of photos I'm guessing. There is a walk with a trail of information which was very informative.

Oh how nice it is to be happier!!

Please may I come home...?

I've had enough now and would rather be in my manky little bedsit in cold, dark, damp London. Sad but true.

It's definitely nice to see the sun, and to walk on some nice beaches (in the small moments of freedom I get).

Not so nice being drenched in sweat as it is so hot and there is so little shade - and even the shade is hot!

Not so nice being eaten alive every moment of the day by either sandflies (close relation of Satan) or mosquitoes the size of small bombers.

Not so nice being hungry - of course one ought not eat more then a slice of lettuce and figment of fish each meal in order to fit in that special outfit that cost more then a small country's annual budget.

Not so nice paying more then my weekly wage (almost) for a taste of melted chocolate that has sat on the shelf at the local store since 1979.

Not so nice feeling unhappy about being somewhere beautiful when I could be having such a wonderful time exploring this little tidbit of paradise...

Roll on Saturday...

My not so happy bird day

The other day I watched a bird fluttering about in front of a mirror on the patio and the butler mentioned that sometimes they fly into it and stun themselves.

Later that day I found a millipede and was taking photos of it and a bird low dived (I guess to get the millipede) and smacked head first into the window. I picked it up and found it to be suffering so I went looking for the butler wondering if he should put it out of it's misery. I couldn't find him and decided I would try to give the bird some water. It drank a little but I noticed it had a long tongue so thought maybe it was a nectar eating bird. I put a little sugar in the water and the bird drank with great gusto!

I took it back upstairs and sat under a tree while it decided just what it would do. It hopped off my hand onto the side of the pool and a tiny mite of some sort was foolish enough to wander past, the bird ate it - nectar eater? maybe not... But the happy ending came when it flapped it's wings a few time and then flew off.

Later that night I was in the Great Room and I heard another little thud. I searched around and found the most beautiful little Hummingbird! So tiny and so frightened - and so disheveled. I picked it up and was wondering what to do when it flew off up onto a ledge in the room - narrowly missing the fan!

About a half hour later, the butler found me and asked if I would rescue a bird for him... luckily I didn't find him earlier - he doesn't 'do' birds! I asked if it was the Hummingbird and he said yes. I found the poor little thing behind a table and carried it outside this time. It was in a poor way. It's little beak was open and it's eyes were struggling to stay open. I wanted to find it somewhere safe so the local cats wouldn't find it. I sat with it on my hand for quite a while watching it sway, barely managing to hold itself up.

Then suddenly it flapped it's wings a couple of times and disappeared off into the night! I decided it had found itself somewhere safe to hole up for the night...

Machetes, fame and 7.3 of shaking earth

The locals tend to wander around with machetes in hand. I feel a little concerned that there is something they're hiding... Or maybe they just all do a lot of gardening.

The dog at our villa, Reggie, was a gift from His Royal Highness, Mick Jagger. So one could say I am one degree away from MJ himself... Yesterday Tommy Hilfigger arrived at our villa to check out the architecture as he is using the same man to do his villa. He left his flip flops behind, and his architech turned up this morning to collect them - they had tigers heads on them. If only I'd known - I could have sold them on ebay for a small fortune.

Yesterday there was an earthquake here - none of the staff at the villa have ever felt an earthquake. I was the only earthquake experienced person there. It went on and on and instead of carrying up the road with small boy in buggy under bending trees, we did a very quick turnaround and walked right home again. V, the maid was completely hysterical and praying very loud that we should all live through this. Dwayne the butler who had just arrived home in the buggy/cart thingy was oblivious to the earthquake and spent the next several minutes calming V. I have heard since that an office building collapsed somewhere and a woman was trapped in the rubble. She was found and all seems well. It measured 7.3 on the Richter (sp) scale I'm told and lasted 5 minutes - it was very long as every few steps I stopped to see if it was still going. and it was for a looooong time....

Mustique the mystic

Oh well, goodness me, I sit here typing away in the library on an island in the Caribbean which has a population (at peak tourist time) of 1300.

I'm surprised each time I look out my window by the beauty and uniqueness. I wonder if 11 days is enough to not be stunned by this place and to take it as ordinary...

I am here with a family I worked with a while back. They have 20 month and 3.5yr old boys and my job is to mostly take care of them at night while they get used to this time zone. If last night is anything to go by, I'll be busy!!

We flew from London yesterday to Barbados then hired a private planette) - ie a very little plane - to get to Mustique. That part was 35 minutes and compared to the 8.5hrs earlier, was a piece of cake. The boys were incredibly good on the whole journey and even though it was 11pm (UK time) when they went to bed, I couldn't complain at all. The fun started at 1am local time and lasted til 5.30am. Tonight I hope they will be a little more acclimatised.

This morning I was up with No2 at 6.45 but I had no complaints as the view was really something to behold - although No2 was not at all interested in anything but his glass of milk...

I have now made it down the hill to the library which looks better set up then the Chelsea library at home... The only problem I see with that sentence is the 'down the hill' bit. It is a serious hill and I have to walk up it again soon. Although on the way down I saw a tortoise (the land ones are tortoises... yes? no?) so I shall try to locate it - or any other wildlife that wishes to come my way by leg and preferably not by belly. Not so sure I want to see the slithery locals that much.

As soon as I find a way to download photos, I will oblige.