Tuesday 6 February 2018

A fortnight in the Caribbean - Part 3 - and 8 years of blogging

It's 8 years today from my very first post, and the beginning of blogging! I now have a number of blogs and many new friends. I am delighted to say that I have met some followers personally, and each meeting has been a great experience; with the discovery of common attitudes and interests, I have no doubt that lifelong friendships will be formed.  For those followers  I have not yet been able to meet, many have become friends via personal email and others via chats on the blog.  Thank you, one and all, for being there and taking the time to read and comment; it is much appreciated!

Back to reminiscing about Nevis, see Part 1 and Part 2 and here are a few more photos taken during our holiday.
Taken in the grounds of the Montpelier hotel.  Montpelier was formerly a 17th century sugar estate, but the buildings now transformed to provide luxury and upmarket accommodation....

On the veranda.  This is where Princess Diana used to visit....

Cogwheels from the sugar cane crushing process reminding the visitor of what used to be here...

One of the lounges with a pub at the back, housing a great selection of drinks....

Nelson’s love affair with Nevis was largely due to Fanny Nisbet, a widow he met at a dinner party on Nevis. The two fell instantly in love, and their nuptials are without a doubt the most famous wedding here to date....


The house is no longer standing but the famous silk cottonwood tree, under which they got married, still is!

Moving on to another part of the island - nothing is very far away!  We arrive at the church of St Thomas, which we were told was the oldest Anglican church in the Caribbean.   The original church was built in 1643 and there are still a few old and broken gravestones in the churchyard (see below) from the 17th century....

It was closed up on the day we visited, so we did not get to see inside, but there are services on Sundays. There are loads of churches on the island, dedicated to all varieties of Christian faiths!

The churchyard overlooks the sea and the island of St Kitts in the distance.

The tourist signboard neatly describing the circumstances by which the church was founded and built, as a gift from English planter Thomas Cottle.

He was once the President of Nevis and a very benevolent slave owner, by the harsh and inhuman standards of the day, of course. This church was the only one on the island, and probably in the Caribbean, where the slaves and their master worshipped together. It was never consecrated, since it was illegal at that time for slaves to worship. The structure was severely damaged in a 1974 earthquake and again in 1989 during Hurricane Hugo. The building is still a primary tourist attraction and is presently undergoing restoration to stabilise it and ensure its historical significance for the future.


Inside the church; quite a modest building as you can see.

Part of a wall plaque recording the names and ages of some of the slaves who lived on the local  Round Hill estate and worked on the construction of the church. One child named Aaron is listed as aged only 4 and others are shown as having been born in Africa, obviously  being transported to the island as slaves.

Returning to some of the wildlife in Nevis!  Caribbean Queen or Jamaican Monarch butterfly (Danaus cleophile).

The panther anole (anolis bimaculatus), is a species of lizard that is endemic to the Caribbean Lesser Antilles islands.

African green, or “vervet” monkey (Chlorocebus aethiops).  These monkeys were first brought to the islands as pets in the 17th or 18th centuries. Some escaped or were set free and they have thrived ever since. They can be a nuisance, running off with food and anything else not nailed down!

Brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) wheeling over the seashore, no doubt seeking fish in the shallows.

Mangrove Buckeye butterfly (Junonia genoveva) taking a break!



Watching the sun go down in  a local restaurant with St Kitts on the skyline.




Also see my daily diary HERE


and My Life Before Charente (updated  February 2018) 



24 comments:

  1. Beautiful photos of the wildlife and I love Montpelier Hotel. I wonder if I shall ever see it up close and personal, ha ha.

    congratulations on 8 years of blogging. I've appreciated our blogging friendship and your steadfastness in not only blogging but consistently visiting and commenting. You really are a star in that regard and I believe it reflects on you as a person. Maybe some day we will meet in person. I read your comment recently where you said if you ever move back to Africa it would likely be to Botswana. I would come and visit you there :-)

    Have a wonderful week ahead.

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    1. Thanks Penny, Nevis is closer to you than to us :-) I cannot see us ever leaving France, too much tied up here now, but certainly if we made a move I am sure that Botswana would be a serious contender.
      Hope you also have a good week or what remains of it. Take care Diane

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  2. what amazing and beautiful picyures always you have Diane. Congrats by yours 8 years in blogging!! xoxoxo

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    1. Thanks Gloria, it has been an interesting 8 years. Glad that you like these photos. Take care Diane

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  3. Congratulations on 8 years of blogging and thank you for taking us on another Caribbean holiday. Hot, overcast and humid in Durban, but all is well.

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    1. Thanks Kim and glad you enjoyed another trip to the Caribbean. The one thing I do not like about Durban is the humidity, I already have curly hair and there it goes mad!!! Glad all is well otherwise, Diane

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  4. I always learn so much from your travels. I love that silk cottonwood tree - what a beauty. Great photos.

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    1. Thanks Pam maybe one day you will go there to see for yourself. Have a good remainder to the week. Diane

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  5. It sure is an idillic place. Love the history and the wildlife but I wouldn't like the pesky monkeys.

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    1. The monkeys are a real pest in the gardens, they have no respect for anything! Interesting history though I agree. Have a good day t'other Diane

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  6. You do take lovely photos, Diane, and these are no exception.
    Hope you are staying warm during this cold spell. No snow down here, thank goodness, just greyness.

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    1. Thanks Vera. We have had grey ever since we arrived back from the UK at the end of December. Rain in January was 206 mm, then we had fog and now snow!! Trying to keep warm and get rid of this pesky cough which will not go away!! Take care and keep warm Diane

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  7. Dear Diane! What a lovely trip you had, I can imagine how much you enjoyed taking pictures of so many birds! Are you feeling better? Hope it was nothing serious. (I am going through a severe cold right now, and it's very annoying!). Lovely post!

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    1. Hi Pamela, great to hear from you. I hope that you get over your cols quicker than I have. I was pretty bad for at least 4 weeks and I am still coughing quite badly even now 4 weeks after I felt better.
      Loved the wild life on Nevis but the humming birds are so hard to capture!! Take care, Diane

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  8. Hi Diane - it's been great to come across you as an educative blogger and I'm sure friend - even if it's across airwaves for now. I love the posts you do - exploring areas and then giving us the low-down as here ... you must have had a lovely time - lots to see though - cheers Hilary

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    1. Thanks for the very kind words Hilary and yes certainly friends. I love seeing new places and would always be camera happy where ever I go. How things have changed since my Brownie Box camera LOL. Keep well and keep warm, cheers Diane

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  9. Thank you for such an informative and delightfully illustrated post, Diane. What splendid wildlife too!

    I had to read the bit about Nelson twice! At first I read the inscription as being "was married to France's Herbert Nisbet" - my immediate reaction was "ooh Horatio", said in a Kenneth Williams 'ooh Matron' voice!

    I hope that you both are now recovered from your ills. With my very best wishes - - - Richard

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    1. LOL no not Horatio!! Glad you have enjoyed the Nevis posts. One more to come yet but I need to spend a bit more time going through photos, as always I took far too many!!!

      I am still coughing quite badly Richard, I have a tendency to get bad coughs, but this one is dragging on which worries me somewhat. I have spent a lot of time with specialists in the past with coughs and they do not come up with answers. Last long time cough was only cured with a drip daily for 5 days so I hope not to go down that route again, sigh.

      Best wishes and have a good weekend, Diane

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  10. Seems the right idea to have one simple church for all to worship in.

    Congrats on eight years blogging. So glad we found each other through Joan's blog, and got to meet as well. Hugs to you both.

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    1. Thanks Gaelyn, we are also glad that we got to meet you, did not think it would ever happen :-) I miss Joan's blog but I use it often for information. I agree one simple church is a great idea and it obviously worked at the time. Now there seems to be a church on every corner! Warm hugs to you also Diane and Nigel

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  11. Bonjour Diane,
    Bravo pour vos 8 années sur la blogosphère: un monde riche d'échanges et de découvertes.
    Je suis contente de retrouver dans votre reportage certaines animaux vus dans d'autres contrées tropicales!
    Bonne semaine à vous avec une météo un peu plus agréable dans votre région d'adoption!

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    1. Merci beaucoup Lucie. C'est bon de voir des animaux et des insectes dans d'autres pays. Bonne semaine, Diane

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  12. Sorry to be so late to congratulate you on your eight years of blogging. Yours is a site I throughly enjoy visiting.

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    1. Thanks Karen congratulations appreciated. Glad that you enjoy my blog always good to hear. Have a good week Diane

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