June 1st, 2003.

Our first Foxgrove morning began with a chorus of cockerels all trying to out doodle-doo each other; like Matrix fans who all want to be the first in line, these roosters started long before sunrise! We sat downstairs on the verandah to imbibe mango juice, fresh fruit (mango, watermelon, apple) followed by scrambled eggs & turkey franks. The best part of the meal was homemade guava jelly on toast.

So, we were well set up for our walk around Mamiku Gardens (name purportedly originated as a creolization of a previous owner’s wife, Madame de Micoud (Ma-Mi-Ku).) In spite of the very dry season parching the rest of the landscape, the dedicated watering here produced a veritable paradise within these boundaries. At the ticket desk, visitors are handed a laminated map and booklet naming the multitude of trees and flowers. We were blown away by the magnificent clouds of orchids massed in some places, and Peter took plenty of photos (which you can see in the 'Flora' section). We walked around admiring plants & hummingbirds for almost 2 & half hours At the same time, we also enjoyed watching as the guys working among the plants listened to the cricket game on their portable radios and called across the grounds to each other when big scores happened; then we headed back to Foxgrove for our second helping of Mamiku Delight salad (which we’d sampled the previous afternoon) and also shared a starter of Mussels Mariniere.

Our next jaunt of the day was to a secluded part of the coast, accessible only with a key to unlock the gate to the winding, rocky path leading to the tip of the promontory, with a handy bench for viewing Fregate Island, where Fregate birds breed. We walked through a ‘forest’ of over 7 foot cacti along one part of the path and also a mangrove swamp along another part.

We were exhausted and ready for a rest when we got back, but with healthy appetites for our dinner (Peter had Davie’s Chicken basket and Tara had Kingfish).

We finished the night watching a very ‘80’s movie, "Working Girl"!