The Music Room

My pretty kitties hanging out in Thomas' study.

Cuddled

This is Aria cuddled in my bed. She likes to wrap her little tail around her face and sleep like this for hours on the oh-so-comfy memory foam topper.

Catnip

Bianca destroys a little catnip that was growing in the lawn. She really went to town on that sucker!

Balenbouche Estate

Half way between Soufriere and the southern city of Vieux Fort is Balenbouche Estate. This collection of very old plantation and farm land owned and run by Uta Laweatz and her family. When we arrived Uta and her daughters were gardening around the estate house and a band of St Lucian school children were picnicking with their teachers on the grounds.
Uta maintains the estate grounds, manages the guesthouses, gives tours, and prepares meals for visitors. You can read more about the estate and the Lawaetzs here; their devotion to the property and the island is really quite remarkable. The house is like a museum and the lawns are beautiful. I am sure these ladies are always working.
Front siting room of the estate house.
The house has a wraparound porch; meals are served on the side porch.
The old barn behind the house.
St Lucian kids mugging for the camera. Long ago, their ancestors were brought to this island to work these plantations. Now they play in the ruins.
Hammock hanging from a Banyan tree.
Strangler vine crawling up the tree.
We took a path through the jungle to get to the beach.
Which was quite exciting. The path lead past the ruins of a sugar mill.
It was lined with bamboo and sprouted coconuts.
They told us that under the right conditions, you can see the remains of a shipwreck out at sea from here. We couldn't see it but still enjoyed the ocean.
Then we came back to explore the mill.
Which was amazing. No handrails, no guardrails, no hurried guides or people selling trinkets. No keep off signs. Not even any other people.
Just us and some history, and lots and lots of growing things.
It was pretty special.

InSync Exotics

This very sweet tiger face is sleeping in the midday heat at InSync Exotics, A big cat rescue a few towns over from my house.
Gigantic lion muzzle-pouches!
And tiger paw pads!
This white lioness had a very sweet look on her face. Like my cats when they are being nice.
This is a baby lynx who just got rescued. He had to be segregated due to severe mange. But he will be ok soon.
Cougar grooming.
The floofiest cat in the world lives here too!

Fond Doux Estate

Here are some photos from Fond Doux Estate. It's a hotel and cocoa plantation with a nature trail near Soufriere. The photo above is a cocoa pod growing on a cocoa tree.
Bananas hanging in the cocoa-drying shed.
This is the shed where the cocoa is dried. Giant trays of cocoa roll out along the metal tracks on sunny days. When it's rainy, the trays are protected in the shed.
We ate some delicious vegetable roti at the plantation restaurant.
New ginger plants sprouting on a ginger flower on the nature trail.
Huge metal pot used for separating out the cocoa beans.
Chicken who also lives in the cocoa shed.