Nevis

Nevis is St Kitts's sister island: smaller, darker, quieter, more atmospheric. St Kitts is breezy, noisy, edgy, energetic. It's 1st February and I wish you all a happy one. February is an under-rated month. My daughter was born in it. But February here: wind, rain, lashings of it, sun, dazzling, then wind and rain again. The rain mostly happens at night , thrashing down on a tin roof. We are staying at the Hermitage, an earthly paradise, the oldest wooden house in the western hemisphere (allegedly). We are discussing the possibility of holding a literary festival here, so punters could discuss historical novels and such whilst sipping Pina Coladas. I can't cope with Pina so my Coladas are all Virgin (ie non-alcoholic). Any writer, or wannabe writer, who is interested, please get in touch.

I am now going to try and video the leaves of the towering Royal Palms streaming in the wind. The kingbird sits and twitters from the highest tips. With such twittering available, I have tweeted little in the past few days.

I have eaten far too much rich food and now want nothing but crackers and soda-water, like Byron dieting. It worked! - He was five feet eight and a half, and started off a porky fourteen stone, but after the furious dieting got down to eleven stone and become Pale and Interesting. I am re-reading Benita Eisler's biography of Byron and it couldn't be more fascinating. He seems to have been an absolute swine about ten per cent of the time - for the rest, he was adorable. If there is an afterlife, I wonder if you're allowed to pester celebs from past eras? There will certainly be a long queue for his cloud.