2. Limeberry House & Roadtown (Mick)

First day on the island we basically just took our time and got our bearings. Spent the morning unpacking then headed into Road Town, the main town on Tortola (and the British Virgin Islands) to get our victuals. We found a big supermarket that had pretty much everything you need, even down to Waitrose Pesto! We also grabbed a lovely lunch at The Moorings, where the kids discovered the delights of Maraschino Cherries ("The Fruit That Made Oregon Famous" would you believe).

I also finished my first book of the holiday, Manicdotes by Chris Joseph. I know Chris quite well, though I haven't seen him for 25 years. We were at Liverpool University at the same time and spent our first year living in Morton House, ground floor of B block as I remember. I therefore can't be an objective critic, but I thought the book was terrific. Its a series of anecdotes that provide a skeleton autobiography, and a large part of it portrays the impact that bipolar disorder has had on his life. Chris says that this first hit him a few years after he left university, so it was never a factor when I knew him. Even at that stage however he had had a more interesting life than anyone I met, having already started at University once before, quit to pursue a vocation as a Catholic priest, spent time in a Benedictine monastery, worked as a night club bouncer, and worked in a steel factory where he lost his right arm in a horrific accident. As you might guess, the next 2o-plus years have not been uneventful and I hope our paths cross again some day.