The first joint blog went so well I suggested it again. After lunch we first visited the restored side of Fort Shirley overlooking Prince Rupert Bay after an initial look round the visitors centre.

The entrance to Fort Shirley is up a newly renovated path. The canons stand proudly overlooking the bay of Portsmouth. Fort Shirley was the headquarters and main defence post of the British Army garrison and its construction began under the direction of Sir Thomas Shirley, Governor of Dominica - 1774 to 1776, after whom it was named. The French made significant additions during their occupation of Dominica from 1778-1783.

After this I finally get Bear where I want him, behind bars. The stone used for building was native, black volcanic rock. The cement used as mortar was made from coral limestone collected on the nearby reefs. Chunks of limestone were heated on the nearby beaches until it turned to powder. This was mixed with fine aggregate, water and molasses to create the final mortar.

Too warm here to worry about 'balls and brass monkeys', the water pump. The renovated Officers Quarters, Bear and the cannons and a tug and towed St Vincent just coming around the bay. Fort Shirley was last used as a fort in 1854 as a large 18th-century British garrison which once housed 600 soldiers. Fort Shirley contained seven gun batteries overlooking both Prince Rupert Bay to the south, and Douglas Bay to the north (to protect Dominica from the French on Guadeloupe), seven cisterns, powder magazines, barracks and officers quarters. The restored area is beautiful and I have never seen such large canons in such near perfect condition. The vista is truly stunning.

The information plaques are interesting and informative.

We went inside the Officers Quarters, now a bar, had to try one. The lady behind the bar allowed me to go in to take these two photos of the recently renovated kitchen. Upstairs is a beautiful room that can be used for meetings etc.

Other parts of the extensive garrison’s 50 major structures are half-hidden in the jungle with bizarre sights of tree roots taking back the land, canons and their carriages lying around in again perfect, unbroken, unrusted condition in other ruins, and are fun to explore.

The Commandant's Quarters. A provision store and one could say "some sympathetic restoration required".

After our exploring was complete we returned to the Purple Turtle for a quick beer before a swim off the back of the girl and al fresco shower. I was very put off by the mournful cries of distress from a tiny kid. Beer finished I had to take a look, the tiny thing had loads of its string round its foot and the rest was round a bush. Bear got down to do a Dr Doolittle impression and we left the kid happy as it could now reach decent greenery. Still an amazing sight to see a goat whatever size with a coconut tree.

Bear with Beez Neez directly above his head anchored quietly, waiting for our return.

ALL IN ALL a really fascinating and interesting day.