Goodison, Gray's Inn & Guava

Source

Lorna Goodison: is recognised as one of the Caribbean’s best Poets. She attended high school in Jamaica, as well as the Jamaica School of Art, (now known as the Edna Manley College of the Visual & Performing Arts) before studying at the Art Students League in New York.  She lectures at the University of Michigan. Goodison has been writing poetry since her teenage years, and is also an artist. She has published eleven (11) poetry collections, and her paintings have been exhibited internationally.  Goodison has won various awards, including a Musgrave Gold Medal for her contribution to Jamaican literature. 

Gray’s Inn Estate: is located in the parish of St. Mary. The estate operated both a watermill and cattle mill. The estate originally belongs to John Elmslie’s heirs, one of whom drew up a detailed plan of the estate. The numbers of slaves on the plantation dwindled from 300 in 1820 to 250 in 1834 since sugar production is a labour-intensive business. 

With Emancipation in 1838, the estate owner began collecting ‘rent of Negro houses’—read this as rental of the former slave quarters.  Some slaves would have stayed on to work on the plantation in the fields and sugar factory.  The great house was built on a hill, with a view of the sea. Ironically, the great house was called Fairy Land. Source. Many sugar factories in Jamaica continued operations until recent times. The Gray’s Inn Factory has been closed for some time and is part of the quiet town of Annotto Bay.

Source

Guava: is a pungent fruit that is encased in a lemon-yellow skin. The flesh is grainy and comes in several shades running from yellow to near red. The seeds are hard and also vary between white and yellow.  The flesh is mostly sweet and some run to bitter.  The name came from the early Indians, who called it guayabo. Jamaicans use this fruit in a variety of ways. The drink has a unique taste, and jams and jellies are favourites. 

According to BestJamaica.com, ‘the guava is rich in vitamins A and C. The seeds contain omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids and high in dietary fiber. Quite amazingly a single Jamaican guava contains four times the vitamin C that is in an orange.’

2011 Posting for ‘G’ in the A-Z Challenge.

Other participants in the Challenge.