Well here we are now, truly alone in Antarctica. Our winter has begun.
The RRS Ernest Shackleton came to Rothera and brought all our winter supplies. She also brought with her the final two members of our wintering team, Kirk and James.
It is traditional at Rothera that on the last day of relief all the wintering team go aboard The Shack for a special meal. The ship's chefs really put themselves out and served us up a fantastic dinner.
However, another Rothera tradition is that while we are enjoying the ship's hospitality, all the people who are going home run round the base playing practical jokes on those who are staying behind. This year such japes included running dental floss around bedrooms to create a cobweb effect, filling salt pots with sugar, exchanging the contents of the tomato ketchup and brown sauce bottles, and hiding all the balls from the pool table in peoples beds. I didn't get missed out; my bathroom was filled with duvets from the linen store...
It took me 40 minutes the next morning to put them all back. Then I discovered what else they had been doing to us.....Vaseline smeared on our toilet seats!!!.... yuk!!!!
It was all done in good fun and we all had a good laugh about it all.
Then it was time for The Shack to depart, leaving just 21 of us to winter here alone. We won't see anyone now until October, when the planes are able to fly in again.
After The Shack had left we got on with winterising the base, storing the vehicles and securing the buildings that won't be used over the winter
The base is very quiet and empty now. Everywhere is quiet and still. There is a really strong feeling of camaraderie and bonding amongst us; we may be alone, but we aren't lonely.
Life still goes on in Antarctica, though. We had another visit by Humpback whales.
We've had Humpbacks, Minkes and Orcas regularly sighted in Marguerite Bay this season. The veteran Rothera winterers are saying that this year has been one of the best ever for whale sightings.The Formula1 season kicked off today. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a big Grand Prix fan. We don't have telly here (hoorayyyy!!!!) but that means I can't watch the races (booooo!!!!!). However - I had a word with Andy, our comms manager, and he fixed it so that I could listen to the race live on BBC radio. It obviously wasn't as good as watching it, but it was better than I was expecting, so a big thanks to you, Andy. And well done to Jenson. I always knew you could do it if you had a competetive car.
Having no telly here means that I also miss Top Gear. But that's sorted out, too. My good mate Dave recorded the latest series onto dvds and posted them to me. So it's a big thank you to you, Dave. You've made a lot of blokes very happy.
I've been here nearly five months now and so far, it's been the most wonderful experience ever. I've seen and done the most unimaginable things. But I am missing my family very much, and I know that they are missing me, too. I'm also missing nice cold, ice cold milk. The stuff here is called Nido. It's a powdered milk. Personally, I don't mind it, but others here can't stand it. It tastes ok, providing it has been mixed up properly, but it's not nice cold, ice cold, fresh milk.
With so few people here now it means that Vals, our very own private ski resort, is empty. I had a good days skiing on perfect snow. We've got to make the most of the good weather while it lasts; the winter darkness and storms are will be here soon.
Talking of darkness; the days are getting shorter, and it's happening very quickly now. If we're lucky we may get to see some good Aurora Australis - the Southern Lights.
Also this week, I've been doing some extra field training, because I'm going on holiday. No - not Ibiza; I'm going to Carvajal, at the southernmost tip of Adelaide Island. Carvajal is a former British base, now owned and run by the Chileans. It's not occupied at this time of year, and the journey there promises to be quite spectacular. I'll be accompanied/guided by Dave, the most experienced GA on the base. He's been coming to Antarctica for many years, so I'm sure I'll be in safe hands. We'll be travelling overland through The Shambles and down through McCallum's Pass, then down the west coast of the island to Carvajal. Sounds great, doesn't it? I'm really looking forward to the trip. I'll let you see the photos when I get back.
