A Rather Splendid Evening

This morning, when I was digging out the runway lights again, the hole was filling up faster than I could dig.
You can fight against Mother Nature but you'll never win, so... I gave up!!

This evening, the wind had dropped, the clouds disappeared and the sun came out, revealing Antarctica in all her breathtaking beauty.


After dinner (another superb feast. Thanks Al and Nicola) some folks went skiing or snowboarding on the ramp, while some of us went for a stroll around The Point.
I take my camera with me everywhere "just in case", and tonight was no exception.
The views were truly magnificent. This is why people fall in love with this place.












I was picking my way round the coastline, looking for a secure footing in the deep snow, trying to avoid falling face-first into a drift (a beard full of snow is not a flattering image)
when I came across a cluster of partially buried rocks.
I was about six feet from the rocks when one of them moved; it rolled over and reared up, startling me, somewhat!!
It wasn't really a rock (I bet you guessed that already).
I had just got up close and personal with a Crabeater seal.
After informing me of his presence, he made no effort to get away. He just laid there, right in front of me, and let me get right up close to take some photos. He was a pretty laid-back, cool kind of guy, so I named him Dave, after my good friend... Dave.












After my close encounter with Dave I carried on with my walk in the glorious evening sunshine.
Just around the headland I came across a small group of Adelie penguins who were quite obviously on a day trip to the seaside. They were having a good ol' time swimming in the sea and playing about on the snow and ice-covered beach.

Now the thing I've found with penguins; if you get too close to them they retreat and try to keep some distance between you.
If you act uninterested they become inquisitive.
So...I just stood still and ignored them and, lo and behold, one of them became curious.
She came right towards me, sledging along on her tummy,
wings flapping for balance, and stopped
just three feet from me!
She just stood there, preening herself and posing for the cameras
that had all gathered round to watch the fun.

I named her Ruby, cos she was a lot
of fun and full of character, and she
reminded me of a very special little girl I know back home.






I left Ruby showing off to the crowd of cameras and carried on with my jaunt, admiring the views, clicking away with my camera.
I've tried to take good shots, but they only show a small glimpse of the stunning scenery here. They don't capture the detail of the landscape or the smell of the cold, crisp, clean air.






Still further round The Point the sun was starting to set in the sky.
I climbed up the rocky, snow-covered hill to watch the glorious sunset.



I made my way to the Rothera memorial area and had a few moments thinking of friends and loved ones back home.






Time to make my way back to base, and civilization as we know
it here.

But the evening wasn't over yet.

A call came over the VHF radio...
Killer whales had been spotted in Ryder Bay.

I was joined by others as I ran down towards the wharf. Whale sightings are always popular here on base.
We got down to the wharf and we were told that there were about six of them quite a way off shore.
We could see their fins as they broke the surface for air, but unfortunately, they were too far out for my camera to capture them properly. You can just see their breath in the centre of the photo.
It was so exciting to see these magnificent animals in their natural environment.

The thought entered my mind yet again, what a privilege it is and how wonderful it is to be here to witness, first hand, this unspoilt continent and fabulous wildlife.

We stood at the wharf for ages and watched the pod of orcas swim away into the sunset.
They'll be back again, for sure. I hope they'll come closer next time.

Now it really was time to come back, but instead of going to bed, I sat down to check out my photos and write this post while everything was still fresh in my mind

All in all, a rather splendid evening.