Matt B our winter PSD technician

This is Matt he is our PSD technician he mends scientific instruments and gizmo's.
He is a keen climber and musician he plays guitar and is the singer in our base band.
He is always looking at adult material on his computer but that's cool as when you look in from the corridor it just looks as if he's busy doing "computer work"
He is also here for two years.

The Winter weather man Rob

Rob is our meteorologist, He predicts the weather and says it's going to be a cold and snowy winter. He is also a very good musician, he plays the fiddle, guitar and drums.
He is staying in Antarctica for 2 years.
He thinks the police will forget about him in that time, I don't think that will work.
As you can see very busy.

As you can see the weather has changed for the worse, Scott, Pete,Mike,Roger,Kenny and Liz are all stuck out on their winter trips. Scott and Pete are camping.

Even this bit of snow makes work a lot harder especially with the wind blowing it in every nook and cranny.

Pancake ice

You can tell it's getting colder as the sea is beginning to freeze.
First you get a waxy layer then it turns into pancake ice.

Snow Boarding Antarctic style.

Snowboarding Antarctic style.
A good days snowboarding at Stork Bowl.

I was having a great time till I got told of by Mark Goring our Field Assistant as I used the wind scoop as a Half Pipe, he said I went over his imaginary line. It was the best boarding I had ever done.

You can see my line in the top left of the bowl. What a place to snowboard and what a view.
We later did avalanche rescue techniques .

Good bye winterer,s

Well that's all the out going winterer's now left on the Shackleton.
As much as we're all glad they've gone so we can begin our winter we will miss them.

The Shackleton leaving for the Falkland Isles then the UK.
Now there are just us and the remaining Morrisons construction workers left they will leave on the JCR in two and a half weeks.

Lenny (the nut) from Morrisons seeing the ship of with flares.

To my family and friends.

To my family and friends.
I would like to thank you for your continued support and a BIG thanks to
Ray, Ashley,Euan and Iona I love and miss you all.

Cravassing

Doing what I enjoy.

Jim

What an experience.

Yet another thing that I feel so lucky to have done, how many people can say they have been down a crevasse.

It is so blue down there, so the photo above is what it really looks like, it is only when you use a flash it looks white.

Jim just disappearing into a hole.

Cravassing

Last week after work a group of us went down one of the local crevasses.

We all had to wear safety equipment as the crevasse is probably over 25m deep.

It was good to see all the different forms that ice can form into.

Mark,Andy and Jim.

As you can see there were some tight holes we had to crawl through.

Views from my window

Another amazing sun set we are losing about a half hour of daylight a week, when the clocks go forward in the UK there will be a 4 hour difference between us as our clocks don't change.

This morning I woke up to a different view ,snow. This is much needed as the glacial ramp opposite is now just ice without a layer of snow it is nearly impossible to get the skidoos or Snocat up.
Last night we had a fancy dress party which will be the last big party with the old winterer's before they leave next Thursday. It was a great night and there were some great costumes.

Earlier this year we had a killer whale and calf in the bay, what a great sight with Jenny Island in the back ground.

Skiing.

In preparation for my Winter Expedition I am learning to ski. I have mastered skinning which is where you put like a fur cover on the bottom of your skies this allows you to move forward but not backwards ideal when going cross country or up hill.
I haven't quite mastered down hill skiing at speed but I can manage at slow speed to get from the top to the bottom.

This picture shows you the sunset we had when the boat shed doors were opened at the Dance party.

Before the Dance party we had a BBQ hosted by the Air Unit and several games of Volley ball.
What a back drop for the game.

Great friends leaving.

A very sad day today as Sue Ann and Adam left back for the UK they are the first of our group to leave. They will be missed by all.
I hope they have a safe journey home and I know they will keep in touch.
All the base had a Ibiza Dance party for the people who were leaving it was a great night.

Also leaving is the BIG GAY BEAR (Mark) the out going builder a big thanks to him for arranging the Music for the night.

The reason for going to Fossil Bluff was to provide Fire Cover and Search and Rescue for the Twin otters, to refuel them, to unload and make the fuel depots and to shut the base down as it is now a summer base only.

Refuelling a Twin Otter

A fuel depot, after winter these drums have to be dug out as the snow covers them and then it turns to ice as the temperature drops to -50.
It 's so hard to dig them out of solid ice.

Kettle Curling

Our attempt at Kettle Curling it was such a laugh.

We look so professional may be the Winter Olympics next.

At nights we would just site around talking having a wee glass of Rum to warm us up before bed.

Drinking water had to be got from beneath the ice of a fresh water loch.
Ken with an axe so so dangerous.

Of course you can't beat a glass of Gin and Tonic with a couple of pieces of pure glacial ice.

My first attempt at making bread. Not bad If I do say so myself.

Welcome to Fossil Bluff my home for the next week.
It is a small base there will only be three of us here till it closes down.

This is the kitchen, dinning, living and sleeping quarters.
As you can see nothing has changed since it was built.
We cook on a oil fired Rayburn and the lighting is paraffin Tiley lamps.
Electric is provided by a generator, wind turbine and solar panels.

The Bluff is basic but has a homely feel to it compared with Rothera.

This must be one of the most isolated outside WC s in the world, but it must have the best view from the window.
The WC is a gas powered Rocket bog.

You can see by this photo that it's so isolated and due to warming the glacier has retreated from the base as it used to go right up to the door.
Dog sled's used to come here on a thousand mile round trip from one of the main bases.