Thursday 23 December

It is my scheduled day off... a one hour sleep in leaves me a bit foggy around 6:30ish... by 7:30ish I’m making toast in the dining room, peanut butter on one slice and nutella on the other. I only eat toast on my days off and so far it's been this combination. Usually I snack on a bowl of cereal or porridge placed strategically between a mug of coffee and the paper towel dispenser on a shelf just above my chopping board in the kitchen. I get the news that I and five others will have been invited to the Russian station of ‘Progress’. The helicopter will depart the heli pad here at 9:30. So here we go again....................a quick shower, clean the teeth, splash on a little liquid metro, pack a bag with thermals and sun block, charge the camera, clean the lens, grab a hat and the next thing you know I’m at the door ready to head of to the heli hut. 

Ding, ding, frickin ding......the fire alarm goes off. Thankfully I’m not on the fire team this week but I do help the guys who are to suit up. The rest of the station gathers in the wallow and names are read off from a clip board. The alarm stops. We’re told to stand down. I find out later it was just a little battery issue (god knows how many fire alarms there are around the station but I would suggest somebody at HQ has shares in Duracell).

Well off we go, two squirrels flying through the Antarctic... destination Russia!!  The Russian base is a stone's throw from the Chinese and as we make our approach we enter the outskirts of Peoples' Republic... do a wide arc... and settle down on one side of the locals helipad. The next chopper lands on the other side, the blades slow down, systems are checked, the engines stop and the blades come to a stop. 

As we exit our transport we’re greeted with the familiar faces of Serge (Station Leader) and a local tradie/interpreter whose name I never heard the first time... nor this... nice guy anyway. We’re taken on a tour of the base, shown through the two main buildings which are still under construction on the inside, around the workshops, out into the backyard (well it looks like one) and finally into a pokey diner looking establishment where we’re fed dried bread, potato and meat soup, sliced cold cuts and pickles. We have a little toast to friendship/Christmas/future (the poor chefs here are working in an out of date under equipped kitchen so I was very thankful for the food we received).  I end up choosing brandy over vodka for the toasts............what could I do? Its 1pm and I’m having shots of brandy? My body was not designed for this... but hey anyway.  

After a bit of present swapping we make preparations to head off. It was decided that we would walk over the hills to Law Base and there the helos would pick us up. Well have you ever tried to scale a loose based rock hill after a couple of brandys whilst carrying a backpack filled with Antarctic clothing and juggling a camera between the hands that aren’t needed to steady your course.  Well the view truly made up for the discomfort of the situation.  Stunning!!!  The placement of both the Chinese and Russian stations set them up for superb perspectives in relation to the size of the glaciers and our humble foot prints.

Law Base

Half an hour later we reach Law Base. It a combination of apples, melons and a hut. Look at the photos and I’m sure you’ll work out what's what. We stayed here for an hour or so just looking around... Ali (our Station Leader) is a geologist by trade and was lost in thoughts and ramblings for the entire time.  It's nice to see people enjoy and share their expert knowledge down here, and Ali was no exception to this as she got excited about what I could only see as different coloured rocks. I listened and tried to take as much in as I could but wow does she know her stuff. If I retained even 1% of what she told me I’ll be a happy guy. 

By the time we jumped in the helicopter I had a huge headache from the little tipple earlier and forgetting to drink water on our hike. So I thought I’d have a little nap on the way home. It was not to be. With a lot of different cloud cover the landscape made for some magnificent views, and with the random seals, emperor penguins, adelies and giant ice bergs..............A lot of unique photos as well.

View from chopper on way home

Another big day

"The weather fined up and made the view from the dining room very pleasant indeed.

Part of my duties as chef on station is to maintain stock levels of essentials in the communal area such as breakfast cereals, preserves, coffee, biscuits, milk powder, spreads etc....
In order to get these items, trips around the station to different containers are made once or twice a day. When the sky is blue and not a breeze blows these little outings can be a much needed energy boost.........trudging through ice or freshly laid snow, staring at ice bergs in the distance........all this for a box of apples...........yeah!!

Another essential to the expeditioners’ experience is having fresh bread baked for them every day.  Different loaves and rolls are baked every day to varying recipes.  This one is for a basic bread. If you want nuts, seeds or grains just add them. Also this recipe is for 12 loaves..........so if you only want one.....divide by 12."

Antarctic Bread

65g yeast
250g sugar
3 litres blood temp water  ..................combine all three and put aside to ferment.

Then add
5kg flour
200g gluten
30g salt
450g oil

Place all ingredients in a mixing machine with a dough paddle...........put on a slowish speed for 10 minutes.
Clingfilm the bowl and allow dough to double in size.
Knock bag and shape into:
Rolls 120g
Burger buns 150g
Loaves 750g

Bake rolls for 15 mins at around 185 deg c.
Loaves for 30 mins at the same temperature.

Note: Gluten makes the bread stronger.........more elastic.........this recipe can be made without it.

Congratulations are in order!

Great news... Justin applied for the position of Deputy Station Leader (DSL) at Davis and got it!! 

As DSL he will be appointed as an Inspector under Antarctic environmental legislation (the Antarctic Treaty (Environment Protection) Act and the Antarctic Marine Living Resources Conservation Act ) and as a Special Constable under the Criminal Procedure Ordinance in the Australian Antarctic Territory.

It does mean increased responsibilities and a greater workload while he is at Davis but he is excited about learning more on the operational side.  He will also assume the position of Station Leader when the SL is off base.  Being a Special Constable, it also means that he is able to conduct an arrest should it be required of him!  Colour me proud.

I arrived in Hobart yesterday to spend the week with Justin and, inevitably, say goodbye next Thursday 21 October when the crew all board the ship for their journey to Davis.  As we drove in to Hobart from the airport, we could see the Aurora Australis that will transport everyone to Davis, slowly leaving the harbour for sea trials.  I won't get the opportunity to get up close to the boat but Justin was able to get close enough to take photos when it was  berthed in the harbour in Hobart up until yesterday.  Check out the link to find out more about the boat, including size and spec details.

As for me, I have never been to Hobart before and am pleasantly surprised by what I find.  It's a very pretty city and I was lucky enough to fly in on a gorgeous October afternoon.  It was fresh but sunny.  Today, however, it is grey, rainy and cold.  As Justin drove me around the city yesterday, he made the comment that we could be almost anywhere in New Zealand and he was right.  The small city centre, the hills and the colonial style buildings... what a breath of fresh air.