The latter half of last week afforded the 68th ANARE crew the chance to bask in some beautiful subantarctic sunshine. Whilst some cut the sleeves off their t-shirts, others donned their shorts and we went about our work bathed in sunscreen and wearing sun hats (also rare as they usually blow off!).
We also took advantage of the good weather to pitch in and assist the storeman, Dom, in moving the former kitchen and plumbing store from one building to another. In a great team effort we knocked off this job along with assisting Doc in moving his medical supplies into the former dark room, all before lunchtime.
Friday morning saw us partake in a photo shoot wishing summering science expeditioner Helena congratulations for her weekend wedding.
Inspired by the wonderful weather, expeditioners kicked off the weekend full of enthusiasm. The whiteboard in the mess looked akin to an activities board at Club Med, with a full weekend schedule of activities proposed. Sunday started with crocheting lessons followed by a Radiolab podcast session, more crocheting, which rolled into the screening of the Australian Open women’s tennis final, through which most people continued crocheting!
Jez, Tez and Jac embarked on a hike along the east coast on Sunday to the Nuggets, packing snacks and hot drinks. We basked in the sunshine on the rocky beach in the company of thousands of royal penguins, noting that we were probably in one of the finer picnic spots in the world.
On Tuesday, the station crew mounted a boating trip down the east coast. We took the plumber, Tim, down to Green Gorge along with a replacement hut heater which he needed to install. We then continued down to waterfall Bay and then Brothers Point, changing out sleeping bags to fresh ones for the next season. Whilst no orcas were sighted this trip, we were followed by black-browed albatross, light-mantled albatross, and many other smaller seabirds. Karen and Jane used the opportunity to collect some soils samples in the Sandy Bay area, assisted by the boating crew.
On Tuesday night the Australian Open men’s tennis final was screened in the mess, with a crowd gathering to watch the match between Djokovic and Murray. And yes, there was crocheting.
Wanting to keep us on our toes, the Macca weather is now back to its prevailing pattern, and once again we are experiencing some lively winds. Work is continuing around station, as we try and finish off our season’s projects prior to the upcoming resupply.
And crocheting continues…
Jacque Comery