This week at Davis: 11 January 2013

Introducing White Alchemy!

This year, as in previous years, has seen the birth of a new rock entity.

For the Davis crew it was the arrival of White Alchemy. The White in the name is self explanatory; we are in the icy South after all! Alchemy is all due to our shifting and “blowing in the wind” ways.

New Year’s saw our first official gig with a total of eight members rocking out to tunes like: House of the Rising Sun (Credence Clearwater Revival), Most People I know (Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs) , Crazy (Seal), Crazy little thing (Queen), Hallelujah (Jeff Buckley) Wild Thing (The Troggs) and Way out West (James Rayne).

As the band name suggests, all of our members have varying skills and abilities allowing us to shift the layout of the band to suit the songs that were preformed. There are singing drummers, singing lead guitarists, base playing drummers and even a singing, bongo-playing dancing Doc!

The gig on the whole was an outstanding success and the band will be back for the final time (before the ship sets sail home with the summer band members) with a new line up of musical wonders on what is to be our “mock” Australia Day. Have already had requests for REM’s Nightswimming!

Walking in the Vestfold Hills is something most folks are keen to do even if slightly nervous about how they will go trudging up and down rocky mountainous routes carrying reasonably heavy backpacks, wearing clothes they may be unaccustomed to, with people they do not know very well.

Tarbuck Crag is a popular destination for a day trip as it is around three inches from Davis on the map and affords the hiker a panoramic view over the entire Vestfold Hills area, Sørsdal Glacier, Plateau and icebergs out to sea. On a sunny, calm day it is the perfect picnic area.

On such a sunny, calm Sunday, eight folks recently set out for the Crag and the motley bunch of Canadian, Irish and Australian expeditioners enjoyed a meander through the hills past the various lakes and eight million varieties of rocks to the Crag before enjoying the view from the top and a much deserved feast, even a cup of tea for some.

Deciding to head back to Davis on a different course to see Ellis Fjord on the way, the route became a little hillier, circuitous and a stop was made for a heel blister to be attended to. The day was getting on and people were tiring and looking forward to tea so there was nothing for it but to pick up the pace and crack on for home. We have since flown over in a helicopter and marvel at the hilly, out of the way, route we took home.

Tarbuck Crag was a lovely destination for a Sunday picnic, worth a blister or two, new friendships and a physical challenge in an amazing landscape.

Many, many years ago a tradition of clockmaking sprang up in the wee village of Limerick in Ireland. This tradition, begun by the travellers of this area, has spread to the southern lands of Antarctica.

We are lucky enough to have a traveller in our midst that, as well as helping keep the station ticking over in his daily working hours, is also keeping us all on time for work, smoko and bed. This elusive clockmaker spends his spare time in a wee sheltered workshop for crafts and hobbies after work each day and the weekends after walks in the Vestfold Hills. He is fashioning clocks from metal and glass at a greyhounds pace to help keep the tardy on time.

Many a furious hour has been spent in the clockmakers hut churning out clock after clock, glass cutting, soldering, painting, spider making, measuring twice, cutting once and a little dance and a song here and there. To see the clockmaker in his workshop is a privilege that not many folks get to see, as the sight is too glorious for many to take in.

The clocks come in all shapes and sizes, designs and styles but all hold true time so that those who are gifted a clock will never again be late for that special function, the hairdresser’s appointment or the bus. The beauty of these clocks lies in the ability to turn back time, if you do happen to be a smidge late for a meeting you no more than have to turn the hands back and you will travel back in time. (I know, hard to believe, but there you have it.)

The identity of the clockmaker must remain a secret as he is one of the very last Limerick clockmakers and if the plans and magic of the clocks were to fall into the wrong hands, the earth could very well become all out of whack, time-wise that is.

If you do happen to be gifted a clock made in Antarctica you can be sure that you will have a true work of art that will keep you on time for the rest of time.