This week we wrapped up the winter season and turned our attention to the wonder of the upcoming summer at Mawson

Summertime and the livin’ is easy

For winterers a new dawn is arising. The time has come to shake off our winter coats and join the world.

The stations wild life is returning and a new cycle of regeneration appears as easily and painlessly as its dissolution. We too must get on board and join this process.

Winter has been terrific. For most of us ten months of isolation has been illuminating and fun. Where else can one become so embroiled in each other’s intimate foibles? You can’t keep a pretense up for ten months.

As Leonard Cohen wrote '…the cracks are where the light gets in…'and through these personality insights we gain insight into our common humanity. Warts and all.

To live with people this closely requires patience, tolerance and its sister acceptance. We are social beings and to quote Marcus Aurelius,

'Neither can I be angry with my brother or fall foul of him; for he and I were born to work together, like a man’s two hands, feet or eyelids…'

I am grateful for the winter opportunity and have been further burnished by it.

Welcome Summerers and thank you for shaking our reality and bringing us out of our cocoon.

Mal

Wildlife is back at Mawson

Long Spring days and warmer temperatures has seen a wonderful return of breeding wildlife around us. Adèlie penguins have returned to breed and nest on nearby islands and the Weddell seals are birthing their very gorgeous pups on the sea ice.

Bird life has also returned to the skies above station with skuas and Antarctic snow petrels flying about. Summer is in the air!

The last supper

As our winter season comes to an end, the 70th ANARE winter crew came together for a final Saturday night feast in the historic Biscoe Hut.

During the meal it struck some of us that this might be our last supper together. Great idea for an end of season photo… don’t you think?

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