With thirteen weeks of our winter gone and nearly seven weeks since my last post, there has certainly been a lot going on with a great deal to catch up on. It has been crazy busy for me and only now is it starting to slow down a little, with all but two of the major events out of the way.
You would have thought that feeding 22 people on a regular basis would be quite straight forward, which it is! Except, that on a regular basis events and themed nights are planned that require a little more effort, more planning and lots more preparation and for me that means more time in the kitchen and less time at the event. There have been one or two activities that I have not been able to attend due to my being stuck in the kitchen, although to be fair everyone is very good at offering help when needed. i have also lost one or two of my days off, where i have been needed for things like stocktaking, gash duties, food moves, chamber training etc.
Who ever said, a winter season is a slower pace with time for yourself to work on projects, was definitely not a chef!
A big hindrance to me so far has been my mishaps, which have slowed me down a little but did not or has not stopped me producing regular meals for everyone. The first thing that happened was just as the ship was leaving, when the bridge in my teeth came away as i was eating a lemon tart. I went immediately to see Jen Doc, as we have no Dentist all doctors that work for BAS have to undergo dental training in order to be prepared for any eventuality, i was happy to help by giving Jen a little more practice!
After pictures of the tooth were taken using Jens new dental camera and X Rays done, all images were sent to BASMU (British Antarctic Survey Medical Unit) for their dental consultants to advise on the best course of action. It was agreed that the bridge should not be put back in as it is a specialists job and the glue we have at Rothera is probably not strong enough to hold for a year, the priority was to seal the tooth along the gum line to stop infection.
We booked an appointment for me to be treated the next day, this was going to take approx 3 hours.
I arrived at the surgery where Jen had everything prepared for me, i lay on the bed looking at the big light, mouth open and wearing sunglasses for goggles, Jen started by injecting my gums then drilling and fileing the cavity to clean and smooth the foundations before packing and filling to seal it all. I must have had 10 injections during the treatment which did take approx 3 hours. Jen was amazing with a very gentle touch and really good dentistry skills, the next step will be to arrange for me to go to the dental hospital in Punta once the summer season starts. Until then, the only problem i have is a gap of three teeth with no bite on one side of my mouth. Apart from that i have had no problems whatsoever.
The next two mishaps were a slip and a knock! Six weeks into winter and i slipped doing my laundry and landed on my knee, causing it to swell with water on the knee which was very painful for quite a few days. So off to see Jen again, where i was given an ice pack, a knee support and painkillers, i carried on working hobbling around the kitchen.
Six weeks later or there about, I knocked my foot and broke two bones in the big toe and that was painful, with only three days till the Mid Winter's meal i carried on working with my toes strapped together. Three weeks later and i am walking more or less normally, the toe is still swollen and i get the odd twinge but it is definitely on the mend. The Doctor has certainly had her work cut out with me this season. Thanks Jen!
You would have thought that feeding 22 people on a regular basis would be quite straight forward, which it is! Except, that on a regular basis events and themed nights are planned that require a little more effort, more planning and lots more preparation and for me that means more time in the kitchen and less time at the event. There have been one or two activities that I have not been able to attend due to my being stuck in the kitchen, although to be fair everyone is very good at offering help when needed. i have also lost one or two of my days off, where i have been needed for things like stocktaking, gash duties, food moves, chamber training etc.
Who ever said, a winter season is a slower pace with time for yourself to work on projects, was definitely not a chef!
The Doctors surgery adapted for dentistry (My second home)
After pictures of the tooth were taken using Jens new dental camera and X Rays done, all images were sent to BASMU (British Antarctic Survey Medical Unit) for their dental consultants to advise on the best course of action. It was agreed that the bridge should not be put back in as it is a specialists job and the glue we have at Rothera is probably not strong enough to hold for a year, the priority was to seal the tooth along the gum line to stop infection.
We booked an appointment for me to be treated the next day, this was going to take approx 3 hours.
I arrived at the surgery where Jen had everything prepared for me, i lay on the bed looking at the big light, mouth open and wearing sunglasses for goggles, Jen started by injecting my gums then drilling and fileing the cavity to clean and smooth the foundations before packing and filling to seal it all. I must have had 10 injections during the treatment which did take approx 3 hours. Jen was amazing with a very gentle touch and really good dentistry skills, the next step will be to arrange for me to go to the dental hospital in Punta once the summer season starts. Until then, the only problem i have is a gap of three teeth with no bite on one side of my mouth. Apart from that i have had no problems whatsoever.
The next two mishaps were a slip and a knock! Six weeks into winter and i slipped doing my laundry and landed on my knee, causing it to swell with water on the knee which was very painful for quite a few days. So off to see Jen again, where i was given an ice pack, a knee support and painkillers, i carried on working hobbling around the kitchen.
Six weeks later or there about, I knocked my foot and broke two bones in the big toe and that was painful, with only three days till the Mid Winter's meal i carried on working with my toes strapped together. Three weeks later and i am walking more or less normally, the toe is still swollen and i get the odd twinge but it is definitely on the mend. The Doctor has certainly had her work cut out with me this season. Thanks Jen!
Ouch! A little bruised and battered and very similar colours to the sky out of my window that day.
View from my room taken on the 23rd June at 12:30pm
The info screen in the dining room showing Sunlight and Moon times
With the temperature at -7.2C but with the 22 knot winds it feels like -17.1C
This was the forecast for Tuesday (Today)
Since we lost the sun, the days are nearly as long as the nights and the last couple of weeks have been a bit of a challenge. the light we do get starts with Civil Twilight at approx 11:00 hrs and it ends approx 16:00 hrs, actual Daylight is with us for approx 1.5 hours. I didn't think i would have a problem with this, but for the last few nights i have had a problem sleeping and I wake feeling very run down, which stays with me for quite a while. There are one or two others on base experiencing the same thing, the light certainly has a feel good factor to it with an energy boost and i for one am really looking forward to sunrise and the raising of the flag, which will be on 21st July. the days are gradually starting to get longer and today we saw a splash of colour in the sky for about 30 mins, which seemed to lift the spirits.
With the temperature at -7.2C but with the 22 knot winds it feels like -17.1C
The forecast for the week
The main event of this season has to be Midwinter's Day and it was such a memorable event, (an awful lot of work but memorable) that i will write a separate post dedicated to the one day. We have also had other activities and theme nights that have been successful, such as a Jamaican night, a crazy golf night and a pub crawl, plus birthday nights and midwinter's week we held Winter Olympics, Skidoo and Vehicle trials and ended the week with a Murder Mystery night.
The next event was Tom and Julie's Stag & Hen do. which i can now talk about as they have had the press release, just in time for the wedding which is this Saturday. The preparations for the wedding are in full swing and this i believe will be bigger than Midwinter's Day. I've written the menu and started the wedding cake, the rest of the prep begins tomorrow! That will be another blog post after the weekend.
The last event we had was the Burning Man, this is an annual gathering that takes place at Black Rock City- a temporary city erected in the Nevada Desert dedicated to art and community. They build some amazing sculptures and perform some incredible stunts, then burn everything at the end of the festival. Ben keitch our Electronics Engineer is a member and has been to quite a few of these festivals. So last Saturday we created a bit of a festival with a few side show's and some short films. I did a take away menu by cooking Kentucky Fried Chicken, Corn on the Cob, BBQ Beans, Coleslaw, Chips and Onion Rings which was served in mayonnaise tubs in the bar as a KFC Bargain Bucket Meal. It was a good night and would be a great festival to attend, just Google "Burning Man" It's really quite amazing!
So for now here are a few pictures of what we have been up to these last few weeks just to bring you up to date.
Crazy golf night, where each department set up a golf course and you had to hit your ball using a club of your own choosing round the course and into the hole in as few strokes as you could.
The golf started in the Bonner lab, then a walk to OBH through snow, gales and darkness ready to play the next hole. Here Jen is keeping the score with Theresa using an oar as her putter
Then onto the Garage where the course was set around skidoos and mechanical bits
Brownie the Plumber, dressed for the part waiting to Tee off, with the putter he made from copper pipe
Ben Robinson, 'alias Baby Banana' the Marine Biologist, attempting to guide his ball up the pipe and into the bucket. It took him a few goes with that oar.
Then onto Fuchs building where there was another course to be conquered
Here Ben Keitch the Electronics Engineer, manages to swerve his way round the water bottles laid out down the corridor and gets stuck at the uphill pipe
Tricky to get passed these bottles without knocking them over.
The next event was a pub crawl, where again each department set up a bar and specialised in a beverage and a little entertainment, here Tom is playing at being barman in Fuchs building. As a field guide he has prepared a warm punch heated on a primus stove
Crazy golf night, where each department set up a golf course and you had to hit your ball using a club of your own choosing round the course and into the hole in as few strokes as you could.
The golf started in the Bonner lab, then a walk to OBH through snow, gales and darkness ready to play the next hole. Here Jen is keeping the score with Theresa using an oar as her putter
Then onto the Garage where the course was set around skidoos and mechanical bits
Brownie the Plumber, dressed for the part waiting to Tee off, with the putter he made from copper pipe
Ben Robinson, 'alias Baby Banana' the Marine Biologist, attempting to guide his ball up the pipe and into the bucket. It took him a few goes with that oar.
Then onto Fuchs building where there was another course to be conquered
Here Ben Keitch the Electronics Engineer, manages to swerve his way round the water bottles laid out down the corridor and gets stuck at the uphill pipe
Tricky to get passed these bottles without knocking them over.
The next event was a pub crawl, where again each department set up a bar and specialised in a beverage and a little entertainment, here Tom is playing at being barman in Fuchs building. As a field guide he has prepared a warm punch heated on a primus stove
We all enjoyed visiting the different bars and experiencing their hospitality. The garage had beers on ice where you could just dip in and out, while the Bonner lab did Bailey's ice cream using liquid nitrogen and a game of battle ships. OBH was my favourite, with the room being set up very Retro with a bar in the corner and a big screen showing a very hypnotic black and white spinning image. They had scatter cushions and furs with lots of LED lighting and the Electronics Engineer had made a table top space invaders and electronic ping pong. A good night was had by all.
Next was the skidoo and vehicle training, where you had to drive a skidoo around a made up course and see who could do it the quickest, there was also a little competition to see who could control the JCB digger. A ball on a rope was attached to the bucket and little containers strategically placed within the range of the arm. Using the controls you had to swing the arm, steady the ball and drop it into the containers, the fastest time wins. I believe Julie did the best time.
Zoe at the controls
Julie looking comfortable in the driving seat
The last event of Midwinter's week was the Murder Mystery night
Here everyone is dressed up and getting into character
Julie looking radient as she is supposed to be pregnant! i wonder
If Tom knows?
Who dunnit? It's starting to look serious
Tom and Julie's Stag night and Hen do was next! Zac had been asked to be best man and so began preparations to organise the Stag party. This was to be held in the bar, while Julie was to have her Hen party in the Bonner Lab.
It was arranged that the boys would eat in the dining room before going to the bar, it was agreed for the meal to be steak and chips. The girls were having a fondue party cooked on primus stoves, so the day before Theresa organised with me all the ingredients needed for the meal.
Tom had a whole day to go before the actual Stag party and was constantly looking over his shoulder. He didn't have to wait long, because at morning smoko three masked men burst into the dining room, grabbed Tom and bundled him into a canvas bag, loaded him into the back of a gator and drove him round base for a while.
Totally disoriented he eventually returned dressed in a fluffy suit, a toilet seat round his neck a birthday hat and chained to a male blow up doll. He also had a few rules that he had to adhere to, should he fail in any of them he would lose points, which meant forfeits.
Once dinner was over, a master of Booziness was elected and Zac explained the rules of the night. Which was listed on the board, it was then up to the bar which had been turned into a casino for the night and what a night it was!
Tom queueing for his lunch, in full regalia
Julie didn't get away with it, she was dressed as Super Girl
At the Bar, Ben was our cocktail barman for the night and did
an amazing Job!
Place your bets on the roulette wheel
Zac on all fours, a punishment for calling a first name.
Tom and Denzel, still standing
Onto the BlackJack table, where Mabell our Croupier
for the night, deals the chips.
A punishment for Denz, was to go to the Bonner Lab
and swap clothes with one of the girls, he returned
In Julie's costume as Supergirl.
Very becoming
Jen's Doc school, which takes place every now and then.
The lesson today is how to plaster a broken limb?
And how to use the X Ray machine
This is the skull of a crabeater seal
And finally i thought i would end this post on a real highlight, with the Aurora Australis, which is very rarely seen at Rothera, these are amazing shots that were taken by Neil Brown (Brownie) our Plumber.
I will post Midwinter's day very soon, then it will be the Wedding and after that will be the flag raising ceremony to welcome back the sun. I can't wait to see that sunshine rise above the mountains.
Eight more days, watch this space!
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