Halley Diary — December 2010
31 December, 2010 BAS Bloggers
The summer season at Halley is the busiest, most important time in the Halley V calendar. Whilst the science and maintenance activities continue all year round it is during the …
Tag: imported
King Edward Point Diary – December 2010
31 December, 2010 BAS Bloggers
A busy month on base with lots of peaks being bagged, cruise ship visits, pups being born and the ex winterers leaving to get home in time for Christmas. At …
Halley Diary — November 2010
30 November, 2010 Penny Goodearl
This is my first visit to Antarctica. Being here is an adventure. Getting here was an epic journey. At 23.30pm on 11 November we left Cape Town on board a …
King Edward Point Diary – November 2010
30 November, 2010 BAS Bloggers
November was my first full month on the Island. A whirlwind month, despite being unusually calm, warm, and sunny. Experienced winterers recounted tales of woe & snow; of clouds in …
Rothera Diary — November 2010
30 November, 2010 BAS Bloggers
On 2nd November BAS’s first aircraft of the season arrived, the DASH 7. The October weather had been somewhat inclement, and there had been delays in flight arrivals. For the …
Halley Diary — October 2010
31 October, 2010 BAS Bloggers
So here we are the final month of our winter. I will finish it how I started, by writing the diary. It has been a great winter with so many …
Halley Diary — September 2010
30 September, 2010 BAS Bloggers
The month of September, so often associated with dew on the ground, the rustle of crisp leaves and woodsy aromas back home in the UK, brings a starkly contrasting ambience …
Rothera Diary — September 2010
30 September, 2010 BAS Bloggers
Diving and music As the marine biologist at Rothera, I had an unusual start to my career here. I flew in late in February this year and after a whirlwind …
Halley Diary — August 2010
31 August, 2010 BAS Bloggers
August already and according to the Halley planners, as it stands, we will soon see our winter finish in just shy of 2 months, but all is not lost! Our …
King Edward Point Diary – August 2010
31 August, 2010 BAS Bloggers
A door opens, a draught builds (the furious winds try to gain entry) and a Jenga tower of to-do lists, scrap paper of words I still haven’t looked up, wrappers …
Halley Diary — July 2010
31 July, 2010 BAS Bloggers
I thought I had drawn the short straw having to write the diary for July because, with no birthdays to celebrate and mid-winter festivities behind us, I suspected there might …
King Edward Point Diary – July 2010
31 July, 2010 BAS Bloggers
“Oh! Ma ma ma, Oh! Ma ma ma, Oh! Ma ma ma- My July” Fellow Irishman and musician from County Offaly, Mundy, and his song “July” is the first thing …
Rothera Diary — July 2010
30 July, 2010 Iain Rudkin
July — potentially a period of anticlimax following the events of midwinter and all the furore that surrounds it, but this year July has been one of my favourite months …
Halley Diary — June 2010
30 June, 2010 BAS Bloggers
Well here is the June diary, a chance to write something about something? It is now my chance! I’m Craig Douglas Brown, the electrician at Halley and I have the …
Rothera Diary — June 2010
30 June, 2010 BAS Bloggers
Midwinter The month of June is one of great celebration in the Antarctic; it is the month when the days are at their shortest and the sun remains below the …
Halley Diary — May 2010
31 May, 2010 Timothy Gee
Changing temperatures Welcome to the May 2010 winter diary. My name’s Tim and I am the wintering vehicle operator mechanic at Halley. So what happened in May then? Well May …
King Edward Point Diary – May 2010
31 May, 2010 BAS Bloggers
The start of the month seemed to bring a health drive as most members of base had agreed to take part in a virtual 6,000km race across Antarctica, from the …
Rothera Diary — May 2010
30 May, 2010 BAS Bloggers
Diving & Discos Hi everyone and welcome to May’s diary, my name is Jon James and I am the Diving Officer here at Rothera. My job involves organising and maintaining …
Halley Diary — April 2010
30 April, 2010 BAS Bloggers
Welcome to the April diary. My name is Matt and I am the wintering Genny mech this year. So what has happened in April? We have had our first proper blows, with …
Rothera Diary — April 2010
30 April, 2010 Nathan Bowen
Beach parties and Barbee sauce So we have reached the official start of winter… what, already? How did that happen? Surprisingly it seems time really does pass quite quickly down …
Halley Diary — March 2010
31 March, 2010 BAS Bloggers
So here we are at the start of another winter season at Halley! Since late Feb the numbers on base have dropped from 111 to 11. It has been a …
King Edward Point Diary – March 2010
31 March, 2010 BAS Bloggers
On the last day of March there is much licking of wounds to the body and the pride, tending of mild strains, aches and pains, and a general gingerness to …
Rothera Diary — March 2010
30 March, 2010 BAS Bloggers
March — the month of change in an Antarctic context! Welcome to March, a month in the Antarctic calendar that signifies change, a rising sense of panic and relief. Depending …
Halley Diary — February 2010
28 February, 2010 Christopher Walton
It was the beginning of February and I had now been in Antarctica a full 2 months as one of the new summer chefs. The time was flying and everything …
King Edward Point Diary – February 2010
28 February, 2010 BAS Bloggers
February was a very busy time at KEP, it began with the aroma of fish and a hint of diesel perfuming the base, signalling the return of Team Fish from …
Rothera Diary — February 2010
28 February, 2010 BAS Bloggers
As I sit here sipping Earl Grey in the comparative comfort of the surgery it is hard to believe that just a few weeks ago I was sipping tea in …
Signy Island Diary — February 2010
28 February, 2010 Andrew Webb
February 2010 started off with a distinct end to the summer weather! Snow fall and temperatures failing to reach anything resembling a summer day in Wales prevent the snow from …
Halley Diary — January 2010
31 January, 2010 BAS Bloggers
Dear Diary, January, as a month, is usually looked forward to not a lot particularly in the UK where the usual rain and fog takes a break to be replaced …
King Edward Point Diary – January 2010
31 January, 2010 BAS Bloggers
The year two thousand and ten started, as many do, with a party. The New Year’s celebrations at King Edward Point commenced with a formal dinner followed by the inevitable …
Signy Island Diary — January 2010
31 January, 2010 BAS Bloggers
We started off the year with a day off work and a wonderful four course meal prepared by Dirk Briggs. Despite starting with a day off work, January would turn …
Rothera Diary — January 2010
30 January, 2010 Nathan Bowen
Power Downs and Parties The year is 2010, the month is January my task to write about the trials and tribulations of base life down at Rother research station. Well …
Halley Diary — December 2009
31 December, 2009 BAS Bloggers
I’ve now been here just over two weeks. As people become familiar with each other, we get another plane load of new faces and names. For a short while, the …
King Edward Point Diary – December 2009
31 December, 2009 BAS Bloggers
The month was started by the new members of the team going field training for 4 days, Ali Massey, Susan Woodward Tom Marshall and Matt Holmes to Sørling Valley. Tom …
Rothera Diary — December 2009
31 December, 2009 BAS Bloggers
Fresh Marmite November’s diary ended with Mike returning to base on the RSS James Clark Ross, having spent most of the previous month loitering in the Falkland Islands. As the …
Signy Island Diary — December 2009
31 December, 2009 BAS Bloggers
Hi, I am Antony Clements. I am the facilities technician here in Signy. Back home I live in a small village in North Dorset, where I work as a plumber. …
Halley Diary — November 2009
30 November, 2009 BAS Bloggers
November started with all hands on deck as we prepared for the first plane to arrive. The electrician Robert (wrongun) Johnson, plumber Robert (zebedee) Dunn and myself were busy de-winterising …
King Edward Point Diary – November 2009
30 November, 2009 BAS Bloggers
Outside my office window an elephant seal weaner (weaned pup) has propelled itself caterpillar fashion (it’s termed “humping”) across the fresh snowfall and unsuccessfully attempted to gnaw through the base …
Rothera Diary — November 2009
30 November, 2009 BAS Bloggers
A Glimpse of Life on the Outside At the time of volunteering to write this month’s entry for the Rothera Diary, I had no reason to suspect that I might …
Signy Island Diary — November 2009
30 November, 2009 BAS Bloggers
Welcome back to Signy Island in the first diary entry of the 2009–10 season. The summer season on Signy began on the 6th November when Matt (Base Commander), Bruce (Field …
Halley Diary — October 2009
31 October, 2009 BAS Bloggers
As the last month of solitude for the wintering Halley eleven starts, the base gears up for the first of the new intruders to arrive by air. Everyone is busy …
King Edward Point Diary – October 2009
31 October, 2009 BAS Bloggers
October on South Georgia is the most amazing month. From having seen the first elephant seals arrive in September and the first pups born around the vernal equinox, the massive …
Rothera Diary — October 2009
30 October, 2009 BAS Bloggers
End of winter, planes, new faces and freshies All good things come to an end, also the winter of 2009. This happened on the 10th day of this month. One …
Halley Diary — September 2009
30 September, 2009 BAS Bloggers
September saw the first attempt of building an Igloo to which a great deal of time and effort only rewarded us with a half built igloo, which would be nice …
King Edward Point Diary – September 2009
30 September, 2009 BAS Bloggers
September heralded springtime for us here at KEP. It will go down in my memory as the month of the great melt but thankfully the snow held out long enough …
Rothera Diary — September 2009
30 September, 2009 BAS Bloggers
Hello, and welcome to the Rothera diary entry for September. I would like to give you an insight to base life from my own personal perspective. I am Tony McLaughlan, …
Halley Diary — August 2009
31 August, 2009 BAS Bloggers
Halley 89022, Antarctica 89022 is the international weather station number for Halley, a figure I write several times a day in the meteorological register and various other places. It has …
Dancing Skies over Antarctica
31 August, 2009 Agnieszka Fryckowska
During the winter months on the Antarctic continent not only do we experience 24 hour darkness but we are privileged to see the aurora australis. Here at Halley Station we …
Deep Down into the Antarctic Ice
31 August, 2009 John Eager
It’s early Sunday morning at Halley Research Station, Antarctica. The sun is rising quickly on the horizon, the wind is low and the temperature outside is a modest −18 degrees …
King Edward Point Diary – August 2009
31 August, 2009 BAS Bloggers
August was a month of mixed weather here at KEP, it started with a pretty drastic thaw, which made the keen skiers amongst us a little worried that it may …
Rothera Diary — August 2009
30 August, 2009 BAS Bloggers
Spring As I sit here waiting to leave base and head out into the field for my week long winter trip, I thought now would be a good time to …
Halley Diary — July 2009
31 July, 2009 Nicholas Gregory
As the pandemonium of midwinter subsides the reality of Antarctic winter grips us firmly by the throat, a deep red floods the afternoon sky allowing a hint of blue to …
King Edward Point Diary – July 2009
31 July, 2009 BAS Bloggers
So July started off with myself getting another year older and yet again spending it away from home. I received some great gifts from the gang here. Thanks guys and …
Rothera Diary — July 2009
31 July, 2009 BAS Bloggers
Water, ice and steam It’s 10pm Friday 31st July. Mug of coffee in hand, I am awaiting the return of James and Jonny with a bundle of newspapers for the …
Halley Diary — June 2009
30 June, 2009 Karen Fowler
Midwinter This is a particularly special month for all of us down here at Halley. It marks the middle of our year and sees the start of our week-long celebration …
Extreme Cold, Extreme South, Extreme Science
30 June, 2009 BAS Bloggers
As I take off from the ice runway at the British Antarctic Survey’s Halley base, situated on the Brunt Ice Shelf (75°34′S 26°34′W), I finally realise I am living and …
King Edward Point Diary – June 2009
30 June, 2009 BAS Bloggers
The month started with a team expedition up to the repeater. The repeater is used to maintain VHF contact with field parties and the boats within the area that cannot …
Halley Diary — May 2009
31 May, 2009 BAS Bloggers
Where’s the sun? After the high winds that blew the last days of April away, we wondered if the breeze would abate to allow us a glimpse of the sun …
Living in Antarctica – A Chance of a lifetime
31 May, 2009 Agnieszka Fryckowska
Introducing Halley Station (75°34′S 26°34′W), located on the 150m thick, continually moving, Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica. Named after the Astronomer Edmond Halley, the current station (Halley V) is the …
King Edward Point Diary – May 2009
31 May, 2009 BAS Bloggers
Winter arrived in earnest at KEP in May with some good dumps of snow and also lots of nice cold clear days so on our days off we were able …
Rothera Diary — May 2009
30 May, 2009 BAS Bloggers
Say Goodbye to the Sun Welcome everyone to the month of May at Rothera Research Station. My name is Andy Webster and I am the Communications Manager here on station. …
Halley Diary — April 2009
30 April, 2009 Agnieszka Fryckowska
Extreme is a word I could use to describe April at Halley this year. We hear it often when referred to living in the Antarctic. It was drummed into us …
King Edward Point Diary – April 2009
30 April, 2009 BAS Bloggers
And finally… the April diary entry for KEP. As Luke in March gave you the most comprehensive and poetic description of South Georgia’s wildlife, ecosystems and sporting glory, I shall …
Rothera Diary — April 2009
30 April, 2009 BAS Bloggers
Winter training In keeping to winter traditions, I am writing the April diary entry between the hours of 1am to 6am. Yes, I’m on nightwatch and it’s currently 4am on …
Halley Diary — March 2009
31 March, 2009 John Eager
As time is called on March 2009, the 54th Halley wintering team completed its first month alone on the Brunt ice shelf. Nights lengthen and darken, temperatures plummet and the …
King Edward Point Diary – March 2009
31 March, 2009 BAS Bloggers
March of the Penguins. And March they did indeed, to their deathbeds of moulted feathers blowing away in the wind with their last breath. Shaggy coats of half-moulted feathers, worn …
Rothera Diary — March 2009
30 March, 2009 BAS Bloggers
Preparing for Winter I am Dr Matt A Edwards, medical officer for the British Antarctic Survey research facility on the Antarctic Peninsula known as Rothera. It is an honour to …
Halley Diary — February 2009
28 February, 2009 BAS Bloggers
Greetings from everyone at Halley base. February was a month where the summer season was in full swing and there were the usual preparations and maintenance programmes being carried out …
King Edward Point Diary – February 2009
28 February, 2009 BAS Bloggers
February has been a wonderful month at King Edward Point. It’s a great time to get out and about, up a peak, fossick on a beach or sit and watch …
Halley Diary — January 2009
31 January, 2009 John Eager
The New Year rings in on the Brunt ice shelf For the incoming summer and winter teams along with the ships crew the bell rings on bridge of the RSS …
King Edward Point Diary – January 2009
31 January, 2009 BAS Bloggers
January, the month just flew by down here at KEP, with a lot happening on base that kept the entire team busy and on our toes. The year 2009 got …
Halley Diary — December 2008
31 December, 2008 BAS Bloggers
Hello from the new boy. December was a great month for me, my first full month on the station. This of course meant as the incoming Field GA, lots of …
Halley Diary — November 2008
30 November, 2008 Joe Corner
November, the 11th month of the year, and the 12th month that everyone, apart from Dean, has been living in the Antarctic. After 8 months of just 11 of us …
Halley Diary — October 2008
31 October, 2008 BAS Bloggers
Hello everyone! I must apologise to all who are not flower lovers, but it seems apt to start this month’s instalment with another flower… plus I like flowers so that …
King Edward Point Diary – October 2008
31 October, 2008 BAS Bloggers
With a whirlwind of events one after the other, October seemed to be over as soon as it began, the weather changed from winter to spring, and in one day …
Rothera Diary — October 2008
30 October, 2008 BAS Bloggers
The start of Summer Hi, I’m Ali the marine assistant. It is exactly a year since I last wrote an entry for the Rothera diary. I have been at Rothera …
Halley Diary — September 2008
30 September, 2008 Agnieszka Fryckowska
September is the ninth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of four Gregorian months with 30 days. In Latin, septem means “seven” and septimus means “seventh”; …
Halley Diary — August 2008
31 August, 2008 BAS Bloggers
The Sun Returns Could it be a case of pre-Christmas cheer, or early Christmas gifts, or just pure coincidence? What on earth am I on about? Well… it turns out …
King Edward Point Diary – August 2008
31 August, 2008 BAS Bloggers
The winter sun has begun to appear from behind the hovering face of Duce just behind the base here at KEP. The sun shine will spread across the base now …
Halley Diary — July 2008
31 July, 2008 Joe Corner
Red sky at night… July is always a quiet month here at Halley. Midwinter has come and gone, the sky is still dark and sometimes the base feels like a …
Rothera Diary — July 2008
30 July, 2008 BAS Bloggers
Moving into New Bransfield I thought as the wintering chef for this year I would first mention my new kitchen. After a bit of a delay, in February last summer, …
Halley Diary — June 2008
30 June, 2008 BAS Bloggers
Hello and welcome to the Halley June Diary. June is a very important month for all those wintering in Antarctica. This is because we celebrate Midwinter, this is our Christmas, …
King Edward Point Diary – June 2008
30 June, 2008 BAS Bloggers
Here we are just after the mid-winter break! Days start getting longer etc!! It has been quite busy. We have a 5-metre rib out of action at the moment due …
Halley Diary — May 2008
30 May, 2008 BAS Bloggers
The darkness cometh… Darkness came slowly, creeping up on us through April like a tiger stalking its prey. Then, ominously, the morning glow through the dining room windows is marching …
Halley Diary — April 2008
30 April, 2008 BAS Bloggers
“1, 2, 3, 4, er…d’oh, damn it, I lost count! 1, 2, 3, 4…” By the end of April, the residents of Halley 2008 had experienced “winter” life for just …
King Edward Point Diary – April 2008
30 April, 2008 BAS Bloggers
South Georgia is well known nowadays for its wildlife but it once supported a massive and destructive whaling industry and in it’s heyday, 1925-26, nearly 8000 whales were processed, with …
Halley Diary — March 2008
31 March, 2008 BAS Bloggers
March may be the third month in the Gregorian calendar, but to the hardy Antarctic Heroes at Halley, March might as well be the first. You’re probably asking yourself why… …
King Edward Point Diary – March 2008
31 March, 2008 BAS Bloggers
When we signed our contracts with the British Antarctic Survey, it was with the understanding that we would be working and living on South Georgia for two years for scientists …
Halley Diary — February 2008
28 February, 2008 BAS Bloggers
What a busy month! With so many people on Halley, I suppose it’s no surprise but it’s difficult to know where to start: Halley Lifetime studies, Halley VI construction, panels …
King Edward Point Diary – February 2008
28 February, 2008 BAS Bloggers
The BAS team at King Edward Point consists of nine people. The Base Commander, Doctor, three Scientists, a Generator Mechanic, and Electrical Technician and two Boatmen. Our main accommodation block, …
Halley Diary — January 2008
31 January, 2008 Agnieszka Fryckowska
This months diary is more of a snapshot of life at Halley from a couple of authors: David Stephenson and Agnieszka Fryckowska. We have tried to cover many of the …
King Edward Point Diary – January 2008
31 January, 2008 BAS Bloggers
South Georgia is not an easy place to get to, if you’re a tourist you can get here by cruise ship or charter yacht, both options demand heavy financial investment …
King Edward Point Diary – December 2007
31 December, 2007 BAS Bloggers
I remember thinking as I left my interview for Field Operations Manager in Rothera Station at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) that I should take a good look around as I …
Halley Diary — November 2007
30 November, 2007 Peter Milner
Thump – Thump – Splash’ > Good ‘Thud’ > Bad Leaving aside the strange title of this diary, November has been a pretty eventful month for the Halley crew. We …
Halley Diary — October 2007
31 October, 2007 Mark Wales
October started for us with some spectacular weather, not so much calm bright and sunny but very windy, the good thing is when it’s windy the temperature tends to be …
Oct – The end of Winter
30 October, 2007 BAS Bloggers
Hi, I’m Ali the Marine Assistant; I arrived at Rothera in December 2006 and shall be based here for a total of 2½ years. The month of October marked the …
Halley Diary — September 2007
30 September, 2007 BAS Bloggers
One of the great secrets of the Halley winter is that the period after the end of permanent darkness is filled with bad weather. While the fresh-faced eager first year …
Halley Diary — August 2007
31 August, 2007 BAS Bloggers
August already. How time flies. With the coming of the summer light, many of the yearly jobs can now be undertaken, jobs which have been caused by the relentless Antarctic …
King Edward Point Diary – August 2007
31 August, 2007 BAS Bloggers
Muster. Muster! MUSTER!!!! The fire alarm? Not the toaster again! As all at KEP gathered at the muster point the alarm fell silent. No Fire or drill this time…Olaf our …
Aug – Wind and Snow… and more wind
30 August, 2007 BAS Bloggers
Hello and welcome to the August diary of Rothera Research Station, I’m Jim the Boating Officer, or JimBoat to the locals, and I excitedly volunteered to indulge readers with the …