22 - 28th May
G’day All
So, what has been happening in the world of “Tracey in Casey” this week?
It has been a long week and I am quite buggard, but now that it is over it all seems to have flown.
A lot of the first half of the week was spent outside in the freezing cold. I had to conduct a full audit on all the radios we have on station. A really crappy job, but one that had to be done. So off I went trudging around in the soft snow and sinking to my butt in some areas, (more than likely because I am so short ;o] ). Falling off the tops of excavation equipment, (soft snow for a big fall is a GOOD thing ;o] ). Digging out blizzed in doors to get inside cold, cold vehicle cabins then pull out radios one by one to find asset and serial numbers. I was so glad to get back to the work shop after hours of that I must say.
Another job we have on is the audit all the Antennas on station. Most of them are up on the roofs so I sent Andrew up on top of the Red Shed to check that out. (It’s good to send the boss out on a crappy job sometimes, evens things up a bit – ha ha ). While he was on the roof I was down below playing in the snow drifts to keep warm. I kept an eye out while he was up on the roof just to make sure he didn’t come to grief at all. It’s what you do. :o]
Next week if the weather is good we have to get out to the Receiver farm and repair two antennas. Hopefully not a hard job if the weather holds for a few hours for us.
I love going out there; it is my favorite place on station. It is beautiful and quiet and the views are spectacular. I spent heaps of time there over summer. It is a nice spot to go for a long walk and spend some time alone in Antarctica.
The end of the week saw me back in the kitchen as slushy Friday and Saturday. Saturday morning is Robbie’s morning off so I started my day by cooking up a big smoko for the boys. Cheesy scrambled eggs, sausages and spaghetti in tomato sauce. Nice and easy and not much mess to clean up afterwards.
This week Robbie taught me how to prepare a full eye fillet (I prepared two of the three used) and we made Fillet Mignon. I also learnt how to skin and bone salmon. Robbie now gives me his knives to use for big jobs, which is a pretty big deal. A chef rarely lends his knife.
I am fast becoming the dessert queen. Saturday dessert is starting to be a regular occurrence for me these days. This week it was Crème Caramel. Robbie simply asks me what I want to make, finds the recipe in his Blue Chefs Cook Book and leaves me to it - Teaching me the finer techniques every now and then for the tricky bits.
So this week’s Saturday menu read:
Entrée: Oysters Kilpatrick.
Main: Roast Potato with Kalamata Olives and Lemon Juice: Sautéed Hyrdo veggies: Blackened Cajun Salmon with Citrus BeurreBlanc: Fillet Mignon with mushroom sauce For Desert: Crème Caramel and Cheese and fruit Platter.
Saturday nights are good nights for food at Casey station. They are the main reason I really watch what I eat the rest of the week as I don’t hold back on Saturday. It is also the only night I allow myself dessert, so I figure I may as well cook up good ones. :o]
My mate Petie has requested Profiteroles; so next week I will learn how to make those with both chocolate and normal custard filling. That will be a Friday night after work and Saturday job. It’s a bit of a time consuming one. Seems like I am taking requests now – Andrew wanted Crème Caramel this week.
Robbie and I were a bit bored this week. After dinner Saturday we played a few games of pool, drank a bit, got bored, played table tennis, drank some more, got bored again, played cards at the bar and drank some more and got bored again. Finally we dragged out some of the boys from their mothers meeting in the mess and at least had some company at the bar. I miss the summer crowd I have to say. Winter is a bit quiet socially and Robbie and I, social butterflies that we are, get a little restless. It’s probably time I got away some time soon.
The Sea Ice has been just opened up, so hopefully I will be able to get out on the quad for a bit of blat very soon. I’d like to go out on a Sunday and scoot over O’Brien Bay and up into the Mitchell then over to Robbo’s. I think that will be enough for my fingers at this stage. They still seem to be super sensitive to the cold most days.
Later in the year when the seals return to pup it will be awesome to be able to go out over the sea ice and visit them. I am really looking forward to that experience. How cool would it be to catch a baby seal being born? Once again, I have to say, this is the most amazing adventure I am having down here. You take the good with the mundane, but really, the good far outweighs the bad and the bad is easily forgotten in the overall scheme of things.
So till next week…
Toodles Doodles
Trace x
So, what has been happening in the world of “Tracey in Casey” this week?
It has been a long week and I am quite buggard, but now that it is over it all seems to have flown.
A lot of the first half of the week was spent outside in the freezing cold. I had to conduct a full audit on all the radios we have on station. A really crappy job, but one that had to be done. So off I went trudging around in the soft snow and sinking to my butt in some areas, (more than likely because I am so short ;o] ). Falling off the tops of excavation equipment, (soft snow for a big fall is a GOOD thing ;o] ). Digging out blizzed in doors to get inside cold, cold vehicle cabins then pull out radios one by one to find asset and serial numbers. I was so glad to get back to the work shop after hours of that I must say.
Another job we have on is the audit all the Antennas on station. Most of them are up on the roofs so I sent Andrew up on top of the Red Shed to check that out. (It’s good to send the boss out on a crappy job sometimes, evens things up a bit – ha ha ). While he was on the roof I was down below playing in the snow drifts to keep warm. I kept an eye out while he was up on the roof just to make sure he didn’t come to grief at all. It’s what you do. :o]
Next week if the weather is good we have to get out to the Receiver farm and repair two antennas. Hopefully not a hard job if the weather holds for a few hours for us.
I love going out there; it is my favorite place on station. It is beautiful and quiet and the views are spectacular. I spent heaps of time there over summer. It is a nice spot to go for a long walk and spend some time alone in Antarctica.
The end of the week saw me back in the kitchen as slushy Friday and Saturday. Saturday morning is Robbie’s morning off so I started my day by cooking up a big smoko for the boys. Cheesy scrambled eggs, sausages and spaghetti in tomato sauce. Nice and easy and not much mess to clean up afterwards.
This week Robbie taught me how to prepare a full eye fillet (I prepared two of the three used) and we made Fillet Mignon. I also learnt how to skin and bone salmon. Robbie now gives me his knives to use for big jobs, which is a pretty big deal. A chef rarely lends his knife.
I am fast becoming the dessert queen. Saturday dessert is starting to be a regular occurrence for me these days. This week it was Crème Caramel. Robbie simply asks me what I want to make, finds the recipe in his Blue Chefs Cook Book and leaves me to it - Teaching me the finer techniques every now and then for the tricky bits.
So this week’s Saturday menu read:
Entrée: Oysters Kilpatrick.
Main: Roast Potato with Kalamata Olives and Lemon Juice: Sautéed Hyrdo veggies: Blackened Cajun Salmon with Citrus BeurreBlanc: Fillet Mignon with mushroom sauce For Desert: Crème Caramel and Cheese and fruit Platter.
Saturday nights are good nights for food at Casey station. They are the main reason I really watch what I eat the rest of the week as I don’t hold back on Saturday. It is also the only night I allow myself dessert, so I figure I may as well cook up good ones. :o]
My mate Petie has requested Profiteroles; so next week I will learn how to make those with both chocolate and normal custard filling. That will be a Friday night after work and Saturday job. It’s a bit of a time consuming one. Seems like I am taking requests now – Andrew wanted Crème Caramel this week.
Robbie and I were a bit bored this week. After dinner Saturday we played a few games of pool, drank a bit, got bored, played table tennis, drank some more, got bored again, played cards at the bar and drank some more and got bored again. Finally we dragged out some of the boys from their mothers meeting in the mess and at least had some company at the bar. I miss the summer crowd I have to say. Winter is a bit quiet socially and Robbie and I, social butterflies that we are, get a little restless. It’s probably time I got away some time soon.
The Sea Ice has been just opened up, so hopefully I will be able to get out on the quad for a bit of blat very soon. I’d like to go out on a Sunday and scoot over O’Brien Bay and up into the Mitchell then over to Robbo’s. I think that will be enough for my fingers at this stage. They still seem to be super sensitive to the cold most days.
Later in the year when the seals return to pup it will be awesome to be able to go out over the sea ice and visit them. I am really looking forward to that experience. How cool would it be to catch a baby seal being born? Once again, I have to say, this is the most amazing adventure I am having down here. You take the good with the mundane, but really, the good far outweighs the bad and the bad is easily forgotten in the overall scheme of things.
So till next week…
Toodles Doodles
Trace x
posted by Tracey in Casey - Antarctica at 12:39 pm
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