June 18 - 25. MidWinter Solstice
This week saw us celebrating Midwinter: The winter Solstice.
Down here in Antarctica this is a very big deal and a traditional celebration. It marks the end of the very long dark nights and the start of the sun staying out longer and longer each day.
I personally am looking forward to the return of long days. I was quite fond of 24/7 sunlight I have to admit. These very short dark days of only 3 hours daylight are becoming a little hard to take for me. I am tired of them. Bring on the sunshine I say!
The day started with Robbie and I in the cooking preparing Brunch. Then it was off to the wharf for the traditional swim in the sea. Most of the guys partook – this little black duck preferred to take happy snaps. I didn’t feel the need to subject myself to a 30 second torturous dip in 1 degree water thanks very much. The look of shock on everyone’s face as they hit the water was enough to keep me on terra firma.
After the dip we headed back up to the Red Shed. I joined some of the fellows in the spa and sat back with the 10 million dollar view spread before me. Very relaxing indeed. After the boys thawed out we set up the wallow for dinner.
At 3:30 Canapés were served and the pressies were opened. I received a beautiful scene made of wood, aluminium and copper. Joe – our plumber – had gone to a huge effort to make my pressie and I was delighted in it. It sits proudly on my bookshelf in my room and already has a place on my wall at home all picked out.
Dinner was served and it was an amazing feast. Robbie is the most brilliant chef and we all well and truly over indulged. After dinner a show was put on with lots of people doing a variety of things to keep us all entertained and amused. All in all it was a lovely day. I confess to being very tried after being in the kitchen every day for days on end and almost fell asleep at the bar by midnight.
We had been extremely lucky with the weather. The previous day it was hideous and the day after we had a Blizz, but Midwinter itself was lovely. The Blizz the next day was a God send as it gave us a bit of a chance to rest. No one could venture outside in the winds so it was a bit of a day off. This is a rare occurrence at Casey. We only have Sundays off and we don’t get any public holidays, so you do tend to get pretty run down after a while. I am very much looking forward to my 2 months break when I get home I have to say. I will be thoroughly exhausted by the time the big orange taxi comes to collect us in January.
Tomorrow I am starting a 12 week fitness program. In recent times it has been extremely hard to find the motivation to exercise and as a result I can feel my muscle tone disappearing and the flab retuning. It is time to hit the gym and the cardio room with a vengeance: get back into shape and lose all my fat. In 12 weeks I am determined to get my size 10 jeans back on that I haven’t worn for about 10 years. So watch this spot for a photo of those in 12 weeks time. ;o]
T x
Down here in Antarctica this is a very big deal and a traditional celebration. It marks the end of the very long dark nights and the start of the sun staying out longer and longer each day.
I personally am looking forward to the return of long days. I was quite fond of 24/7 sunlight I have to admit. These very short dark days of only 3 hours daylight are becoming a little hard to take for me. I am tired of them. Bring on the sunshine I say!
The day started with Robbie and I in the cooking preparing Brunch. Then it was off to the wharf for the traditional swim in the sea. Most of the guys partook – this little black duck preferred to take happy snaps. I didn’t feel the need to subject myself to a 30 second torturous dip in 1 degree water thanks very much. The look of shock on everyone’s face as they hit the water was enough to keep me on terra firma.
After the dip we headed back up to the Red Shed. I joined some of the fellows in the spa and sat back with the 10 million dollar view spread before me. Very relaxing indeed. After the boys thawed out we set up the wallow for dinner.
At 3:30 Canapés were served and the pressies were opened. I received a beautiful scene made of wood, aluminium and copper. Joe – our plumber – had gone to a huge effort to make my pressie and I was delighted in it. It sits proudly on my bookshelf in my room and already has a place on my wall at home all picked out.
Dinner was served and it was an amazing feast. Robbie is the most brilliant chef and we all well and truly over indulged. After dinner a show was put on with lots of people doing a variety of things to keep us all entertained and amused. All in all it was a lovely day. I confess to being very tried after being in the kitchen every day for days on end and almost fell asleep at the bar by midnight.
We had been extremely lucky with the weather. The previous day it was hideous and the day after we had a Blizz, but Midwinter itself was lovely. The Blizz the next day was a God send as it gave us a bit of a chance to rest. No one could venture outside in the winds so it was a bit of a day off. This is a rare occurrence at Casey. We only have Sundays off and we don’t get any public holidays, so you do tend to get pretty run down after a while. I am very much looking forward to my 2 months break when I get home I have to say. I will be thoroughly exhausted by the time the big orange taxi comes to collect us in January.
Tomorrow I am starting a 12 week fitness program. In recent times it has been extremely hard to find the motivation to exercise and as a result I can feel my muscle tone disappearing and the flab retuning. It is time to hit the gym and the cardio room with a vengeance: get back into shape and lose all my fat. In 12 weeks I am determined to get my size 10 jeans back on that I haven’t worn for about 10 years. So watch this spot for a photo of those in 12 weeks time. ;o]
T x
posted by Tracey in Casey - Antarctica at 3:56 pm
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home