Last part of Feb

Saw a fantastic Aurora the evening before AA arrived. Saw off friends and got down to the business of realising that in 6 weeks, the AA will be back for the last time in 8 months. We 24 expeditioners will be about as isolated as you can get in the most inhospitable place on earth. The mind sets are starting to change around station, serious faces, but positive attitudes too. I feel that my entries will start to get smaller and smaller. This is now my day to day, I am not immune to the fantastic but I guess it is all relative. I will try and keep you all informed as larger events occur, but things will get very intense for me in the next weeks while we wait for V4. Once that has been and gone, maybe then I will get back in the blogging mood ("what blogging mood?" you guys scream :P HAHAHAHAHA, be thankful of this much ;) )

Anyway guys, later

Pip B2 Kenny

Quick overview of Feb after Zhongshan

All pretty routine for me here, at least to start with. Went back to WPWP for what I thought was the last time this season. Things looked to be all good, then they looked to be FUBAR, then they looked good again. Today will be the day that decides whether or not I go back out there one last time by helicopter because the AA will be here tonight.

Sooooo, V3 has nearly arrived, the helos go to Mawson for their resupply and we here at Davis Met sit twiddling thumbs between synops without the aviation obs.

It is four months minus one day since we left Hobart. I reminisce regularly now, thinking about the trip on AA, the settling in period here and the ongoing settling in period.

The Lidar was on last night, and two nights before that. As we are starting to experience something of a night time we could actually see the green beam and behind, in the backdrop, stars! I saw stars for the first time in what seems like so long.V4 will be here soon too and soon it'll be Christmas! This place has a funny way of gently manipulating my perspective on time and my place in it. It feels surreal, genuinely surreal. I still can't believe I am down here sometimes. I'm thinking of you all, Winter is so near now. Time to get my weird and crazy on... Davis isn't gonna wig out on it's own you know? ;) STAYWELL

Official illiterate stamp. Too early for this kind of thing.

Zhongshan, local chinese base

Luck was with me. I got picked to go to Zhongshan, a neighbouring Chinese base, to celebrate their new year. After a magic heli flight crossing 3 glaciers, and an awe inspiring tour of the base we got down to the business of eating... yeh, ok, you got me, AND drinking! 50 year old rice spirit FTW... actually it was pretty rough stuff... rocket fuel I heard it described as, quite apt.

Glacier

Ice

More Glacier

Our counterpart Met station at Zhongshan

Me, and some kind of modified vehicle. Exactly what they can be camouflaged against down here, I don't know.


Officially un-proofread... I think I am developing a serious case of dyslexia! At least this isn't hand written is all I can say.