Radio Sched

 Here i am getting radio reception at Wilkes for the 7 pm mandatory sked which allows the radio operator back at Casey to know of our location, intentions and current weather conditions. In return, we can get the latest weather forecast for the area. 

Wurlitzer production

 Our end of season do is coming up next week. Myself and Pete the chippy are making a jukebox for the evening which is a 50's theme. It is a fun
project, and is absorbing a lot of our out of hours time! 

Dad, i dug another hole... its filling with water!

 Anyone who has seen The Castle will get this! 

An example of what not to do!

 So this is a hazard of grooming - Antarctic style! In this photo you can see what happens when you hit a bit of a melt stream when driving the challenger with the grooming drag bars. It took some digging, but in the end, it came out and there was no crisis. Just another antarctic opportunity really! Tricky's score for bogging vehicles is getting higher by the day, but we won't hold that against him! 

Grooming - Antarctic Style

 Hmm, imagine the slopes of Perisher Blue if this was how we did all our grooming. These drag bars are how our routes out to huts and the runway are kept reasonably flat. 

St. Patricks Day

 What would the 17th March be without a celebration for St. Patricks day. Anyone who knows me well, knows that i am a big fan of the old St. Paddies day celebrations. This year was no exeption. We decorated the wallow in all orange and green lighting to mark the occasion. 

Another amazing sunset at Wilkes

 I just don't think that you could ever get sick of sunsets like this. 

Red Moon Rising

 This is a dodgy shot of the red moon that rose at Wilkes. I have quite honestly never seen anything as amazing ever before. 

Blood moon rising at Wilkes

 On the night of an amazing sunset, we were treated to an amazing sight with the moon as well. The illusion of a stairway to the moon arrived with a bright red moon. Later in the night, i was also witness to the most amazing aurora as well (an aurora is the southern lights which are the atmospheric gases and magnetic fields from the poles creating a sky show that is incomperable to anything i have ever seen anywhere), and also shooting stars! What a night. Have i mentioned that i think i am the worlds luckiest person right about now??? 

Even the rubbish looks alluring in this light!

 So, we had an amazing sunset at Wilkes which made even the rubbish (present in ridiculous amounts) look amazing. 

Electrical equipment at old Wilkes

 Here you can see the old switchboard for the rec room, and some radio equipment. I really did find it all very fascinating to see the place so intact, even though it is three quarters full of ice! 

Wilkes Station Recreation Room

 Here i am inside the old Wilkes station building that was the recreation room. It was really amazing to be inside this building, because it was full of ice which only left enough room to slide around on your belly. Through the ice, you could see pictures on the wall and electrical switchboards (yes, i am excited by electricity even if you're not) and you really could sense the history inside here. We are so lucky to have caught a glimpse of this kind of history. 

Friday drinks art show

 One friday drinks, we had an amazing art show. it was amazing to see how talented people here are. Some fantastic art was displayed. This photo shows my entry (not quite as amazing, but okay i think) which was swarf from the various trade groups here at Casey encased in ice. There was timber shavings from chippy's, Safety fuse from planty's, Metal swarf from dieso's, Conduit PVC swarf for sparkies, Copper swarf for plumbers, and noodles for the chefs! The night was heaps of fun, and an amazing insight into the talents of all the expeditioners here. 

New sea ice in Newcombe Bay

 We woke last week to find an amazing sight. Sea ice had started developing in the form of grease ice literally overnight. Once it was there, it was there to stay, and it wasn't until the recent blizz came that it was stuck. We are hoping that the ice doesn't form properly in the next week, so that the ship is able to come right into Casey Harbour which will prevent a helicopter transfer from station to ship, and be overall a lot easier! 

Finally, a blizzard!

 Finally, we have had a good show of the wild weather i have been imagining we would see. This particular blizzard, the winds were up to 93 Knots. It was very hard to walk in a straight line, let alone see where you were going. It really makes it clear how easy it would be to get disoriented here in bad conditions. The winterers really have it in for them! 

Room 50, very homely!

 
This is my home away from home. This is room 50 at Casey Station, which is my home right now. I have a few creature comforts and Ted is very happy here as well! 

New Snow

 
We finally had some real Antarctic weather here at Casey Station. It was blowing up to 90knots, and there was a heap of snow that came as well. The road down to the wharf was once again filled in so that the plantie had to go and clear it for access! Got to love fresh powdery snow!