[ I N D E X ] ]
|
The month of May has seen winter take its grip on Halley. The sun has gone, leaving us with only a few hours of dim light to let us know the difference between day and night. That, along with the winds which lift the snow high into the air, means that we have to follow hand lines when going to other buildings as we lose sight of all landmarks.
This can't keep all the keep-fit fanatics at bay who can't get out skiing or running on a regular basis. Circuit training is held by Mark Ryan, Neil Farnell and Richard Turner, all of the sit ups, press ups and other tortuous exercises are going some way towards reducing the effects of all the great food that Richard prepares. For those who find that too strenuous, there is Alan Burchill's chilled out circuits which involves sitting around on chairs, but not as easy as it sounds!
Basework this month has been down to a minimum, but one job that can't be put off is the refuelling of the flubbers which supply fuel to the generators. Fuel is pumped from 205 litre barrels on the surface down into the flubbers through a suction hose, which we all take turns in swapping from barrel to barrel. As this involves a lot of standing around in between swapping the hose we only do an hour at a time so as not to get too cold. The beginning of the month saw Ricky, Tom and I head off to the coast for the weekend. On the drive to the coast we were very lucky to see the unusual sight of green flashes in the Sun as it set in the afternoon sky.
|
|
This was a great weekend with us having a meal and some wine to celebrate Tom's first wedding anniversary to Mary, who is the current doctor at the new King Edward Point station on South Georgia. We were able to get some good pictures of the cliffs at night which were lit up all silvery by the full moon. We are able to walk out on to the sea ice now. The jagged icy coastline is quite a sight and something we new winterers have only seen briefly from the ship.
|
|
|
Karl, Richard Casson, Mark, Liz, Cathy and Alan have had trips out this month, and Alan and Cathy were lucky enough to have some emperor penguins come over to see them. </>
Doctor Tom has been running first aid lessons and making sure that we all know how to use the various rescue equipment we have at Halley, while Paul Sharp holds regular training on the use of fire-rescue breathing apparatus. To test us on this, we had a fire alarm and building evacuation scenario which included rescuing a casualty, the oscar winning Richard Borthwick, who managed to make some think it was totally real!
 |
| First Aid Training |
I have been on nightwatch, which was a break from life in the garage. We all spend a week on nights, which involves listening for any alarms that go off, taking weather observations, and making bread. This is the one that can get you in trouble if you get it wrong! No one likes half baked dough for their toast in the morning.
It was a good time to get on with a job that I inherited from my predecessor, that of birthday cake maker. My first attempt, for Ricky B's birthday, turned out well. Beginner's luck I think. The theme for Ricky's birthday was a 70's night, though I think Tom missed something because with his fancy dress and wildly growing hair, he looked more like stone age man. With midwinter fast approaching, there is lots of activity going on at the moment, everything from the making of presents, organising of midwinter activities, and qualifying rounds for pool, darts, table tennis and various other competitions. Everyone is hoping to get their hands on one of the magnificent prizes on offer, such as a packet of two-year-old banana chips.
Hello to my family, Waspy, Ally & I hope everyone is enjoying the start of the summer back home.
Gary Middleton - Vehicle Mechanic.
 |
| Emergency Accomodation |
