Chapter 6

‘The only constant is change’ - Heraclitus

My eyes adjust to the lowlight of the fairy lights . There is a flood of aftershave and perfume in the room . I see tables over flowing with hors d'oeuvres . Impressive hand made decorations hang low and I start to see the familiar faces that make up my McMurdo Family. Some men are clean shaven , suit and tie . The lady's looking even more beautiful in their finest clothes . There was a buzz about the crowd , an unavoidable energy . The station managers' last words of his speech linger for a moment , every one takes a second to reflect on their time here on the ICE .. and then to the thought of the coming season and the return of the sun . A single thought as i stand there (looking professionally dressed and on duty) amongst the 130 something ... We made it . A sense of achievement was shared by all this night.

We are officially half way through the 'Winter Over' season and celebrating the winter solstice, also called the hibernal solstice, occurs when either of Earth's poles reaches its maximum tilt away from the Sun. This happens twice yearly, once in each hemisphere. Personnel overwintering at all other Antarctic research stations share their countries '2022 Winter-Over' photo and share in the celebrations of this special holiday. A reminder that there is others out there on this mammoth continent . We are not alone .

From this moment onwards we will slowly start to see the suns light return and then sometime into August the sun will rise again .The festivities included fine dining foods like truffles and roast carvings with all the trimmings . The town rocked into the early hours of the following day .

The annual Mid Winter Mile Running meet was at 10am for check in . Some sorry souls stumble in , hurting from the previous nights shenanigans . It is quiet about town and only a few 20ish are keen enough to take part . Bib number pinned , springs put on shoes for traction on the iced roads . Wrapping up exposed skin and warming up the muscles , we share a giggle about how ridiculous the whole thing is but in the best way . 11am we gather in front of the church and countdown to the start. Some serious runners take off in hope of securing a good time and in the hope of a podium finish . Majority just grin and bear it as a mile in these conditions feels like a marathon . Pacing with a group of friends made it all the more enjoyable . We battle with the extremely cold air hitting our lungs , fingers and toes becoming painfully numb , but its not long before we are challenging each other to a sprint finish and being cheered on by support crew . A certificate was gifted ,proof of participation ,weather conditions, time and placing . Standing in the shower for what felt like an age , trying to warm back up , I shake my head and laugh . "its a harsh continent".

Accepting an invitation to the 'kiwis" Midwinter celebrations at Scotts Base had me so chuffed and seriously humbled , the telegram invite was a very cool touch and I look forward to hanging it on my wall, on my return home. Extremely proud .

This night was a special one, one I will remember for years to come.
My cheeks flushed from the wine , I take stock of the room , the people , the memorabilia and the history .Sitting some what uncomfortably in my favourite velvet black dress (that seemed to hug all the wrong places!), making sure to keep myself proper, sit up straight, suck in haha, re-apply lipstick . It was an unusual feeling to be in formal wear down here, but it was a fun novelty all the same. The kiwis did well to turn an Antarctic Base into an elegant room, a luxurious evening of creative catering , show casing some of New Zealand's well known flavours and themes. The Scotts Base leader speaks , he tells of Shackleton's mid winter supper of hoosh and seal ,...I listen in awe, how incredibly lucky I am to be here, my mind goes to my grandmother and those that would have loved to have experienced this. I think to all the early explorers enjoying their midwinters and how different a time they were having.

Again the night is never ending , music got louder and louder , voices raised , photos were snapped , poses were posed . The 'Tatty Flag' did well to keep up with the indulging and celebratory patrons that was 'us' very merry individuals . It is safe to say ,the next day was very quiet across both 'bases' ,and for once I was grateful for the never-ending darkness.

Up to this point my time here seemed to be going so slow . April and May had me questioning how I was going to cope and wishing the time away ,forcing myself to look at the opportunity and making the most of it. Since hitting the half way mark of my deployment however , time has felt as if it has speed up or merely slipped away. I now find myself a little melancholy with the thought of having to leave , that this weird and wonderful experience is coming to an end .I want time to slow down now. Will I ever get the chance to return? .. do I even want to return? ,will I see these faces again? .I could type a page out on the things I will miss here and have become accustomed too and on the next page I could fill it in with all the things I look forward too off the Ice. The thought of returning home is becoming daunting , although for the obvious reasons I am also excited to return home . Now in the thick of it all , conversations here are driven around how will we adapt to being back in the "real" world?. Home and the outside world feels like a distant place

Articulating a sentence is the real struggle . I am lucky the others here are also experiencing the lack of brain to mouth smog that is the T3 syndrome . Which is at its strongest currently If I was to make an uneducated guess . To tap into the creative mind and to put down on paper the past 6 weeks (since the last blog) here at the bottom of the world is bloody near impossible . Procrastination has me doing anything but opening up the diary to journal...I can confirm this will take me an age to release this to you.

Hiding away from messaging home , calling seems to be even more of a daunting task . I find myself starring at the back log of messages ... hands hovering over the keys , wanting to reach out to loved ones ,... but how , how do I even begin to explain this place , the experience that is 'winter' here at the McMurdo base. My 'go-to' and I'm ashamed of it ,is to simply say , "its cold today" , "48 on 48 off" (referring to work and off days).Routine and the odd weather update . I might announce something exciting like it was steak night or that the cheese was amazing as it always is on Sundays . I hope that in the rear moment of commitment to the blog I can explain myself a little better on here to those wondering or waiting for a detailed message.

'Dry July' has started , with the NZL popular winter goal of being alcohol free for the duration of the Month . At home this wouldn't have been to hard to endure , here how ever with something always to celebrate , and with cheeky friends that match my 'bad influence' behavior , I had initially, found it harder but I adjust. I move into the roll of instigator perfectly . The 4th of July , The Americans celebrate their Independence day , and what fun it was , games like corn hole and human Jenga , shooting targets and grilling (BBQ) .The stars and stripes were not lacking . My favourite July moment to note being the parade . Officially the worlds shortest, darkest , and coldest parade . I find myself smiling ear to ear ,trying to accept that I was driving the Engine (fire truck) behind the veterans , waving the USA flag , the small band playing , far too many onesies and a T-Rex in tow for all of 100 metres. It was well run with half of the town being in the parade and half being the crowd of supporters. Again, here I am, in this moment in time , thinking ..

What a Journey .

Auroras have been seen almost every day in the final weeks of June and into July, the novelty of them "almost' I say "almost' wearing off . The photographer enthusiasts chasing them daily . Incredible photos have been captured of the galaxy - milky way and the moon. It has felt like , this would be as close as one can get to space with out actually going. The clarity of the constant night sky is best seen right here.

Record temperatures and Con 1 weather conditions have also been common in the past few weeks .It has tested the towns equipment , housing , logistics ,clothing and the individual . Something we can all agree on though is how impressive the environmental extremes are here.

Last night , I had the pleasure of driving a recreational van , loading up 9 of us , (half being excited McMurdo Kiwis and the others being curious Americans). For the special invite from Scotts Base to screen the 2nd match between the All Blacks and Ireland
ahhhhhh what a treat ! and a taste of home ! RUGBY . The nations sport . The 2022 Steinlager series being the best of three games between the two countries . Irelands tour started last Saturday and the opening game did not disappoint . There was a bit of kiwi ingenuity going down range , when the Scotts Base crowd made a grand stand out of couches, pool tables and bar leaners which seemed to host the 14 of us comfortably . There were whisperings during the evening , catching the uneducated up on the game we are so fond of . The yelling and hollering was a must , being that there are two resident Irish amongst us made the banter all the more fun . Returning last night with the few whom were game enough to come back for round two ..grateful for the kiwis to invite us over ,as we wouldn't be able to catch the match here on US soil. Last nights head to head was high energy and a different game from the previous collision . Wow , what great sport on the night. Ireland deserving the win and some big decisions made by the referee , brings the the total to one all. Next weekend being the decider . Who will win ? A battle not to be missed !

Parking up and plugging the van in at 0100 this Sunday morning ,all of a sudden aware of the quiet around me , the "merry' crowd of the now converted 'rugby loving' US citizens all disappear into the darkness. Lying in bed still awake , feeling the effects of lingering caffeine and the energy of the night . I lay there reflecting on it all . Cheeks sore from laughing , I turn off the lights and before sleep finds me , my last thought runs through my mind .
This ... This is what "its" all about.


*MIDWINTER'S DAY' "The day was observed as a holiday, necessary work only being undertaken, and, after the best dinner the cook could provide, all hands gathered in the Ritz, where speeches, songs, and toasts occupied the evening. After supper at midnight we sang 'God Save the King' and wished each other all success in the days of sunshine and effort that lay ahead." - Sir Ernest Shackleton journal entry

*'Hoosh' is a thick stew made from pemmican or other meat, thickener such as ground biscuits, and water. It was the common food of early twentieth century Antarctic expeditions, used, for example, by the expeditions of Robert Falcon Scott and Ernest Shackleton. Wikipedia