mid winter festivities

Just some of the films on show on a film day. The whole day is dedicated to films, oh what fun...popcorn, lemonade and sweets on sale in between the shows.





A crazy golf competition within the building. All course hand made as well as the clubs. All holes par4 or less, no handicaps or caddies allowed on the course at the time of play. Strict dress wear must be adhered. On completion of the course the score cards must be handed in at the bar.
























whatever will they think of next!!!!





The evenings entertainment. The local and talented Z for DEAD. mark, lead singer and guitarist, alex on bass, dean on the drums and dave the guitarist and songwriter. All songs copyright and attention to sound details prohibited.

next showing tbc. book your tickets in advance they are selling fast.


Right, lots of festivities happening for the mid winter week. The lunch midwinter day starts off with a run around the laws building. Most people decide to go naked although nothing is compulsory. Its just a festival time and a tradition. Its only about 100 metres but at -30 the pull of cold onto the lungs give a sharp treat to the system. The other parts of the body take a little time to warm up afterwards. There is no call for a second go. Once is enough i assure you. Everyone is accounted for and any parts fallen off picked up to be put back in place on later.

mid winter

MID WINTER BEGINS


This is a time when all of the bases on the Antarctic share midwinter greetings and messages. There is also a 30 minute BBC world service midwinter broadcast for all of the BAS bases delivering midwinter greetings from family and friends along with a music selection from each base. It is a turning point for those staying for the year, a mark thats been reached and passed. The warm weather and light nights will soon be arriving, or at least that is what we make ourselves believe. A nice happy shot of the group in front of the bar just before the meal.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/programmes/midwinter_broadcast.shtml

Champagne and h'dourves for starting the evening. The food is only just beginning. There were about nine courses, all absolutely tingling the taste buds. A few people but on a few kilos over the week, shown in the weight watchers club. James, jules and chris are behind the bar guarding the rich pickings.




The table is set for the 18 guests. The green cloth is laid and the candles lit. The placing as per usual on a first come first served basis although everyone now has certain areas or positions on the table that they deem as their territory. Trespassers not welcome.






One of the desserts.

A carmamelised compote of pineapple with coconut tuile biscuit with a strawberry tart tatin.





As always after large meals and crackers and party hats and jokes the table gets a little messy. We all have to clean it up afterwards though.








A chance to let the vocal chords feel the chilled night air. A sing song on the laws platform choreographed by tamsin and alex.






After the food, their was brandy, furry hats, cigars and a pipe to tell a good ole yarn about the good ole days when ther was no communication with the outside world for 18 months and definately no blogs. How did they survive? On this day of midwinter cheer it was only -27oC but black, total darkness, covered the land apart from the few lights from the nearest buildings.




The next thing on the agenda was the unveiling of the presents. At the start of the year you drew a name out of a hat. You then you had to make them something for their winter present. Roughly about 4 months to come up with an idea and implement it. The presents were placed in a corner and opened one at a time. Its a delight seeing the expressions on the various faces. The whole present idea seems easy enough, not...Many nights towards the end where spent on the presents, stress levels and expectations were high.


The winter presents.
A great variety and a great collection....i think everyone is relieved to have handed something over and grateful to have received something in return.
Glad we don;t have to do it again at xmas. For all of those at home and abroad send presents and gifts to the usual address ;-). And please not that post is always slow going out and can often get lost.

a frozen hair day

Alex, kirsty, tamsin and me with wet frozen hair at -40.
Who needs hair gel?

auroras

The dancing veil

Gliding, glittering, greens, gracing the blanket sky,

Growing, grafting, grounding the night air, -32 just hue,

The dancing veil covers the sky,

Jupiter and its mooning children are hidden for a brief time,

captured in the misty green veil that flows aloft like smoke in a breeze,

hidden like birds in the trees.

Eternity beckons, earth comes a calling, the telephone rings and the dancing begins,

The shepards sit upon a burning bush, fire rages, earthquakes abandoned,

the sky is alight by the dazzling witch,

who covers the sky in the most translucent mist,

Gathering up her web of decite,

she blinds the mind in veil of kind,

The cold is forgotten, the trumphet blares,

the sound dimishes and the veil declares,

I am the goddess and show my might,

I come here to wander and to take your sight,

I fell in love, captured with awe, for the dancing veil has come once more.

It leaves me gasping, dying for breath, I feel its pull, its shudder its test,

Amorous, lofty, high up above,

This night of shadows and dances alone,

has extended the lease to all of my bones,

we dance when merry and sing out a tune

we love to play in the glare of the moon,

the winter gets deeper, the temperatures drop,

and the dance of the veil will it never stop.

A magnificent dance, a piece of class,

Next to the laws and under the masts,

Above the caslab and around the Piggott,

She dances happily for now and time past.

sun at halley

sun dogs







sun down







sun gone

other happenings

a semi artistic shot...nice.






another warm day so another BBQ. Ant in his summer gear.







a pre-winter group photo.







Tamsins birthday and a cheese and wine party,
sculptures are all the rage at Halley especially the cheesy ones.
Cheese henge, cheesdoo, leaning cheese tower of halley and many more....





Footprints

my footprints are my own design,
they trod and squelch all in a line,
a wind that blows, hides the track,
lost am i, no way back.

Deans Birthday party

The big saturday showdown


My turn for a day in the kitchen, saturday night, the best meal that Halley has seen...but it wasn;t this saturday but i did my best and nobody choked on the olives so i was happy. Three courses for 17 people takes a bit of planning and you know how i love to plan things in advance. Nice apron though.





well i have to say the colour of this fellow had nothing to do with my food. At least i hope not.

As it turned out it was the comm;s managers birthday and so the theme was cartoon characters. so who is this????







then we had somebody with a box on his head and a face like a cat.

we all know who these are?







tamsin the turtle, as ever battling to save the planet or her beer.











mmmmm, a smurf, can anyone guess the other? standing outside at -30 for 10 minutes can make you this colour. Don;t try it at home.









hey its that guy with a box again and a guinness but can he dance?






And last but no-way least, the group as a whole....since i was spending many hours during the week deciding what to cook and prepare for saturday's meal then i didn;t have much time to prepare a costume, yeah right, so i picked up what i could and went back to prehistoric times...