Hollinger in Antarctica

Todays update is hopfully going to answer some of your questions. First of all some of you have been asking about the pulks we are pulling - here is a photo of our train of pulks that we have been hauling around carrying all our equipment, food and poo for the last few weeks! A few people have asked me how I have been coping with 24hour daylight – well it takes a bit of getting used to. If you just put your head inside your sleeping bag and cover your face then you wake up in the morning with a wet sleeping bag where your breath has condensed. The number of hours sleep I get per night varies greatly, depending on temperature, how tired I am, what the weather is like and Amy’s snoring! On the day I did the phone link up with Tapton and Ballyclare High Schools I ate dinner at midnight (as we had moved camp very late due to a weather window) went to bed about 2am only to get up at 6am to take the phone call from Ballyclare High School! If the weather is bad and we can’t do either science work or man hauling then it is a good opportunity to catch up on sleep. The lowest temperature I have recorded in the tent is -15 and I didn’t get a great nights sleep! Finally, Amy said that if her snoring got too bad just to give her a nudge and that seems to work!

Thanks to Michelle, Jen, Bob, Carol and Sue for their messages. Bob – the power shower would win every time. Carol – I think you would enjoy ‘The call of the wild’ - one of the books I have read while in Antarctica, given the lecture you attended. I will lend it to you in the new year if you remind me. I haven’t hallucinated yet – except I keep thinking I see a bird or animal in the distance but since the nearest animals are about 500 miles away that is probably quite unlikely and it must just be a cloud. Well done to all the Totley crew who did the Percy Pud – I heard the weather wasn’t great (I can sympathise!). Good luck to all the Tapton Staff who are currently in full flow of rehearsals, perhaps there are some hidden talents waiting to be uncovered! Good luck to all those who are starting to put up their Xmas decorations. Happy birthday to Emily 13SP, Sebastian 11CR, Holly 11CR and Jessica 10JH.