At the end of week one I finally have time and head space to unpack my little bag of possessions. This is only the last minute packing, I originally packed in November and four little boxes are on their way across the ocean as I speak full of surprises for me. I say surprises because I can’t remember what I have packed and when I went to look at my packing manifest it said useful things like toiletries and clothes……. So generic, so many possibilities… there is a good chance I am going to end up with 1000 bottles of shampoo and no moisturiser.

So far I don’t seem to have forgotten anything critical to survival BUT and its a big one I do always try to steal a piece of the boy’s clothing. I don’t know why but I like to sleep in his t-shirt, aside from the fact that they are big and roomy and usually made out of soft cotton they smell like home. So I forgot to steal a t-shirt, I was a bit bummed when I realised, but today when I was unpacking my underwear I found a pair of men’s briefs 🙂 I did accidentally steal something!!!! Not quite what I wanted but anyway.

My other very brief whine before I get on with describing the wild beauty that surrounds me.  Fluorescent lights OMG, how to age some-one 20 years in one night. Every-were in this station is lit with overhead fluro’s its terrible. I thought that I would age gracefully over the first couple of months.  First my lashes would fall off, then the roots of my hair would go grey (but it would be winter and a beanie would hide them) and finally my botox would wear off…. nope first morning in the bathroom and I had a heart attack. Who knew that I had such large bags under my eyes and awful uneven skin tone. If I was in Myers now I could spend a fortune on cosmetics and I can’t. I’m being forced to look at myself under brutal lighting for a whole 10 months. This is a self love exercise on a whole new level. On a plus my mirror was obviously put up by a man approx. 9ft tall because all I can see is my head….

So anyway the beauty and it is amazing, the iceburg in the bay moved a little bit a couple of days ago and that caused great excitement in the bar. There are Wendell seals in the bay just hanging on sea ice and they are super cute and so lazy, I have not seen one move yet. The Adele penguins are more fun as they march around all fat and self important. I nearly trod on one that was hanging out at the back door to the living quarters on Wednesday, far out do they make a racket. It sounded like I was killing it, penguins must be half poodle because it was the same noise Jack Jack makes when he realises we are at the vets.

It is kind of idyllic and I can sense myself slowing down, I’ll be nearly horizontal at work soon I’m so chilled out.   There are two solid ice flows that sort of hug the station grounds so we are surrounded by solid ice that is all white and shiny and reflects the mode of the sky like the ocean, grey one minute then bright white and clear then pink and misty at sunset. There are Mountains far in the distance that just stick out of the plateau and provide a big brown reference point to the mark the difference between the sky and the ice. Yesterday it snowed, big floaty pieces of snow. Unfortunately they were coming in sideways and I had forgotten my neck warmer so I didn’t hang out and play trying to catch one……. Next time