Out and About with the Workers

6.30 in the morning and my alarm has just gone off. Having had only 5 hours sleep due to Quiz night in the lounge bar the night before. I really did not want to get up, so I lay for a while studying the inside of my eyelids and thinking about that first batch of bread that has to made. I could hear the world banging around in the corridor in an effort to get to the sinks and showers first, I hit the snooze button again and waited for it to calm down. I finally got out of bed at 7.00am having hit my snooze button 3 more times, I look out the window and still have to pinch myself at the spectacular sight.

With everyone out of the way i can use the bathroom in relative peace and get myself ready for work.

I make it to the kitchen and with a batch of  bread proving nicely word gets to us that they are about to put the a walkway on top of one of the modules, so we grab our cameras and run outside to watch for a while. 

This is the walkway being pieced together, with the mantis ready to hoist it into position.

 The arm of the crane is extended and takes the strain, while the guys steady and guide it as it is lifted aloft.

The two cherry pickers carry the men up to the top of the module for them to position it ready for fixing.

I get as close as i can to the modules. It is after all a construction site and out of bounds to anyone not working on the build. These are the workers i am cooking for, and you can understand why they eat so much, their work is manual, very demanding and in Antarctic conditions. They need as much nourishment as they can get...... I want a go on the cherry pickers!

Oh Well!  back in the kitchen and Ant decides to show off his latest dance.....At least, I think that's what he is doing... The rest of the day was full on and work had to be done, so no more visits outside.....

 It is a Thursday and I am off today, so i thought i would take a wander and see what was happening around base. The first person i see is Tony, and he is just about to fill the melt tank which is where all our water comes from. The first thing he does is to open the hatch. This is done electronically

Once the hatch is open Tony shovels fresh snow into the container by hand, and it takes a lot of snow to fill it. This is normally done on a rota basis, which happens on the Laws building, but Tony seems to be the only one to do this in the Drewry... Which is why he keeps telling me off for using so much water to wash up with.
I just laugh at him....It keeps him in work I tell him!  We do only have two minute showers though. Rinse the body, turn off water, soap yourself then turn on water and rinse off....That is the rule for all.

This is where the snow goes to be melted.

 I thought I would add this shot of Tony lifting the grid in order to start shoveling. It gives a better idea as to  the size of the melt tanks. You can see from the way Tony is dressed here that it must be cold, as you never see him with a hood or gloves. This guy melts the snow just by standing on it..

 This is the melt tank when we first arrived for the season. All containers were pretty much snowed in and buried and had to be dug out and moved from their winter positions
 
Here is another container undergoing the same treatment.

A Dozer in the midst of  recovery.

 At the end of every summer season the dozers build mounds of snow to put all containers and machines on, to see them through the winter. the reason for this is that every year you get 1 to 2 metres of  snow and they will be buried  when you return. This way you won't lose equipment.

Next it was off to see Mark the plumber, who was working on the Flubbers. Which are giant rubber fuel containers buried over 100 feet down. They were near the surface at one point. Mark is here standing at the top of the shaft while the other guys are deep under the ice working on repairs. Tony is here as one of his jobs is to keep all fuel drums and fuel containers full. So he is helping Mark with the fuel lines. Notice what Tony is wearing! This day was absolutely gorgeous. Just like being in the Bahamas...

Fuel pipe attached to container.

 Mark and Tony reeling in the fuel pipe.

Looking down the shaft. matt is on his way up.. There are 3 guys down there.

Mark in harness holding the rope attached to the lads down the shaft.

 Here, Micheal (the Dr) and John (an ex Chef) are helping the Chippies to build a new ramp to the Laws platform. This is because the Laws building is now jacked up as high as it can go, which means the steps will get buried. The ramp will be able to move up and down with the rise and fall of the snow....
Question!....Would you want to be operated on by this Dr???
He had his hair cut in a mohican, as did most of the guys on base.

The real chippies at work, Carl, front of picture and Gareth at rear

Ramp coming along nicely....

Then in a matter of minutes the weather suddenly went from glorious sunshine to a farly thick fog and we had to run inside to get some more clothing on. Frankie in the Mantis crane then came to lift a container onto the Laws platform...More storage for the winterers

Container safely in position and ramp still being worked on.

 Carl working on the ramp with Steve looking on.

Ramp attached to the platform. Just need handrail and walkway now.

Having watched Mark and the boys down the tunnels, i walked in to the lounge to find a training session in progress on tunnel rescue and how to use the new back board. This was conducted by the wintering Dr Jenny, who asked me if i wouldn't mind being a guinea pig and act as an injured person. Of course i didn't refuse.

They didn't tell me they were going to hang me from the ceiling.

Another day and back at work. Here I am enjoying a break with Chris and having a cup of tea, when we spotted Craig and Paul the electricians on the the cherry picker, working on the electrics at the Drewry. We asked if we could have a go? Craig said, as soon as they had finished they would call us..
Bonus!

 Once i had got into my gear with hard hat and harness, Craig took me up while chris took photos of me.

 Getting higher.

Yipes! I can see my house from here....

 This was the view from my vantage point....You can see the new modules with the container line to the right. The skidoos parked next to the Annex, which are containers of bedrooms for the extra men we have on base.

Chris, On the Ice waiting for his go....Amazing


And to finish a picture taken last year, to show how solid the ice gets and how quick it freezes.
This is shifty on the ladder and was taken by Kirk our GA.

I will try and update sooner if communications allow. We were without power today for a while, so everything was down. and yesterday they were working on the Antennae and radar systems, so communications were out of action all day and night. But then I am in the Antarctic......