ALL BLACK IN RED - sunday 21 october

Weather: -14.c, wind chill -19.c

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NIGEL!

Fortunately last night the fire service played the air force crew in a match of volleyball. Unfortunately one of the air force guys dislocated his finger and is on the next flight home. Fortunately he's been here 6 times before. Unfortunately this time he'd only be here for ONE day. Fortunately he was still smiling. Unfortunately the air force crew had to play short. Fortunately we won.

Today I got up bright and early. My average bedtime down here is midnight. It's pretty tricky the old' sun staying up for 24hrs. Your brain really doesn't get any sign that it's time to jump into those p.j's.

Come 3pm I was outside all geared up for rugby training. Eager little beaver. Keith, an American rugby nut is team leader/coach. He huddled the group over "right those that have played before throw the ball around over there, the newbies over here", I followed the newbie’s. "right" Keith said "now this is what you call a rugby ball, it's egg shaped. You use two hands to pass it" "arrrr" I piped up, "umm I’m a kiwi, so can I go play over there" looking at the guys who new how to play. A roar of laughter erupted.

I felt like an all black, running around cones passing left right and centre. This is going to rock.

Tonight I’m going to hike up observation hill (230m), as it is my last chance to take photos of the sun setting behind the mountains. Come the 23rd of october the sun will always be above the horizon 24hrs. 24/7.

RUGBY - saturday 20 october

Weather: -12.c, wind chill -24.c

On duty today.

At 8am we have shift change over in the firehouse. Both crews gather together in the engine bay to share news about what happened during shift. This morning one of the boys pulled out a rugby ball that he'd bought from Scott base. Cracker! We started passing and kicking the ball around......hang on.......this is weird......Now i'm standing here with a bunch of super fit sporty men, yet none of them have any idea how to pass the thing! and hang on, now they're all asking me to teach them how to drop kick a rugby ball?

Now that's a first!

Speaking of rugby, I’ve got training on Sunday afternoon for "the big game". McMurdo versus Scott base. The stubby shorts are replaced with winter long johns and mittens, and the rugby field is marked out on ice.

They breed them tough in Antarctica.

This year the game is going into the Guinness Book of Records, as the most southern game of rugby played. They are flying in a GBR official and a professional referee. In the fifty years of this traditional meet the Americans have yet to win. Many say though that this is the year......."we have two ring ins" "chippy and lizzie".

Work was great. I learnt a lot today. We had medical training and saved victims using backboards and duck tape.

We even had snow today. Little iddy biddy flakes. But it was still snow.
The first of the season.

Food. I’m missing the kiwi favourites. I’ve pulled out the vegemite at breakfast many times. The American aren’t convinced.
The other day I was sitting through an aircraft training lecture, tummy rumbling, absolutely starving for lunch when I get this page.....
"I’m eating a pineapple lump for you now......opps and another......and another......okay just one more"
I hope you’re sending down as many as you’re eating Elayne.

ONE FOR THE LADIES - friday 19 october

Weather: -14, wind chill -24.c

The sun is shining and the birds are singing.

Well actually the latter part isn't happening, but the sun is definitely shining.

Time to pull out those tramping boots.

Heath, Dave Mc, and I hit the firehouse up with our itinerary, grabbed a radio and headed out into this vast desert they call Antarctica. One of the marked routes you can hike here is called "castle rock loop" and that's where we're headed. It's a 12 mile round trip and passes some unreal scenery.

Off we ponder with camera in hand. I laugh as the boys continue to try and speak kiwi, to which i reply, "you'll come back now ya hear"
Posted along the way are emergency bubbles, these stations are escape shelters from the ever changing weather and they house sleeping bags, a stove, a radio, and food. We reach castle rock about an hour and a half into our hike. This massive stand-alone piece of rock sits a proud 415 metres high. Now, it's neg 25.c outside, and much to my laughter the boys decide it's time for a gun show. This one's for all you single girls out there. So off come the layers and they strip down to just their wind pants, and pull off moves that even Arnie would be proud of.

We continue on and pass an absolutely amazing ice shelve. Everyday I’m stunned by the enormity and beauty of Antarctica. It's a truly incredible environment, unlike anything I have ever experienced. I feel truly blessed.

FROZEN EYELASHES - thursday 18 october

Weather: -10.c, wind chill -34.c

It's meant to snow tomorrow! yeah that's what im talking about. Apparently a big storm is heading our way. I haven't seen it snow here yet so i'm pretty excited. So all you southerly facing Wellington folk - carry a woolly hat with you over the next couple of days.
Work was a blast today, speaking of blasts.... they had one here today. They placed explosives all around one of the fuel tanks covered in snow to clear it. Sounded pretty intelligent to me.
But all was "sweet as". I'm teaching my american buddies to talk kiwi.

We did a lot of training today and i got to learn the ropes of dispatch. I even answered an incoming off continent phone call to which the caller sounded extremely confused... "now did i just call mcmurdo or scott base"
Vanessa (my ambo sister) you would be proud. I spiked an I.V bag today, hooked up some EKG leads to the monitor and took the blood pressure and vitals of just about all the boys at station. I even measured my own blood/oxygen level on the pulse oximeter.

Top gun was the movie of choice tonight in our down time (Goldie i did think of you).

The shots are of the hike I did yesterday. The monster mountain is Erebus. It's the mother of mcmurdo. She’s the southern most active volcano, and is constantly puffing. She sits a massive 3,800 metres.

A real beauty.

The frozen eyelash shot is a must down here. It's incredible how quick they can freeze up. It's a rather surreal feeling. This is keish, he works for the recreational department.

Wicked.

SCRUB THOSE POTS - wednesday 17 october

Weather: -12.c, wind chill -34.c

Yet another pearler day in paradise.

I woke up to a funky tune playing over the p.a at the firehouse this morning. Last week we had a cracker of a song which lyrics were "i wish i could be in antarctica'

Off duty today so off to the gym i headed to play Lance Armstrong, and ride the bike for an hour. They have a bunch of super flash stationary bikes here called spinners, they look just like road bikes. I felt like i was in zee "tour de antarctica"

I grabbed an early lunch today, then Chris (firefighter) and i jumped into the kitchen and volunteered to lend a hand. The D.A's (dinning assistants) work SUPER hard here in such an unrespected job. We were on dish washing duty, 1200 mouths creates a lot of dishes! that's the best work out ever.....Lance if you're listening.....

Scott, heath, zach and i are heading out hiking at 3pm, doing a loop track which passes one of scott's huts. Then after dinner a bunch of us are hitting the bowling alley. yes you did hear right! Antarctica has it's own bowling alley. It's full of character and there's even a dude at the end of the alley who's job it is to re-stack the pins. He's called a pinsetter. Retro style. I like it.

CHEESEBURGER -tuesday 16 october

Weather: -11.c, wind chill -24.c

Volleyball in neg -28.c anyone?

They breed them tough down here.

So a bunch of us gathered together to knock a ball around for a couple of hours last night, actually i can't kid no more, we were in a heated gymnasium! but it was a blast.

Back on shift again this morning at 7.45am. I'm on engine one today, the big burly yellow machine. I love riding on these american beasts.

The day has flown by with all the training, building inspections, hydrant testing, and most importantly eating a real american cheeseburger for lunch.

Now for some housekeeping. Our shift system here runs 24hrs on 24 off, with shift change at 7.45am each day. I have what they call a kelly day once every fortnight giving me 3 consecutive days off (that's on fridays). At station one, situated in Mctown are two engines (yellow fire trucks), two abulances, and what they call a tanker which holds an unbelievable 3700 gallons of water, a rescue vehicle and a "scat" passenger people mover. Down on station 2 which is located on the sea ice runway, we have 3 rescue 550 vehicles on mat tracks, and one mighty big beast called R1 which has an agent capacity of 1000 gallons. She has personality.

Sweet as.

CHIEF TRANSLATER- monday 15 october

Weather: -20, wind chill -38.c

A very confused american buddy of mine looks my way and whispers....."Now what did he just say you'll" as we sat around listening to a debrief from a New Zealand firefighter at Scott base.

Now us kiwi folk and the americans may speak the same language but boy are the variances in vocabulary hilarious!

Today we had a training exercise over at Scott Base. The kiwi folk had set up a mass casualty drill, and McMurdo fire department was one of the response crews. There was an explosion causing fire and 10 people were unaccounted for. So in goes the brave kiwi "volunteer" crew and mcmurdo's fire crew to save the day.
Great job done by all. The medal is in the mail.

Whilst in amongst the pitch darkness accidentally knocking off tins of baked beans whilst searching for victims, i yell to my New Yorker Lieutenant,
" Yo Mike can you get your torch out" to which i received the reply "come again?" "your torch" "you want a what?" "your torch so we can see" it fell silent, then came a polite but loud "what the hell is a torch"

Note to brain, if you're in a dark environment with an american firefighter ask for a flashlight!

It was a great exercise. The kiwi firefighters did incredibly well. They are made up from domestic staff, carpenters, scientists etc.. and are only given an intensive weeks training in Christchurch before heading out here.

"Kaipai" fellow kiwis, and "great job" fellow americans!