Part I: Seals teeth and whales ears - Scott Polar Research Institute ...

Settling in
A new way of life. The limited summer season was drawing to a close and we had
to get organized, so as to be ready for the winter. First I issued the polar
clothing. In my case I received: 1 pair of underpants, 2 khaki shirts (army issue,
too small and very tight!), 1 khaki battledress (also on the small side), 1 outer
Anorak (khaki) secondhand, 2 pairs of striped pyjamas, 1 fur cap. There wasn't
much else remotely my size in the store. It was hardly a good start as the first
principle of polar clothing is that it should be loose fitting! Derek and I were in
for a thin time if we couldn't get more suitable stuff. It was fortunate that we
had some clothing of our own with us, but it was hardly 'polar clothing'! We
hoped the next call of the ship would bring more suitable garb.
Our next job was to stack the new stores that had already been brought up
to the hut. Then we began carrying the remainder up from the shore, a distance
of about 170 yards and a climb of 70 ft. Although fit, we found this very
exhausting; even though a number of items had not been delivered, including 8
tons of coal, this still left 20 tons to carry up the hill on our backs! It was to take
us several weeks, interspersed with our other activities. We stacked the supplies
alongside and inside the Nissen hut, checking them off against the cargo
manifests as we did so. That first day Ralph undertook the cooking, making a
magnificent mutton dish, from one of several sheep carcasses that the ship had
brought in; we had to eat them before they "went off" - as we had no
refrigeration. So huge legs of mutton featured in our meals as we strove to
consume the supply before it became uneatable! On the first Sunday we had a
rest and a walk, when Ralph slipped and slid down a snow slope, acquiring
some first hand experience, fortunately with no adverse effects. With Derek I
climbed Observation Bluff behind the base and then walked over to the nearby
Orwell Glacier.
During our second week, a magnificent sunny day arrived. We felt
sufficiently advanced with the work to take morning coffee in the "garden", in
front of our simple home, taking in the superb view of Coronation Island to the
north, while we discussed plans for journeys. But the weather soon deteriorated
again to the Signy norm.
We had three radio schedules a day - at 9 o’clock, 3 o’clock and 8 o’clock
local time. They were primarily for official communications and for reporting
the regular three times a day Meteorological Observations (Met Obs). Both the
early and late schedules tended to interfere with meals if we weren't careful.
Incidentally, I have to confess that we often didn't get up earlier than was
necessary for the 9 o’clock schedule unless the weather was good! While Derek
and Ralph were busy with Met Obs after lunch I often went up to Biggs Bluff
with the binoculars and counted the elephant seals in Paal Harbour.
One evening the filmy stratus clouds, which had been partly veiling the
peaks on Coronation Island lifted and at sunset the whole massif was clear. The
snow assumed a creamy yellow coloration, which made a vivid contrast with the
deep evening sky. Long evening shadows enhanced every groove and ridge on
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