Early Days

Me - at Sanae the South African base during my 5 day journey to Halley

I have been here at Halley for just over a week now and I feel that I am settling in. Apart from one day of reasonaly high winds (22 knots), the weather has been glorious, bright, crisp and cold.  I walk around the perimeter almost every day and when the sun shines on the snow it glitters insanely, it's like walking in a Christmas card made by a kid using a whole pot of glitter.

The views here are quite spectacular.  We can often see mirages of the ice cliffs and when the sky is cloudy the horizon looks dark and forbidding, not with storm clouds but because the blue of the sea is reflecting onto the clouds above.  The landscape is totally flat and seems to go on forever.  On sunny days you can see the way the wind has sculpted the snow into amazing shapes, like sand at the beach, on cloudier days the contrast is low which means all you can see is a flat field of white.  Walking around on low contrast days requires concentration - you often cannot see a hump, hole or ridge until you are right on it, driving around in a skidoo is even more perilous in these conditions.

Just after I arrived two of the main buildings here were moved to their summer positions.  The prevailing wind is from the East here and during the winter any static objects get huge 'wind tails' around them, the Drewry summer accommodation and the garage both sat in deep holes, surrounded by high mounds of snow that tailed off on either side.  If they were left like this then they would eventually be buried, so each year they are laboriously hauled out of their holes by at least six bulldozers and relocated onto specially prepared mounds of snow.  The whole operation is fascinating to watch, and to be a part of.  People are needed inside the buildings to stop things falling over and generally flying around, hard hats a necessity for this job!

A rest in the moving process - I've managed to capture my reflection too

These photographs were taken during the move of the summer accommodation.  There were several pauses in the process, to adjust the winches, move the vehicles etc.  The move took most of the morning and went very smoothly. This is a big two storey building and watching it being towed along was pretty awesome.  It took six bulldozers - two shoving from behind and four pulling from in front.

The garage was the next building to be moved - I don't have any pics of that moving because I was one of the inside crew.  We had to make sure that nothing fell over or went flying around inside.  I had never been inside a moving building before, it was quite an experience.  Both buildings are now in their summer positions and are set up for the season. 


My days are spent in a room that is the gym in the winter.  The view from the window is outstanding and changes every day.  I often go out for a walk around the base perimeter - 5k trudging through the snow, it is hard going at times and certainly builds up your stamina.  So far I haven't managed to get my time below 1 hour and twenty five minutes, but I am working on it.

 Part of my 5k perimeter walk, the scenery stretches on for miles and when I stop walking it is very, very quiet.

 My office - I'm getting used to it.









This week I am on melt tank duty.  The melt tank has to be filled with snow every morning and evening or we don't have any water.  As a shovel novice I am finding it very hard work, although I am more worried about chucking the shovel down the hole and into the tank than I am about the amount of snow I am shovelling.  I don't have any photos of me shovelling snow, but as soon as I do I will post them.

In my first week I have had a birthday, been on Gash (setting out and clearing up after meals), walked the permiter five or six times, dug snow for the melt tank and done lots of spreadsheets.

I'm having the time of my life.