Saturday January 27th.

The dog food question being so serious it has been decided that Andrew, John and Brownie should go by boat to the Advance Base as soon as the wind drops. The whole boat has been almost buried in a snow drift and it took a long time digging it out to-day.

Monday January 27th

Some mild skiing has started in the neighbourhood. Brownie and Andrew are already experts, but David and John are only learning. I'm not going to risk my knee yet. Invented a cocktail to-day - califorange and rum.

Tuesday January 28th

Wind still high and ice in our harbour so the boat journey to the Advanced Base is out of the question. Since the England transmission period is so close now, I am to go on the journey instead of Brownie.

Breakfast lasted a long time to-day owing to a long discussion about George V. Andrew (who is very sentimentally patriotic) maintained that he was a great man, and that his death is the most important since the war. David and John (rational) and I opposed this strongly, and though neither side convinced the other, it was perhaps the best argument we have had up to now.

I've been being taught to use the dog whip by Andrew (or David) for some days now, and at last have progressed sufficiently to go on to Exercise 2. In the evening David and I put traces on the harnesses to distinguish the different sizes.

The dogs continue to be the chief source of amusement. Old Uncle Teriangniak has moved from his old seat on petrol boxes to a high pile of boxes in the corner at the side of the porch where he sits all day in a dignified manner. He is deeply offended about something. For some time Upik and the Oarks and Amalortok have come into the hall daily to be fattened with bully. Upik is a sweet little lady, a bit shy indoors and nothing will tempt her to venture through the door into the gentlemen's bedroom, though the others romp about everywhere. The Oarks are still electric, but are taming; once you get hold of them they are as quiet as anything, and I held Ionoark for a long time to-day while David made a sketch of her.

Wednesday January 29th

An important day for Andrew and Brownie went to the top of Snotoppen and skied down the glacier and from there saw that the bay ice was firm in the bottom of the bay, and that it reached the shore only 3/8 mile from the base. So it was decided that the Wahlenberg Bay journey should start on Friday.

Thursday January 30th

A day of preparation for Andrew and David's journey; lots of things to get ready and it should have been a most enjoyable day, but somehow it reminded me of the last day of the holidays; the others may have found it dull, but to me the last six weeks have been the most enjoyable ones of the expedition, and the thought of the departure of these two made this last day a bit gloomy.