Friday February 7th

Friday February 7th

Another glorious almost cloudless day. The wind was light and though the temperature was below 10℉ I sat with the door of the ionosphere hut open this morning and gazed at the dull red light in the South above the ice-cap. What a wonderful day for Andrew and David on their journey: if only they had no trouble at the Advanced Base and managed the loads up the glacier with luck they might make Wahlenberg Bay in one day. I doubt if I have ever envied anybody more than either of these two, for if sledging is all like what little I have experienced (and I realise that is infinitesimal) it must be heavenly on the ice-cap today. It was really a mistake my ever having gone to the Advanced Bay that day, for it has made me more and more dissatisfied and fed up with the routine work at the Base.

After the ionosphere run we practised skiing, but I do not seem to have improved at all; it is obvious that it will be great fun when I can do more than sit down backwards. More time-keeping for John and I finished Andrew's glove, but life has lost its sparkle since the other two left.

Heard from A this evening that the sledges had only reached there. So they probably had difficulties at first, but this fine weather looks like holding and it is getting longer light each day, and the moon is brilliant. We took down one of the window shutters as an experiment, and it made things more cheerful.

Dupelik better this morning and moved into his own house. Temp dropped to 0℉ in the evening, but with slight wind.

Saturday Feb. 8th

Overslept till 1pm. The others kindly did the met and the ionosphere. There seemed no point in getting up then - it was too late for skiing and I know of no urgent work other than my own, so I lay warm in bed till 4pm! One thinks it's a peaceful existence up here, but really one is rarely by oneself and has opportunity to think and day-dream. Busy afterwards cooking and time-keeping for John, patching my trousers and putting an extra piece in front of my windproofs. Sewing is fun but more so if you can talk at the same time, but John is outside and Brownie doing something else - and I can never get him to talk. I realise now why women are such gossips. John took the midday met. without a torch. Heard from A at night that Daniel had joined the Wahlenberg Bay journey ???

Sunday Feb. 9th.

A murky day from the beginning and getting worse and worse. Temperature rising and barometer falling. Only hope it's not bad on the other side of the ice-cap for the sledgers. It's been rather dull today: it struck me today how little of us discuss and are interested in the more usual things - politics and international affairs, foreign countries, housing and social work etc. Andrew is, and I miss talking to him, and David will always argue, and is really the leaven that leavens his companions: without him John rather retires into his shell.

However the day was not spent unprofitably. Went skiing after breakfast before the ionosphere run; not so fast a surface and by going on less steep slopes kept my balance for 50 yds several times, but usually the run is terminated by a rock and I don't know how to turn. I wish I were quicker at learning new things.

After the ionosphere run carried out experiments mixing water, linseed oil and paraffin, since no-one had definite views on the subject. Result: (1) linseed oil and paraffin mix perfectly (conjectured) (2) linseed oil and water don't mix (certainly conjectured) (3) water and paraffin do not mix appreciably (contrary to general belief). It seems likely, therefore that the effect of putting paraffin on top of the linseed oil of the Nasen boat will be successful. Put up a new shelf over my part of side bench, did some washing in the afternoon, spent a long time sorting out and tidying the nails and screws. Caught Ozonoark and put a harness on her in an attempt to tame her, but couldn't get Ionoark and as it was unpleasant in the evening didn't spend much time trying. Washing was the second best up to date - my Merkujuk (?) pyjamas are terrible things for washing and drying. Read Antartica, and later John's diary - finished Andrew's last night - had no idea he was so depressed and suffered so much from a "brain inferiority complex." Mustard and cress had both sprouted today.

Monday February 10th

At last the wind has changed and gone round to the N.W. again. Clearly something has happened for when I stepped out of the hall door I stepped on to a Dupelik and the two Oarks who were huddled up sheltering in the porch - it was a splendid opportunity that I did not miss of catching Ionoark and putting a harness and string on her. So now we can easily catch the Oarks, and hope that by frequent talking to them and petting them they will get less wild. The wind blew with some drift all day, and brought in quite a lot of ice. The sea was rough, spray breaking high over Cairn Point, and it was fascinating at noon to watch big patches of brash-ice rising and falling with the waves.

We all did a bit of skiing at one time or another. The surface was slower and I got on much better: a slower day like this gives me more confidence, for I started higher than before and went much further. I must learn to turn a corner for it is distressing, seeing how many times I fall in any case, to have to sit down to stop yourself running into a boulder after going 50yds or so.

Another linseed oil experiment. I tied a piece of canvas which had been treated with linseed oil round the top of a pepper pot full of water, waxed it all round and inverted it to see if watertight. Result tomorrow.

Heard from Robert that he forgot to pack a Primus for the sledgers. We've been puzzling it out and think they must have another with them. Hope to goodness they have, for it would be pretty awful without. I wonder if they are getting this foul weather - it may be better on the leeward of the island.

Finished "Watkin's Last Expedition" - best modern expedition book I've read, written with great care and taste.

Tuesday Feb 11th

John did the met. this morning and woke me for breakfast, but I lay in bed till 10 o'clock. I feel the need for solitude, and as there was nothing to be done in the house, there seemed to be no harm in staying, though the others will be thinking me very lazy. I'm still upset about Andrew; it must be almost entirely my fault that he is so depressed. I hope to goodness he will be able to pull something off on the Northern Journey - but it is touch and go whether it will ever take place or not now.

After getting up late passed a normal existence; it was still very rough with a N.W. wind, but the wind dropped towards noon, and there was fine spray when the waves broke over the point, and other waves rounded the point and came over the ice-edge and flooded the area round the "automatical beer shoot" forming pools which have frozen smooth - too small for skating.

John made the amazing discovery that Fuzziak is a bitch!

Finished reading 'Antarctica' - a classical scholarly book - I wish I could write like that.

Heard from Robert that the sledgers have one Primus, Gott si Dank.

Got Brownie to start an account of Base camp for the expedition book by promising to do one as well, independently - a terrifying thought, for it would make such dull reading.

Further experimental results: (1 ) the canvas painted with linseed oil has not let a drop of water out of the bottle (2) treated canvas, covered in paraffin was left in water overnight, and still smelt strongly of paraffin in the morning. The game is to find something which will prevent the dogs from eating the canvas.

Wednesday Feb 12th

The wind has almost died down today, and the bay is full of ice. The sea is calm and with the temperature about -10℉ it is freezing hard, and let's hope will really stay this time. A most curious sight to the South at local noon - a pale pink sky and clouds of frost smoke blowing off the land at the other end of the bay.

A dull uninteresting day. In skiing started higher than ever before, but each time collapsed on meeting the softer snow at the bottom. International day started at 4pm. and with long runs and developing have been kept pretty busy. The sky clears, and then mists up; John started some astronomical observations but had to give up. I got Polaris started, but then the clock stopped and it misted over so I closed down.

Thursday Feb 13th.

Continuation of International Day so nothing much happened. John was my night companion, and we had quite a lot of conversation in the intervals. He intended astronomical observations, but it was never clear enough. Went along to the Northern traps for a breather this morning, and found them all down. After talking to Robert, supper and bed.

Friday Feb 14th.

A cold, quiet and fairly clear day. Robert reports a temperature of -30℉ all day, but as long as there is not much wind it should be all right for sledging. Bay almost full of ice and freezing firm. Made a cake today for sledgers' return: 1¼lb flour, ¾raisins, ½currants, ¾peel, ¾sugar, much baking powder and ¾pint beer. Baked slowly at first, but oven got hotter when I was dealing with Robert and the cake burnt, tho' the inside seems soggy. Hope for the best. Long conversation with Robert over the wireless - now that he is alone I think he appreciates some talk. The mist cleared in the evening and after supper John shot stars.