Sunday March 29th.

It was a fine day, but we could hardly get off at once, as nobody told Archie he was expected to go, and I tried to mend my clothes. I spent ages trying to mend my finneskos, then put them above the fire to dry, only to find when I went to put them on that they had fallen down and burnt. I was mad.

We left in perfect weather, I leading with Odds and Sods, and with empty sledges reached the Advanced Base in 2½ hours - a good time considering we sat all the time except when we wanted to get warm, and Angugssuak broke his trace and Archie dropped his whip, and I went back to fetch it. I had suggested to Archie that we should go on up to B that night, and he agreed. Sandy was in the Advanced Base when we got there and we decided all to go up to B after a meal which Sandy prepared - away from the Base he is always wonderfully good in getting meals, cleaning up etc.

The sun was set when we went off, and the rather diffused light on the glacier was most fascinating. This time I could see about when we were at the top. A level bit, then up to the top of Mt.Toil where B was. I didn't see the remains of the station till we were almost on it, and then the Stevenson screen, ablation stakes etc. all covered with snow and hoar frost loomed up ghostily. It was cold (-30℉) and we set to work after admiring the view from the top - it was a bit misty but the north coast could be seen running along to the east, Cape Hansteen as beautiful as ever, and the Seven Islands, like seven tortoises, visible to the north. We built a cairn consisting of the snow gauge, seven flags, a paraffin drum and the hoar frost beacon. The hole of the dome tent was snowed over, but we were careful not to fall through. Then it remained only to pack the sledges and this caused difficulty for the paraffin drums are so difficult to lash on. We got the Nansen well done and it remained perfect all the way, but the rigid had to be relashed twice in the first few hundred yards. When we reached the glacier Sandy had trouble with the rigid: no suitable drag rope could be found and it went over once bending the runner rather badly. The Blacks and Nansen got down without any trouble.

We were back soon after 2am. and the others went in while I cut up the bear meat we had brought for the dogs. I went behind the house to do it, but Kungasenak soon knew, and suddenly the Blacks dashed round the hut dragging the heavily loaded Nansen backwards with the traces underneath. I stood over the meat and shouted for help, but they couldn't hear. Luckily the sledge stuck and the Odds and Sods couldn't move theirs, so with Archie's help we got peace again. The Blacks didn't have much room for movement, but we didn't feel like unloading the sledge at that time of night. Into bed just after 3am.

Monday March 30th.

Not up till soon after noon. Breakfast. The sun was shining but there were gusts of wind down the glacier. The others collected all the things inside while I cleared the dogs and unlashed the sledges and loaded up the rigid. All the time the gusts were getting stronger with drift until the weather was really unpleasant. At last when we got off the wind had changed to be against us. Sandy went ahead with the rigid and Odds and Sods, Archie and I with the Blacks and Nansen behind. The wind got worse round Dog Point and it was nasty past Boat Point. At Boat point Sandy let me take the front sledge; the visibility was poor and we couldn't see Base mountain at all, and I kept too much into Zeipel Bay and ran up to the island, but got a glimpse of our cliffs for a second and so afterwards could steer by the moon. It was lucky going so far into Zeipel Bay for we had an almost perfect surface, and it certainly saved time coming round so much.

Andrew was at the door when we arrived with the news that all the others had gone to bed - at 9.15! - except John of course. Andrew saw to and fed the dogs. It's amusing to arrive at the base in these days of overcrowding. You are most unwelcome as can be seen in everybody's faces. On Saturday only Brownie showed any activity and got us a meal. Today John was most annoyed, and only after a quarter of an hour did he feel he ought to offer us a meal. David admitted later that he was awake but pretended to be asleep to avoid having to get up or being thought ill-mannered! I'm not a bit offended: it's just the same with all of us and I rejoice as much as anyone else when anybody goes away.

Tuesday March 31st.

Shambles: great preparations for the journeys, sledges and Nansen boats everywhere. A new plan. Dan and John have been waiting for days to take observations from Cape Hansteen, but the weather is so variable that the best thing is to live in Karl's Cape Hansteen hut and jump up when possible. John now is so busy. Brownie cannot go with communications coming on, and David doesn't want to, so I am again fortunate. Had been filling up a luxury ration box for ourselves.

We were just about to depart when Brownie asks Dan for his help as the Austin is giving trouble. This took the rest of the day; with all the shambles and fuss I was all for going off even late, but the weather got worse and visibility so bad that it was out of the question. I sat up during the night in case Brownie wanted help. The Austin radiator leaks as a rule so I went out hourly to fill it, but it was behaving well and hardly leaking at all. Then Brownie had to change wavelength which meant making changes to the aerials - a cold job. After a bit he had to close down as interference made conditions too bad. In bed about 5am.

John made a most successful April Fool soon after midnight: he came in in a well feigned slight alarm asking if the Bear's liver had been given to the dogs as Pamiok was looking very ill outside. Was taken in at first till I remembered the date, but Sandy was well taken in and rushed out in alarm.

Wednesday April 1st.

Haven't recovered from the 36 hours in bed in Murchison Bay, and couldn't sleep after 8 o'clock so got up. Weather still impossible for Cape Hansteen. In the afternoon got out the ozone spectrograph and put away all Polaris and Auroral things. Wind got up in the evening with heavy drift. Had a long fight with Sandy at supper. I resent very much that the monthly averages of the meteorological results of B station should be left for me to work out - it's a long and dull job which anyone can do, and there is too much evidence of the idle life led there for any arguments as to there not having been time to hold any water. They didn't take met. readings on Sunday morning which doesn't really matter very much, but will look bad on the monthly report which other people will see, and besides set a very bad example which was noticed by all five of us at the base in January. Sandy's idleness really does annoy me - and others too.

Communication with England began at 10pm. and we had to change wavelength again. Dan came out this time and we did it in an absolute blizzard. Dan says he'll be furious if he doesn't get a message after that. All went well afterwards and since the radiator was all right I went to bed at 1.30 and Brownie finished all the schedule a few hours after. Karl is a magnificent storyteller, and we were in fits at supper.

Thursday April 2nd.

Drift and storm as strong as ever. Brownie did the met. as he was still up, but I was up before Bear Island - I still am waking up very early. A photographic day, and there has been so much activity preparing for the journeys - a tent in the living room now - that I could attempt no serious work. The drift is incredible and you have to dig your way into the engine room each time. Curious things going on in the ionosphere; we hardly got an echo today at local noon, and since then have carried out abbreviated P'f's (?) at two hourly intervals up to 1am. Didn't get through to Bear Island at all today, and since we didn't last night that is 4 in succession. Ozonoak was in to have stitches put in by Karl this afternoon.

Friday April 3rd.

One of the rather dull days. The wind has died down a bit and the drift much less, but even now at night it is blowing pretty hard. Since noon, however, the sun has been shining, and that makes all the difference. The surroundings of the house have quite changed and two enormous drifts have developed in front, one of these extends over the tide -crack and has a fine crack in it itself. The sledge which Dan and I were going to take to Cape Hansteen is completely buried and I can't find it. Three more failures to get through to Bear Island, though the ionosphere seems normal. Contact at 10pm. and some messages off. Sledges have been in again and tents up in the living room. Since we've been bach last time I've moved into a top bunk which is much nicer in many ways and I am now learning how to get into it, tho' last night I all but fell out. The old argument of Independence v Co-operation has been going on more heatedly - Archie, Dan and David and Sandy and Self today, but only Dan shows any common sense. He has the most balanced mind of anybody on the expedition. Got news on the Empire programme for the first time today.

Saturday April 4th.

Did the met. this morning for the first early morning for nearly three weeks. It's astonishing that the more work a person has to do the later he gets up - Sandy and Andrew almost the last. It's hard on and rude to Karl who is a natural early riser and can't get on with his work on the Nansen boat until they get up.

Poor visibility and drift again. The late risers gave me an opportunity of cleaning up all round the fireplace. We tuned in to the Empire program before noon to chance the Boat race - we didn't even know the date of it - and there it was and the commentary pricelessly funny. At night Bear Island told us "Cambridge won the Henley race today. Oxford had bad luck for the thirteenth time, old man."

In the afternoon David and I opened 70 tins of pemmican and wrapped it up in paper - rather like playing shop again. I had Dan's German Linguaphone records on at the same time until they were removed and music substituted. Amusing to hear the old records again, and instructive. I'm forgetting the language frightfully quickly. Andrew and Karl have made a really first class boat with a Nansen as framework - this one has oars and a sail. Communication with Robert is getting more reliable - today we had a long talk without a single repeat. The little Blacks have been huddling in the porch all day: poor little things are getting thin and find it hard to keep warm. Fuzziak is a pathetic sight with her coat full of snow and Euphemia is as sweet as ever; she still yawns in your face continuously.

Sunday April 5th.

How quickly the Sundays come round. We have a saying that it's always Sunday. Nansen noticed it too. Calm at last and slight snow falling. Towards noon it improved and the sun shone quite strongly at times. There was an ionosphere breakdown, so while Brownie was mending it and the sun was shining I got the ozone spectrograph out, but when I later developed the plate in the afternoon it was a tremendous disappointment. I knew, of course, that I could not expect much after breaking the filter last year, but I did have hopes that it would be sufficiently good to make it worth while continuing without the filter. My scientific work for the expedition is now just about finished.

More preparations for the northern journey; it's grand to have it calm and warm enough (0℉) for you to be able to do things outside in your indoor clothes - I have been filling paraffin tins, opening cases and helping Andrew with the food boxes of the two journeys. Others have been engaged with tents, sail, whips etc and Karl has been away visiting his traps all day. He brought back a fox, but in general it was "not a track, not a track - I cannot understand it." After finishing with Andrew I went up to join the others skiing - it is more than a month since I've done this, but I couldn't find my ski; in the meantime a reindeer had been seen on the bay. They shot it in the end and we pulled it home.