Saturday, April 9, 2011

33 - End of the Summer 2010-2011 season at Casey Station Antarctica.....

Hello friends,

so here i am and my time here is very quickly drawing to an end.................................................i am writing this at 1am and we are awaiting the arrival of the Aurora Australis which is currently 26nm from Casey Station. Since my last blog there has been much excitement and as much sadness about our pending departure.

The pending departure is going to leave me feeling a loss that i have only felt once before in my life and that was when i was faced with the the same thing last season. That being said life continues at home and much has happened, some good but more not so good since i have been gone.  However for me to stay in fear of something happening to people that you love is not to really live at all but living in fear and this is something I will not accept.

Many times in my blog i have tyred to share what life is like down here, the other day i was talking to a friend who i think summed it up very well both what it is like down here and what he is expecting arrival home.

I have been pondering my arrival back on the mainland and was thinking that for the last six months it has been like living in the womb, all nice and peaceful and quite, aware at the same time that things are going on in the outside world, however not being affected by them as such, a feeling of calmness and security...

Simply to let you know I might talk a lot (sensory input overload) or I might be very quiet and not say much at all (feeling heart), yet speak volumes with my eyes, as I gaze upon you with heartfelt tenderness and affection in unconditional love....

So like my friend who wrote that I'm having an internal battle with on one hand the excitement of going home and on the ship no less which is another box ticked now. Then on the other hand the sorrow for the loss of not being in this incredible place and the new friendships formed while here. All good things must come to an end...................

So here is the deal, tomorrow no in a couple hours the ship is going to be deploying the choppers to start ferrying us out to the ship which by then will be in the harbour. Estimated flying time 60 seconds, 23 passengers to go out. There is 3 choppers on the AA two Squirrels and one S76. The Squirrels take 3 passengers and their cargo where as the S76 takes 6. 20 cage pallets of cargo to come off and the same to go on, all things going well we should be departing Casey tomorrow night.

The AA will take 7-9days to get the 1880nm to Hobart so i know this blog has been a touchy feely one the next will be a little more pictures and the last of the 2010-2011 season. 

Thought i better put some token pictures so i thought some nice sunset pics would go well with the tone of this blog!!!!




So on that note take care and ready or not HERE I COME!!!!!!!!!!! 

Michael

P.S.............."Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all."
                   Helen Keller





*Pictures not denoted with photographer are taken by me & all pictures are copyright to the author*

1 comment:

  1. Mick Clarke9/4/11 10:34 AM

    Mick, many thanks for the wonderful insight into life on statiomn, reading your blogs throughout the year that you have been there has made me miss life on station so much. I hope we can spend some time together and have a few drinks and reminisce about the summer you have had. I hope that these titbits or snippets of your life have been enjoyed by all those that have not had the fortune to actually experience life on the loneliest, coldest, driest and windiest part of earth. All i can say is try and get south to experience it at least once.

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