Life plods on, time is ticking and so only 9 or so months left for us here! Getting towards winter when the migratory penguins and sea lions depart the shores and chickens are having moulting episodes ready for the cold. Having a grey spell of weather right now but fairly mild temperature-wise and less wind so quite helpful for getting about the daily business.
Dug a bumper crop of potatoes out of the polytunnel yesterday. And the fact that the sprouting potatoes I planted were given to us free gave us a warm and fuzzy feeling. And they are tasty too! They were grown in previously used swimming pool lockers His Nibs had salvaged and, once laid flat, the compartments formed ideal spaces for potatoes and carrots. I am possibly becoming the Queen of 'make do and mend' (to use a more flattering description than has been used in the past!) and despite his previous retail compulsion, so is Big Man! He sourced a suitably deep container for a water butt too, oh the joy. It is very distressing living somewhere that still practises rampant landfilling having been used to decent recycling services, so we try and do our bit by taking bottles to Stanley to be ground up for building work (when we are going anyway of course - and boy does it make for resounding rattling throughout 35 bumpy miles but that's another tale) and reusing containers for whatever purpose springs to mind.
Back in the kitchen, those who know me well will understand how thrilled I was this evening to hear the words 'Mummy can I do the washing up?'. Well that was a long wait but totally worth it!!! We are getting one egg a day at the moment so her Highness is often pleading with me to make cupcakes. This is great except that the carbohydrate-rich diet of cake, bread, tea and booze out here (with red meat thrown in for good measure)is not having a positive impact on my waistline so measures are being taken at the moment so that I can still fit into an aeroplane seat.
Overall the domestics are pretty harmonious, but unfortunately, it has been 7 months since I last saw all my nearest and dearest and with no penguins to photograph and provide a distraction I am getting restless... consequently it is not long til we go north! Shops, roads, trees in springtime, fruit, friends and family here we come!!!
Monday, 26 March 2012
Wednesday, 7 March 2012
Not even a catchy title ...
Sorry for the uninspiring heading but it has not been a particularly exciting month. Perhaps after all the frenzy of late that is actually a good thing!
The young lady turned 3 in February and had a party with lots of thoughtful gifts. She is developing a fine sense of humour and regularly impresses me with her irony. She even impersonated another girl during register time at preschool, which had us all in stitches!
Last month I was lucky enough to go on a whale watching trip from Stanley. We saw fins and blows from sei whale, as well as a load of other marine life including penguins, sea lions, gulls, shags, petrels, dolphins and so on. The boat ride was great fun but a little choppier than I had anticipated, and coming on the back of a girls' night out in Stanley where Bacardi featured pretty large, it was a struggle to keep my insides from making an appearance. If I remained stood up on the outside deck clutching onto the rail, with my nose tilted away from the diesel fumes and focused on my breathing I could just about keep a lid on it. Unlike my poor friend who regularly fed the fish throughout the tour. Sadly I have no amazing photos of whales to show as although I did capture a fin or two on record, my retarded reaction speed from the alcohol intake, plus lack of sleep, coupled with the boat movements, sea spray and general inability to use my camera properly meant they were not worth sharing.
This was my first encounter with whales but now I know what I am looking for, I have since seen them again from a helicopter, when visiting Volunteer Point last week. This is a site I have been keen to go to for over a year but what with various mishaps, wasn't able to. Finally on Wednesday I got to see the large colony of King Penguins and the warden who recently featured in the Sunday Times magazine. In my opinion, the kings are the most aesthetically pleasing of the penguins found here, although without the bustling and bumbling charm of the Rockhoppers.
After a two week stay Granny B has now departed back to the UK and so life is back to a rather jaded normality. Over recent weeks the weather has been mostly shocking with more rain to make up for the drought of December and only a glimmer of sunshine over the last week.
We did have a quick trip to Bertha's beach on Tuesday to make the most of the warmth, during which time the young lady was totally engaged with sand castle building and when I insisted on at least having a quick look at the water's edge, she then lost a welly and started moaning.
Lots of our friends on base here are leaving over the next 6 months so there are plenty of goodbyes and farewells coming up. It can seem like a never ending rotation of families coming in and going out, some changing schools and jobs for only a 1 year posting. As for the short touring personnel on 6 week, 4 or 6 month contracts, the blur of faces and names is such it seems like I change my underwear less often!
The young lady turned 3 in February and had a party with lots of thoughtful gifts. She is developing a fine sense of humour and regularly impresses me with her irony. She even impersonated another girl during register time at preschool, which had us all in stitches!
Last month I was lucky enough to go on a whale watching trip from Stanley. We saw fins and blows from sei whale, as well as a load of other marine life including penguins, sea lions, gulls, shags, petrels, dolphins and so on. The boat ride was great fun but a little choppier than I had anticipated, and coming on the back of a girls' night out in Stanley where Bacardi featured pretty large, it was a struggle to keep my insides from making an appearance. If I remained stood up on the outside deck clutching onto the rail, with my nose tilted away from the diesel fumes and focused on my breathing I could just about keep a lid on it. Unlike my poor friend who regularly fed the fish throughout the tour. Sadly I have no amazing photos of whales to show as although I did capture a fin or two on record, my retarded reaction speed from the alcohol intake, plus lack of sleep, coupled with the boat movements, sea spray and general inability to use my camera properly meant they were not worth sharing.
This was my first encounter with whales but now I know what I am looking for, I have since seen them again from a helicopter, when visiting Volunteer Point last week. This is a site I have been keen to go to for over a year but what with various mishaps, wasn't able to. Finally on Wednesday I got to see the large colony of King Penguins and the warden who recently featured in the Sunday Times magazine. In my opinion, the kings are the most aesthetically pleasing of the penguins found here, although without the bustling and bumbling charm of the Rockhoppers.
After a two week stay Granny B has now departed back to the UK and so life is back to a rather jaded normality. Over recent weeks the weather has been mostly shocking with more rain to make up for the drought of December and only a glimmer of sunshine over the last week.
We did have a quick trip to Bertha's beach on Tuesday to make the most of the warmth, during which time the young lady was totally engaged with sand castle building and when I insisted on at least having a quick look at the water's edge, she then lost a welly and started moaning.
Lots of our friends on base here are leaving over the next 6 months so there are plenty of goodbyes and farewells coming up. It can seem like a never ending rotation of families coming in and going out, some changing schools and jobs for only a 1 year posting. As for the short touring personnel on 6 week, 4 or 6 month contracts, the blur of faces and names is such it seems like I change my underwear less often!
Friday, 17 February 2012
Prince, Politics & Pullets
Today is Friday, when the Penguin News is issued. Frankly it is a must-read after all the political pouting of the last fortnight. Turns out the local Chilean workforce have been protesting about the interference with their air and sea connections, the Falkland Islanders have been protesting about all the bizarre commentary relating to their security and some Argentinians have been posing around Stanley in 'I Love Las Malvinas' t-shirts. Had no idea all this was going on! Perhaps I should get out more.
On the domestic side, the egg shortage has really hit home. What with all our birds being in moult, the ones in the shop here being ancient and borderline rotten, and the usual farm suppliers being completely bare due to town shortages (because the annual mid-summer re-supply charter flight has been thwarted by a certain Kirchner person) - I was starting to panic. Anyway, I was rescued this morning by a neighbour with a couple of chooks in a more sheltered garden, either that or she gives them little jackets to wear (now there's a thought) who gave me four beautiful large eggs with gorgeous orange yolks that didn't fall to pieces immediately. Sigh of relief.
Second time is clearly the charm when it comes to the dashing Duke who was relaxing in the cafe on his no-fly day. Managed to elicit a smile during my encounter with him and his cronies ordering their elevenses. His choice of snack? Millionaire's shortbread. Very apt.
On the domestic side, the egg shortage has really hit home. What with all our birds being in moult, the ones in the shop here being ancient and borderline rotten, and the usual farm suppliers being completely bare due to town shortages (because the annual mid-summer re-supply charter flight has been thwarted by a certain Kirchner person) - I was starting to panic. Anyway, I was rescued this morning by a neighbour with a couple of chooks in a more sheltered garden, either that or she gives them little jackets to wear (now there's a thought) who gave me four beautiful large eggs with gorgeous orange yolks that didn't fall to pieces immediately. Sigh of relief.
Second time is clearly the charm when it comes to the dashing Duke who was relaxing in the cafe on his no-fly day. Managed to elicit a smile during my encounter with him and his cronies ordering their elevenses. His choice of snack? Millionaire's shortbread. Very apt.
Monday, 13 February 2012
Month of madness!
It has been a time of craziness here in the Falklands, where to start...
It was my birthday last month, necessitating a small celebration befitting of my age group. I had a lovely quiet day, being serenaded by the Mums at playgroup in the morning, friends over for cake in the afternoon and my dinner cooked by Big Man in the evening.
That week I fitted in a cheeky trip to Whale Point, where I have been once before when Grandma was visiting. It is only a few miles beyond a nearby farm but without road or any other amenity to speak of. There is a colony of elephant seals, gentoo penguins and shipwreck of the St Mary hosting night herons. This time was different though as I drove our Defender off-road myself! Apart from a couple of worryingly steep banks and a minor fuel scare (administrative oversight) it went off fabulously well. Not quite as epic as the trip to Paloma beach with the Conservation Group, when I rode in with another army wife and we drove to what seemed like the edge of the earth. Her blog is an interesting read and is at:
http://www.candis.co.uk/candis-online/blogs/my-life-in-a-box
Enter 'Broccoli-Gate'. As you may recall from my previous posts, fresh produce is scarce here. The standard fayre in our shop is carrots, potatoes and onions, in varying states of bendyness. The powers-that-be, in consultation with the families, told us at our regular meeting that they would spice it up a bit and, when feasible, order in a few new things. Cue ripples of excitement through the room. The next week the toys were flung angrily out of the pram when it was alleged that one family had taken way more than their fair share of broccoli, leaving most people without. The shame! I finally got my hands on a head of broccoli and a pineapple the next delivery and must stress how much you taste the difference after so long eating only frozen or tinned.
The weather has been a massive disappointment. After a hot and sunny December, the last fortnight has been cold, windy, with occasional hail and horrendous wind storms. Because of this, my courgette plant, which was doing so well in the polytunnel has now retreated into itself and is threatening to give up unless the sun comes out again. Don't blame it. Rita is moulting too.
As you will have read, HRH the Duke of Cambridge is now on base and busy flying helicopters about. I managed to bump into him at the beach, so to speak, and can confirm that he is as tall as he looks on telly, is very polite, but alas, is not here to socialise with the likes of us commoners. Well that is how low key his presence is here but the Argentinians have been rattling their cage ever since! On Friday their Foreign Minister gave a long (and tedious) presentation to the UN in New York, making out that Britain was increasing the military capability in the South Atlantic to an excessive level, bringing in warships (never mind that it was on a like-for-like basis), nuclear submarines (not sure if there is proof of that) and whizzing Typhoons about all over the place. Basically it was a rather feeble attempt to make Britain look like the bad guy, although I will admit at least it was aimed at opening negotiations like grown ups. Makes a change.
This Saturday we stayed on base and watched a few wretched fools pull a Hercules (big, heavy, large, weighs a lot, etc) 1 km along the runway for charity. Well, I think it is fair to say it was harder than they anticipated. After a nice rolling start they soon started to bunch up and lose rhythm and after only 100 m it wasn't looking good. Drinks breaks seemed to become more and more frequent and shouts became more and more desperate, til we all wondered if they would give up. But no, they fought on with burning arms and burning legs and managed to pull the plane over the line. Still took over an hour mind. More details at: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=Herculespull
In a similar vein Him Indoors has finished collecting in the money for his charity tab and managed to reach the target of £2,000, so thank you to everyone who sponsored them. And his feet are mostly better now I think you are all massively relieved to know.
That's it from us to date. Toodle pip.
It was my birthday last month, necessitating a small celebration befitting of my age group. I had a lovely quiet day, being serenaded by the Mums at playgroup in the morning, friends over for cake in the afternoon and my dinner cooked by Big Man in the evening.
That week I fitted in a cheeky trip to Whale Point, where I have been once before when Grandma was visiting. It is only a few miles beyond a nearby farm but without road or any other amenity to speak of. There is a colony of elephant seals, gentoo penguins and shipwreck of the St Mary hosting night herons. This time was different though as I drove our Defender off-road myself! Apart from a couple of worryingly steep banks and a minor fuel scare (administrative oversight) it went off fabulously well. Not quite as epic as the trip to Paloma beach with the Conservation Group, when I rode in with another army wife and we drove to what seemed like the edge of the earth. Her blog is an interesting read and is at:
http://www.candis.co.uk/candis-online/blogs/my-life-in-a-box
Enter 'Broccoli-Gate'. As you may recall from my previous posts, fresh produce is scarce here. The standard fayre in our shop is carrots, potatoes and onions, in varying states of bendyness. The powers-that-be, in consultation with the families, told us at our regular meeting that they would spice it up a bit and, when feasible, order in a few new things. Cue ripples of excitement through the room. The next week the toys were flung angrily out of the pram when it was alleged that one family had taken way more than their fair share of broccoli, leaving most people without. The shame! I finally got my hands on a head of broccoli and a pineapple the next delivery and must stress how much you taste the difference after so long eating only frozen or tinned.
The weather has been a massive disappointment. After a hot and sunny December, the last fortnight has been cold, windy, with occasional hail and horrendous wind storms. Because of this, my courgette plant, which was doing so well in the polytunnel has now retreated into itself and is threatening to give up unless the sun comes out again. Don't blame it. Rita is moulting too.
As you will have read, HRH the Duke of Cambridge is now on base and busy flying helicopters about. I managed to bump into him at the beach, so to speak, and can confirm that he is as tall as he looks on telly, is very polite, but alas, is not here to socialise with the likes of us commoners. Well that is how low key his presence is here but the Argentinians have been rattling their cage ever since! On Friday their Foreign Minister gave a long (and tedious) presentation to the UN in New York, making out that Britain was increasing the military capability in the South Atlantic to an excessive level, bringing in warships (never mind that it was on a like-for-like basis), nuclear submarines (not sure if there is proof of that) and whizzing Typhoons about all over the place. Basically it was a rather feeble attempt to make Britain look like the bad guy, although I will admit at least it was aimed at opening negotiations like grown ups. Makes a change.
This Saturday we stayed on base and watched a few wretched fools pull a Hercules (big, heavy, large, weighs a lot, etc) 1 km along the runway for charity. Well, I think it is fair to say it was harder than they anticipated. After a nice rolling start they soon started to bunch up and lose rhythm and after only 100 m it wasn't looking good. Drinks breaks seemed to become more and more frequent and shouts became more and more desperate, til we all wondered if they would give up. But no, they fought on with burning arms and burning legs and managed to pull the plane over the line. Still took over an hour mind. More details at: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=Herculespull
In a similar vein Him Indoors has finished collecting in the money for his charity tab and managed to reach the target of £2,000, so thank you to everyone who sponsored them. And his feet are mostly better now I think you are all massively relieved to know.
That's it from us to date. Toodle pip.
Friday, 27 January 2012
'I've got a baby in my tummy'
No, don't get excited, this was the young lady's announcement at breakfast the other day, nothing to do with me! She has recently developed a keen interest in such things, regularly stroking and grabbing the one baby girl who lives on the patch here. She even brought home a book from the library yesterday about managing her feelings should a new arrival be likely! After reading it to her at bedtime tonight she asked 'Mummy can we get a baby?' And I assured her that we would try to, one day, to which she replied 'and can we get a cottage to put the baby in, and a hostipal to cuddle the baby in?'.
It's not just the hens that are broody around here!
It's not just the hens that are broody around here!
Wednesday, 25 January 2012
2 years and 11 months old
The young lady is almost 3 years old, can't believe it. She is a little chatterbox and very much a people-person, if you like Vulcan Death Grips that is.
Her latest passion is building. "Build a castle with me Mum" is her constant refrain. She has spent the last 2 weeks or so repeatedly building and re-building castles, home-houses and other things on our living room floor so I have ordered some more blocks online.
Sleep is still a little variable. Had 3 good nights this week where she stayed in her own bed all night and then 2 nights of sleeping-on-the-edge discomfort. Generally she opts for head on Mum and feet on Dad or variations thereof and as she is now a tall preschooler rather than a baby, she stretches virtually the width of our queen-sized bed.
Of course, she is more than worth it!
Her latest passion is building. "Build a castle with me Mum" is her constant refrain. She has spent the last 2 weeks or so repeatedly building and re-building castles, home-houses and other things on our living room floor so I have ordered some more blocks online.
Sleep is still a little variable. Had 3 good nights this week where she stayed in her own bed all night and then 2 nights of sleeping-on-the-edge discomfort. Generally she opts for head on Mum and feet on Dad or variations thereof and as she is now a tall preschooler rather than a baby, she stretches virtually the width of our queen-sized bed.
Of course, she is more than worth it!
Not at all chilly
We left the island on New Year's Eve with quite a few other holiday makers. At the passport control desk I was amused to overhear an older Falkland Islander requesting the passport official bring her horse to graze his grass in Stanley. Although quite a few modern folk mow their grass nowadays there is still a fair bit of communal grazing as the houses in town typically have sizeable plots.
The flight was ok although a bit wobblier than usual from cross-winds on take-off leaving me a bit pale-faced! Only 1.5 hours to South America though so happily very short. After what seemed like a ridiculous lap of the terminal at Punta Arenas we set off for Santiago, essentially flying halfway up the length of Chile, so this took a wee bit longer. If we'd have had a window seat I expect the views would have been marvellous.
Santiago was as expected; vast, sprawling and modern but with glimpses of something different. We made the most of the warm Mediterranean weather and walked the streets, shopped and ate our way round.
Vina Del Mar was next, an hour from the capital, on the coast. This became a favourite as although it is a huge and somewhat bland modern seaside resort, Valparaiso, a port town only a short metro ride away is much more interesting.
The next challenge was hiring a car and exiting Santiago, this was actually not too difficult and we found ourselves heading south on Ruta 5. Cue comical moment when Big Man asked me where we were staying for the first night of our road trip as I had done most of the planning and booking myself. 'Curico' I replied. 'Wasn't that the town that was flattened by the 2010 earthquake?' he says. 'Er, yes, possibly'. So we didn't know what to expect arriving into the town late in the afternoon, wondering if we would be accommodated next to a pile of rubble, or even in one. Turned out to be fine, the hotel was nice, yes a few buildings (mainly the older ones) had been damaged so had hoardings outside them and our hotel room was equipped with more than the average amount of safety information (and even a torch!) but we had no problems.
My second favourite moment was our wine tour, tasting and lunch at Miguel Torres HQ. Speaks for itself really!
We had 4 lovely nights in the lake district staying in a cabana with lovely views of the lake and two nights in Puerto Varas, which was a smaller resort with lots of German influences and beautiful snow-capped volcanoes in the distance.
After a nerve-wracking trip to locate petrol on the way to Puerto Montt airport, we dropped off the hire car and flew back to Punta for a final night. Our taxi driver spoke excellent English and was somewhat of a comedian. Turns out he used to live in Florida where his only concern was whether to go to the beach or the pool. Now he lives in Punta where it rains 5 days out of 7. His Nibs was not impressed with the service at table during dinner, having to eat without being given his second glass of red wine. Turns out there were loads of politicians and diplomats in the function room hogging all the staff - don't they know who we are?!
It was a lovely fortnight away but I feel that madamoiselle summed it up when she said towards the end 'sometimes I want to be back in my green home house'.
The flight was ok although a bit wobblier than usual from cross-winds on take-off leaving me a bit pale-faced! Only 1.5 hours to South America though so happily very short. After what seemed like a ridiculous lap of the terminal at Punta Arenas we set off for Santiago, essentially flying halfway up the length of Chile, so this took a wee bit longer. If we'd have had a window seat I expect the views would have been marvellous.
Santiago was as expected; vast, sprawling and modern but with glimpses of something different. We made the most of the warm Mediterranean weather and walked the streets, shopped and ate our way round.
Vina Del Mar was next, an hour from the capital, on the coast. This became a favourite as although it is a huge and somewhat bland modern seaside resort, Valparaiso, a port town only a short metro ride away is much more interesting.
The next challenge was hiring a car and exiting Santiago, this was actually not too difficult and we found ourselves heading south on Ruta 5. Cue comical moment when Big Man asked me where we were staying for the first night of our road trip as I had done most of the planning and booking myself. 'Curico' I replied. 'Wasn't that the town that was flattened by the 2010 earthquake?' he says. 'Er, yes, possibly'. So we didn't know what to expect arriving into the town late in the afternoon, wondering if we would be accommodated next to a pile of rubble, or even in one. Turned out to be fine, the hotel was nice, yes a few buildings (mainly the older ones) had been damaged so had hoardings outside them and our hotel room was equipped with more than the average amount of safety information (and even a torch!) but we had no problems.
My second favourite moment was our wine tour, tasting and lunch at Miguel Torres HQ. Speaks for itself really!
We had 4 lovely nights in the lake district staying in a cabana with lovely views of the lake and two nights in Puerto Varas, which was a smaller resort with lots of German influences and beautiful snow-capped volcanoes in the distance.
After a nerve-wracking trip to locate petrol on the way to Puerto Montt airport, we dropped off the hire car and flew back to Punta for a final night. Our taxi driver spoke excellent English and was somewhat of a comedian. Turns out he used to live in Florida where his only concern was whether to go to the beach or the pool. Now he lives in Punta where it rains 5 days out of 7. His Nibs was not impressed with the service at table during dinner, having to eat without being given his second glass of red wine. Turns out there were loads of politicians and diplomats in the function room hogging all the staff - don't they know who we are?!
It was a lovely fortnight away but I feel that madamoiselle summed it up when she said towards the end 'sometimes I want to be back in my green home house'.
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