The Night Carte
An irregular collection of Scott Base doings for April 1998
Sunset at Hut Point. Photo by Patricia McCairen
Sun sets for a time
The month of April saw many spectacular sunrises and sunsets. You have to make the most of them however, as they’ll be in short supply for the next four months.
According to the weather office the last sunset at McMurdo was on April 24 at 1:12pm. The night ends officially on August 19 at 12:43pm, about 2855 hours later.
Ross Island sunset. Photo by Patricia McCairen
Sunset Dinner
April may be the time when we kiss goodbye to the sun, but the warmth goes on at Scott Base. The Sunset Dinner was held on Friday 24 April in the Mess (dining room) at Scott Base. Staff and guests totaled 67. All enjoyed the culinary extravaganza that included: canapés for Hors d'oeuvres in the Bar, Stroganoff, Sushi, Ham on the Bone for mains and Croquembouche (tower of custard filled eclair cases, assembled with toffee and spun sugar) and chocolate cheesecake with coffee for desert.
Preparations began early in the week as Pauline set aside parts of the various dishes to come together on the night. After lunch on Friday we set about transforming the utilitarian dining facility into a feast hall. Floors were given an extra polish, tables brought in from storage and clothed in white. Glasses and cutlery got the once over, napkins were folded and candles set.
Pauline guided food preparation, making full use of the willing, if a little inexperienced, hands of her workmates. Everyone got involved along the line, Helen and Herm preparing the time- consuming Sushi. The main meal was served up and ready to eat at 7:59pm, a minute early... testament to Pauline and the other staff.
Guests were ferried across from McMurdo and enjoyed pre dinner drinks in the bar. People then helped themselves from the mouth watering selection. Mork, resplendent in his bow tie and cummerbund seemed to be ever present ensuring that tasks were done and the evening flowed.
Staff and Guests enjoy the meal at Sunset Dinner
Several staff and even guests from McMurdo quietly cleared away dishes as the meal progressed and a relaxed, homelike atmosphere prevailed. As the evening drifted towards the bar the tables were cleared and dishes stacked. Geoff later worked his way through the pile while most others slept.
The bar went into party mode around midnight while other people sought the succour of sleep, well content. Early risers were greeted by a clean bar and dining room, all that remained was a general put away of the tables, chairs and other extras that had been pressed into service and we were back to normal by morning tea. A good night for all.
Rodeo Plays For Small Bucks
Riding the Bull and Clowning around at the Rodeo
Several folks from Scott Base went over to the Rodeo held at the Fire House earlier this month. The McMurdo Fire Crew put the Bronc in the Bull which had a strange resemblance to a barrel with four ropes attached for motive force.
The only person from Scott Base to ride the bull was Eric, who was obviously surprised he stayed on as long as he did, as he was heard to say " I think they're just testing it at the moment".
The Fire House team decked out the station in Rodeo fashion, including sawdust on the floor, advertising billboards and a giant Cowboy hat. There were plenty of thrills and spills, with one gentleman requiring a little plasterwork to his arm.
Scott Base Meaty Chunks take Open Mic Night by storm.
The Meaty Chunks of Scott Base played their version of "Old MacDonald had a Farm" to a packed house at McMurdo’s Southern Exposure. The Meaty Chunks are Herm, Helen and Pauline as barnyard favourites cow, chicken and lamb respectively.
Choosing an oldie but a goodie proved a winning combination when it comes to audience participation (which was just as well as the Meaty Chunks left several spaces for the audience to fill, while they lost it!). From the first few bars, the populace were with them, especially ST-V-1-DA, their impromptu manager. Eric captured it all on video in the event that the wider world want to see the humble beginnings of the latest all woman supergroup.
Other acts tended towards a folk sound with a little blues thrown in for good measure. People were pretty laid back, enjoying the evening. Another act, trying to cash in on the barnyard theme, had the audience leaving... which goes to show that the Meaty Chunks really have the edge when it comes to presenting this material.
This reporter has overheard that the girls may be adding a Barry Manilow classic to their astounding repertoire... watch this space for concert updates.
Darts team sharpen game
The first game of April had the darts team in fine form (never mind that at times the Scott Base component of the team consisted of one player). Eric threw the double 10 to finish the first game, while seconded McMurdo player, Don, popped the double 5 to take the second game in the name of Scott Base. McMurdo opened their scoring for the season by taking the third game, making the evening a Ross Island clean sweep. Davis station showed great form, getting down to double striking distance in quick time but failed to capitalise with the elusive double to finish.
The second darts night of the month, Good Friday, saw Scott Base take the first game with Eric throwing the winning double. The team from MacTown took the second game with Pappy having five to get, and managing a one, double two for the perfect finish. South Pole came from behind to throw the winning spears in the third.
Chris was in fine form on Friday 17 April, throwing the winning double to take the first game of the night. The folks from McMurdo, flush with their win the previous week must have decided that was enough for the time being and stayed home this week. Casey Station did come to the party however and came away with two wins for their efforts. South Pole took a rest from winning for a week.
Bowlers pick up
Scotty’s Strikers brought in their secret weapon, Mike (iz zees how you do it?) ‘Z’, who was in devastating debut form (171), to snatch a victory from the McMurdo team. After a slow start that had the Scott Base team wondering just how badly they could bowl, the averages kicked in with Daring Dave taking 134, Geoff notching a 117 and Eric squeezing a 127. The "No Name Yet" team lost the plot half way through, posting a final score of 504.
Scott Base let the game get away from them in week three of the month. Eric held his end up with a 168, Dave averaging around 130 and Mike ‘Z’ falling from the previous week’s dizzy heights to post a still creditable 104. Chris debuted with a learning 82. The opposition team pulled ahead with 530.
Week four saw the team go down once again, with pretty average scores from Eric (131) and Dave (122). "Gee, that's alright" Geoff top scored for Scott Base with a creditable 132 and Mike struggling to find form but breaking the ton with 101. The opposition scored 501.
Volleyball gets under way
Scott Base got into volleyball this month. The first night proved to be a good time to settle down and remember some basic things... like how volleyball and soccer aren’t really that closely related.
The second week saw Scott Base intimidating the opposition by sheer numbers with Eric, Ray, Mork and Rebecca. The opposition only managed two players and so forfeit the game. A couple of "friendly games" ensued in which the fledgling Scott Base team managed to hone some of those essential skills like serving and keeping the ball off the ground.
The third game of the month saw Chris, Eric, Helen, Rebecca and the tardy Steve, right up against it. Just watching the other team practice was worrying. With only the minimum four members again, Scott Base was gifted with Jamie (pronounced Hi me!) from the McMurdo team. While fighting a losing battle, the team began to function well and managed to hold their own against a clearly superior opposition even taking the second game. The third game slipped past as Scott Base tried to take the hard hitting serves. A loss in the end, but the improvement bodes well for the future.
Hydroponics begins production
The hydroponics unit is a product of kiwi ingenuity. In 1986 two old water tanks were joined together with a various array of lighting, water pumps and gullies installed.
Helen and I planted our first seeds mid January. These were tomatoes and zucchinis... reason being they take a lot longer to mature. By mid February we had planted all the rest of our desired crop. These included: lettuces, cucumbers, cabbage, spinach and a wide variety of herbs.
The plants are fed a special nutrient solution which is measured daily using conductivity and PH readings. This is to ascertain whether they are receiving the correct amount and type of nutrient.
As we have no running water in the unit, Mike, our engineer, fills four 25 litre containers of water most days from the RO plant, puts them on the ute and drives them to the unit. As the water is so cold we generally wait at least twenty four hours before adding it to the solution.
Helen and I have had no previous experience in this field so a lot of it has been trial and error. The error being when Pauline turned off the pump to clean it and forgot to turn it back on, accidentally stopping all water into one of the tanks!!! The trial being the next morning when much to our horror our poor plants were bent over double AAARRRRRHH!!!!
Lesson #1: if you stop the water, the plants die.
Helen and Pauline and Zucchini in the Hydroponics Unit
Having said all that, we have had our successes. The birth of our first zucchini was incredibly exciting and we showed it to every single person on base, regardless of whether or not they wanted to see it. It was almost a sacrilege to eat it, so great was our attachment.
We crop enough greens to supply us with a couple of salads a week, plus some tomatoes.
Scott Base People
Hi, my name is Kevin Duignan but people around here call me Mork.
One question people often ask me is "where did the nickname come from?". Well it's a long story and not very interesting. You've probably seen my name mentioned in this and the previous issue. I was a late starter to this season's programme, i.e. I didn't arrive till the first week of Feb. This year I'm down here as a carpenter refurbishing Q hut.
Eric mentioned in his profile (see April 98) that he came from a large family of six children. Ha! I am from a family of eight children, like Pauline our chef, and strangely enough we're all Catholics. I was born and raised in Wellington where the majority of my family still reside. It has grown now into quite an extended bunch as most have married and produced offspring of their own. Me? Well I'm still looking.
In my younger days sport and work took up most of my waking hours. Strangely not much has changed! I left school as soon as I could (much to the relief of my teachers I suspect) and commenced a carpentry apprenticeship. For the next fifteen years or so I worked as a builder, the majority of the time for myself, interspersed with trips to Australia, Europe and the U.S.
In 1991 I decided a change was in order, so I enrolled at Canterbury University to study for a Bachelor of Forestry Science. The life of a scarfy became my lot for the next three years. I took a break after that, running around the forests of the West Coast and doing some dairy farming in Taranaki, for a couple of years. I went back to university in '96 and completed a B.Sc. in Plant and Microbial Science.
In '93 I applied for what I thought would be a great summer holiday job, the carpenter's position at Scott Base, and was selected. I felt very fortunate and what a brilliant summer it was! I was involved in the initial removal of Vanda Station in the Dry Valleys as well as miscellaneous jobs at different places around Ross Island. When I left I never thought I would be back. However, I always held out hope, as this place can capture something deep inside that I can't explain. So when I was asked to come back I didn't take too much persuading.
It's not a bad place to be really. It's warm (inside), spectacularly beautiful (outside), great food, fabulous flatmates, lots of laughter, good music (especially in the morning), no traffic noise, limited TV, plenty of sport, funny talking neighbours, etc. Why would you want to be anywhere else for the winter?
Chapel well serviced at Easter
The Ross Island Christian Community met over the Easter period to recall the events surrounding the death and resurrection of Christ.
The Good Friday service recalled the prophecy, passion and death of Christ. About 10 people came to the Chapel at 3pm. (the traditional time of Jesus death).
A service of songs, a poem and Matthew’s account of the first Easter morning heralded the "dawn" at Willys Field. Fortunately, dawn occurs around 9:30 am at this time of year so it didn’t require getting up too early! Mt. Terror hid the sun, but its effect on the clouds and over on the Royal Society Mountains was beautiful. Even at 26 below, some people demonstrated a flair for making snow angels after the service.
Folks coming back from the dawn service were time for the main service at the Chapel. The warmth and joy of the occasion was enjoyed by a larger than usual group. One person had anonymously put bags of sweets on the seats early that morning (sounds like the beginnings of Easter Penguin), while another had bagged jellybeans to give out at the door and hot drinks were shared as people arrived. The group adjourned to the galley after the service for brunch.
"I still wouldn't do it like that..."
Due to the overwhelming response to the first report on the happenings in Q Hut, here is the update for the month of April.
This month really has been a team effort. At some stage or other all staff have been involved in some measure in the scientists' new home away from home. So keen, in fact, were the team to keep progress moving along one Saturday, that even -50°C temps. could not stop the team from filling yet another container full of demolition materials for return to Christchurch. What an effort that was. Herman Nelsons running to heat up trucks and loaders, arms waving in frustration, Morris Dancing on the spot to keep warm while waiting for the trucks to arrive, etc.
Back inside the old sprinkler system was the first to go and replaced by a new lot of sprinkler pipes. Amazingly some of the new pipes look just like the old ones - even down to the same colour and scratches! Hopefully, once all the ends are in place and the pipes filled with water, we won't have anymore leaks - except when we need them.
The new air conditioning system is being manufactured on site by our highly trained engineering team using a material developed overseas. It is turning into quite an array of twists and turns that will no doubt put the hot in and keep the cold out of all the new luxurious bedrooms.
The pre-wire of electrical and communications cables is complete and as usual is a mass of wires running here, there and everywhere. We are confident that we have covered almost every possible scenario... and that each room has at least one light!
All the internal partitions are up in place - sometimes supporting things that they weeren't originally supposed to. The ceilings and walls have taken on the familiar colour of new Gib Board. The old staircase, originally a straight unit up to the library, is now two flights with a landing part way. The older staff members can now pause to regain their breath on the way up to the new and very spacious library.
All in all, progress has been favourable even with such helpful comments as " I wouldn't do it like that..." or "You need to use more nails - screws don't squeak...". Stay tuned for next month's exciting update.
Bending and Things
A wonderful new group has started recently at McMurdo on a Thursday night - the Yoga Experience.
Unfortunately it clashes with American night here at Scott. However, with the blessings of the management team, two members of the staff have been able to put in an appearance or two.
This was the writer's first attempt at anything more vigorous, other than trying to remain upright, for quite some time. I had always thought of yoga as a group of underfed people, tied up in knots, sitting around in a circle chanting mantras whilst incense burnt in the background.
Boy was I wrong! The people in this group all look well fed for a start off and it was good to see that not all were more flexible than me. However some of the exercises are, none the less, very taxing for this squat fellow. The other far more experienced practitioner, Herm the Guru, is a natural at this sort of thing i.e. she can touch her toes for starters! I didn’t realise that under her cheery dispostion lies the heart of a very cruel person. She has taken two classes so far (one here on a Monday night) and both have resulted in pain for all her followers as Mike Z. and Pauline will testify.
All the exercises have interesting and technical names like: the tree, cat, dog, cow, etc. but there is one exercise that I excel at. It requires the participants to lie on their backs and relax "even your eyeballs". I warned Herm of the consequences of the latter move. She didn't believe me and hence the classes have ended in laughter as I apparently start snoring - a gross exaggeration I feel!
International relations Normalised
A tense international situation has been diffused at Ross Island. Allegations of harassment and counter allegations of dementia flew between the bases for a time.
A certain Quality Assurance Officer from McMurdo, going by the alias Mary Poppins is said to have personhandled the Zen Master of Scott Base. Legal Council for the Zen Master was none other than Mork, renowned for his spirited defence of the Mice of Hamelin in the Pied Piper case.
Common sense prevailed in the end, with Scott Base offering the olive branch. A summit was arranged at Scott Base in which both parties made some concessions and ironed out their differences. Email traffic has returned to normal.
Zen Master and Mary Poppins at the Summit
Bar Claims Another Victim
The slippery end of the Scott Base bar claimed another victim this month with the momentary, nay, permanent disappearance of the Field Support Officer in the early hours of 25 April.
This unfortunate incident occurred as Schlide (not his real name) was conducting a detailed examination of the bar surface, at extremely close range, with his face. The writers are concerned that a recent encounter with the Quality Control Officer from McMurdo (see previous story) has had an untoward effect - why else would he be checking out the cleanliness of the inside of a toilet bowl shortly before his slide from grace?
Fortunately, two concerned members of the Base staff rushed to his aid. In the ensuing melee one aid worker thought it best he spend time with the Medical Officer, whilst the other was not sure this was necessary. During their deliberations the silly git got his finger stuck in the partially opened door of said Medical Officer's room. As a result of this action, Schlide regained consciousness briefly and informed his helpers that his finger was causing him some pain and was limiting movement towards his own room i.e. it was jammed in the door - for which he should have seen the Medical Officer (just goes to show they had him in the right place all along! Ed).
The upshot of all this is:
A Day In The Life Of…
Pauline is the Chef at Scott Base, keeping us (very) well fed. Here’s what the Black Island Raver has to say about a typical day...
I like to think that I’m like some of the food that I cook, in the sense that from the time the alarm sounds I’m only three quarters cooked and hit the snooze button at least three times before I’m done on all sides. I then slowly arise and hit the showers, after a couple of minutes my eyes proceed to open and I’m almost ready to start the day, "almost" being the operative word in the sentence.
I walk into the Mess and as usual Mork, who’s an absolute box of birds in the morning, says an extremely cherry "Hello!" amidst the worst records he can find for our awakening pleasure.
8am and it’s time to think about morning tea, which is no easy task I can tell you. After staring at my Hobart (mixing bowl) transfixed for five minutes, I go to plan B which is to check my diary to see what we’ve consumed over the last couple of weeks. Variety is indeed the spice of life, but imagination is sometimes lacking in mine. After the morning tea is underway then it’s time to go down to check on the hydroponics.
The hydroponics unit is housed in two old water tanks and is rigged with gullies, water pumps and an extremely powerful array of lighting. The lights not only produce warmth and light for the plants but warn unwary people like myself that if you get too close you will, in fact, burn yourself. Getting in the door is more than half the challenge. Helen and I can spend up to quarter of an hour pulling and heaving the door with all our might only to have to concede that maybe we need to bring in the big guns. Very frustrating when Chris gives it one tug and the door opens. With all the condensation, the water tanks seem to revert to their old selves, namely, holding water. Helen and I take turns at wading in and mopping up, but even so, I have to say the hydroponics unit is, indeed, a joy to work in. It’s a great morale booster if you can keep your cool with all the inherent problems that go hand in hand with it.
Back to the kitchen to put the finishing touches on the morning tea and have it served by ten. A brief respite of ten minutes then on to lunch. Now what am I going to cook???
After some fossicking around in the fridge and freezer the day’s menu is somewhat clearer. I have been known to leave the verdict of the night’s meal until afternoon tea time, waiting for some inspiration, perhaps divine? Asking the Scott Base crew can sometimes be fruitless. Eric has suggested to me that perhaps a circulating menu would be a good idea. He’s right of course, but that’s way too organized for my taste. I like the story Eric told me about how one year the winter chef was so sick of cooking that he feed the crew Steak and chips for one continuous week, Eric, I’m warming up to that idea!!! Just kidding!!!
So lunch is at twelve sharp. It’s kick back and relax till 1pm and then clean up time. Pack away what’s leftover for another rendition in a day or so, then dinner. What was I going to cook again? Once the decision is made, the making is the easy part. So, now that the wheels are set in motion things are humming along nicely. Usually the preparation of the meat comes first followed by the veggies. Darn! I forgot about dessert. So what’s quick, easy and thoughtless? Quick check of the fridge... Yee-hah! I have some pastry made, this’ll be the quickest dessert in history. Slap the pastry through the pastry break (machine for rolling out pastry), roll out to desired thickness, toss on a tray, throw some apples at it, fold, egg wash, cut and wholah! Apple Strudel. (actually the NZ bastardised version of it!). By the way, the pastry break is the newest piece of equipment to the Scott Base kitchen and is truly a godsend. It’s now just a question of expediting the meal out at the correct time of 5:30 and finish up in the kitchen.
So the work day ends, and the after dinner activity will depend on what day it is. Sport with our McMurdo friends, socialising with the girls at the "Stitch and Bitch" or perhaps just kicking back, relaxing and watching a video. Then it happens, that punishing thought... "What will I cook tomorrow?" ARRGGHHHHHH!!!!
What’s HOT and What’s NOT
Swimming holes that prematurely fill are NOT. April heralds the sunset swim and several Scott Base personnel were seen wielding chainsaws, ice picks and shovels down on the sea ice. The Scott Base Lido was looking great until the chainsaw found the ocean and the proposed pool turned into a fountain!
April is NOT. The coldest April on record was ours for the feeling or lack of it while cleaning up around the LTS containers. The monthly minimum (-51°C) is the coldest on record for April.
The Scott Base Meaty Chunks debut at the Open Mic Night was HOT. Pauline, Helen and Herm doing a cover of "Old MacDonald had a Farm" complete with guitar, actions and barnyard calls went down a treat, and proved that you could indeed be bad... and still be good!
Scott Base Bar after Sunset Dinner was HOT.
The bar floor on the same night was NOT, just ask Schlide.
A tower of small eclairs filled with pastry cream and stuck together was HOT. (As was the toffee when it stuck to your fingers... ouch!)
April raises a storm
The first storm of the season came by on Sunday 25 April. Winds gusting up to 75 kts buffeted the base overnight and a couple of people were stranded away from home. The next morning a staff swap was arranged and the full workforce was humming after lunch.
The following is a summary of the weather at the base over the month of April:
Max Temperature: -12.5 °C
Min Temperature: -51.0 °C
Average Temperature: -29.4 °C
Rainfall: 0 mm (surprise!)
Max Wind: 75 kts, NNE
Bits and Pieces
This is the part of the newsletter where the editor gets to waffle on to help make up the space on the page.
The Hockey team have now stabilised with a compliment of five players: Herm, Helen, Mork, Ray and Pauline. Hockey is played on Tuesdays and so far Scott Base has managed to arrange itself so that Hockey and Bowling don't clash.
In general the team mixes with the folks from MacTown in the games rather than play an all Kiwi team. Inside sources state that our guys are improving markedly with Pauline making leaps and bounds. Ray and Mork make up with energy what they lack in finesse although several people have commented that Mork really shouldn't be making goals for the team when he's the goalie! Helen demonstrates good skills and Herm shows skill with aggravation.
A few Auroras were spotted earlier in the month but have been keeping out of sight lately. Most people driving back from McMurdo pause to gaze at the sky at the top of the hill. Apparently this year is supposed to be a good one for spotting this beautiful phenomenon.
That's the end of this month's Nite Carte. We hope you enjoyed it and look forward to updating you next month with the events on ice.
So, for the time being, take care and see ya!
Paper back copy compiled and edited by Eric Tripp
Internet version reconstituted from the paper-back version by Ray Young