That’s another fine mess you got me into Stanley.

Famous words from Hardy, (Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy) as we arrive at Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands.

It was very windy and we travelled in the ship’s lifeboats to land. We saw a few dolphins as we approached. Once we arrived we got on a coach to take in a few sights as others went to Volunteer Point, and some went for a nature walk.

Annie, our guide was an islander and gave so much information about living here. Shipwrecks, schooling, the hospital, the governor’s house, peat, food, sheep and obviously there were references to the conflict of 1982 when Argentine forces invaded the Islands.

The sights of the Falklands

One of the places we stopped at was Dave’s garden. When whalebones are found, he collects them and they are displayed in his garden. It looks quite eerie seeing these but also interesting.

Situated on the Stanley by-pass road, en route to Surf Bay, east of the town, the Totem Pole is a quirky structure signposting distances to various places in the world. Originally created by military personnel, signs have been added by many visitors. Most are villages, towns and cities in the UK at roughly 8,000 miles away but locations in the American continent can also be found, along with Europe and even Russia. To my surprise Arbroath was featured, probably because there were marines from 45 Commando based near to the town.

I was so proud to stand in front of the totem wearing my Arbroath FC hat.

Our coach journey terminated at the Stanley museum which is full of history of the island over the centuries. There is also a poignant picture wall of those that lost their lives in the conflict.

Inside of the reclus hut, dismantled and rehoused

In the afternoon we were on the highlights of Stanley walking tour, which covered some of what we had seen earlier, but not all. Our guide was an ex marine who fought in the conflict, met someone, married and stayed. Although his viewpoint was based on his experiences and his life as a marine, it was uncomfortable and awkward as we were with an Argentinian within the group.

The memorial also had a nod to 45 Commando from Arbroath, and we enjoyed the historical, natural history and maritime references.

Posting postcards home, but who’s in the phone box

To the Falklands

Two days at sea after our amazing five days in Antarctica. Travelling across the Scotia Sea, with conditions due to change, for this time of year, still relatively easy. I did wear my sea sickness bands though.

The crew are adept at providing activities and lectures which helps pass the time.

With specialists on board we have had the opportunity to learn so much about the history of polar expeditions, photography, geology, wildlife watching, penguin poop, baleen whales, climate change and how it affects Antarctica, and how we can make small changes in how we live. There were opportunities to become more involved with various agencies e.g NASA and be a Hurtigruten ambassador to name a few. We also went along to watercolour painting, and we made clay penguins to paint at a later date.

We used the hot tub facilities which was quite a challenge to get in and out of with the extreme cold.🥶

There’s also a ‘running’ track on the top deck, and weather permitting we would walk 11 circuits which equated to a mile. On occasion it was very bracing, difficult to walk into the wind, but it blew the cobwebs away and it was a chance to spend a little time together in very, fresh air.

The women from the University of Santa Cruz, California did a wonderful presentation on whales, drones and tags. They travel with the company to do research into whales and impacts on behaviours. They explained about how they photograph the whales, how they have to be licensed to use the drones, and how they tag whales to provide more information over a period of time. The video presentation that was shown at the end, was so beautiful with mother and calf playfully swimming around the zodiac. They have the physical strength to overturn the zodiac but they gently circumnavigate, sometimes pop their heads above water that they can see their eyes. I must admit that I cried as I watched it, once again so happy to have visited this wondrous place on earth.

Last day in Antarctica

As we approached Deception Island, a caldera from an active volcano, we were struck by the ruggedness of the landscape as well as seeing the steam rise from the water lapping the shore. Deception island last erupted in the 1970’s.

We entered and our destination today was Whalers Bay, with the remains of buildings from the past when this had been a whaling station. The Norwegian buildings were built better than the British ones, and for many years these were used for science and research too.

Whaling was a huge industry as the meat and blubber used, I can only imagine what it must have smelt like with the tanks full of blubber to be melted. 1969 saw a change with many countries no longer carrying out the barbaric killing as some species were facing extinction. In 1986 the international whaling commission was established and they allow some countries to continue with smaller catches and under close supervision still. There are still debates and changes with the Southern Ocean declared a whale sanctuary in 1994.

It was interesting to see the fur seals, mostly young adult males play fighting, with a few penguins scattered around. You felt a real sense of history standing on the black beach.

It was here in this austere landscape that a few brave passengers decided to do a polar plunge.

This involved stripping down to a swimming costume on the beach and ‘running’ into the water. The water is very, very cold, despite the steam rising! My sister in law was the first one in, she sensibly kept a hat and t shirt on. Kevin was the second one in, and you could physically see the temperature affecting his movement once in the water. You are not allowed to stay in longer than 1 minute.

Once we returned to the ship, a warm shower was the order of the day, dinner and a beautiful moonlight serenade as we began our journey to the Falklands.

Five days in Antarctica, an experience we will never forget. A privilege to have set foot on this continent, where we have learned so much. Thankyou to Viv, Don and Kevin for encouraging me to be a part of this journey.

Danco Island and the Errara Channel

This morning we prepped for a landing, Kevin was going kayaking as the conditions were better.

We landed, and I took the low route to enjoy walking amongst the penguins. Some were ‘teenagers’ almost finished their moulting and flapping around sulking. Others were getting ready for their first dip.

Spot the teenager

We returned to the ship and Kevin had returned from his kayaking, which he enjoyed immensely with his partner Jenny.

A mocktail before dinner as we sailed off towards Deception Island.

Neko Harbour and Paradise Bay

The second continental landing and to visit a gentoo colony was the morning’s mission. I watched from the explorer lounge with a mocktail, as the zodiacs made their way through the brash ice to land.

Kevin was due to go out kayaking, but as weather was providing us with the whole gamut of options it was cancelled.

I watched from afar, and with the pain easier I felt relatively comfortable to go zodiac cruising in Paradise Bay after lunch, as I wouldn’t be required to have to swing my legs to get out and into the zodiac.

What a treat it was with a content leopard seal on an ice flow, birds scuttling overhead and humpback whales exhaling. We’d caught them on video earlier. The sound is wondrous: how such large mammals can so elegantly glide through the water is a thing to behold.

We saw penguins at the Chilean station Gonzalez Videla, jumping out of the water, flapping to dry themselves off.

In awe of nature and the landscape we returned to the ship. Some brave passengers were preparing for a night of camping at Leith Cove ( it’s a no from me), and we could make out their tents with a faint red glow emanating from the land.

Portal point, a tumble and an embarrassing moment

A great start to the day with a whale nearby, and a show of it’s fluke.

The morning announcement of activities and landings after breakfast for our first continental landing at Portal point. was eagerly listened to and we were prepped to go.

We were advised it was slippy with fresh snow on the icy paths. The staff are so good at securing paths as safely as they can.

We scattered across the snowy horizon with the eerie stillness. The red jacketed humans make quite the contrast to the white, blues and black. We heard a calving from a distance, and I left earlier than the others who wanted to go to a higher vantage point.

Unfortunately I slipped returning to the landing site, which hurt my coccyx as well as my pride.

I availed myself of the medical facilities and had a painkilling injection administered, a cool pack to reduce swelling and a 24 hour curfew in planned activities. It was embarrassing to have a very good looking doctor assess my injury and my bottom!

I missed out on the first zodiac cruise and missed out on seeing seals, whales and penguins up close and personal: disappointing but I didn’t want to miss out on the longer term.

The Drake’s Passage 1 and our first landing

The captain kept his word and with it being Drake Lake, the time was made up to arrive at Half Moon Islands. We saw and heard our first whales and icebergs galore as we glided into our anchor point. The peace and tranquility was phenomenal. The depth of colour of white and blue extraordinary. I am in awe of nature and loving this landscape.

Flotation device
Kinky boots

So it was time, as we were gentoo penguins for the duration of the trip, to be called to go out on the zodiac to the islands. It was cold, but all our layers worked brilliantly. There was a little snow, but the wind and waterproof jacket did its job.

Fridtjof Nansen
Chinstrap penguin

We saw chinstrap penguins and a few fur seals as we used walking sticks to traverse the rocky, icy terrain.

Our first landing certainly lived up to our expectations, and we returned to the ship to refresh and have dinner. We enjoyed a drink in the explorer lounge where there was a very special cask of whiskey on board, and an interesting game of German scrabble.

Getting set for Antarctica

We booked this trip to cruise with Hurtigruten expeditions and our ship is the Fridtjof Nansen ( an intrepid explorer).

We embarked on the ship and our cases were in our cabins. We did the ‘housekeeping’ elements and made our way to the cabin via the very impressive lift.

A sail away was arranged for about 5pm, but we had an inkling something wasn’t quite right as the glasses and tables were taken away. An announcement by the captain was that there was a piece of metal sticking out that needed to be removed and all efforts locally had not been successful. They had sourced one but he was in Madrid and had to be flown in. This delayed the start of our trip by probably 24 hours.

There was one particular passenger that expressed his annoyance and frustration but the majority were reassured by the captains honesty and openness.

This meant a jig around for day 1 as we would not be at sea. The expedition team did wildlife watching, a photo walk and a museum visit. We also had time to collect our sartorially elegant jackets and boots.

The sun shone and the diver was successful so we set off with 15ft less of metal.

Tierra del Fuego….

We flew from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia, it was a very early start! We were greeted by the sight of snow and mountains and began a bus tour of the National Park, Tierra del Fuego, Land of Fire. It was named this as when Magellan passed the archipelago in 1590 he saw many fires along the coastline . These fires were probably from the aboriginal inhabitants.

We saw some beautiful lakes, mountains, birds and plants. I learnt that lichen on trees is a sign of good air quality and that the winds cause some of the trees to grow horizontally.

The southern most post office is sited here, although the private owners have closed it as it is falling to bits.

Next stop from here is back to Ushuaia where we embark the ship.

Antarctic experience Part 1

It may take some time to document this trip and do it justice, but I have to start.

Part 1 covers the first few days in Buenos Aires.

Hello

Write a letter to your 100-year-old self.

So how did I do in the last 37 years? Hopefully I’ve visited all continents, have spoiled my children and grandchildren, and loved, laughed and lived fearlessly.

Will peace be any nearer to being achieved for the world?

I hope to be living a simpler life having shared my valuable possessions with those I love and a bucket load of memories made.

River will be 40 ( wow) …… Andrew will be 73, Joe 69 and Nina 66, older than I am now. I hope they will all be fulfilled and have made their own way and we share in their success and support them in any loss.

Life is for living, take a chance, be kind and see where it takes you

Mothering Sunday 2024

It’s been a busy week, time with River, catching up with friends, a trip to London, and a post op check up

I feel so much better and raring to go. I can get my trip planning boots on. I was lucky to get some instruction on smartphone photography from jetblacksquared and hope to use a few tips very soon.

I’ve enjoyed a quiet Mothering Sunday, with messages from far and wide, and brunch with Georgina and Kevin. A few bijou gifts were exchanged which prompted a few tears.

We are so fortunate to have so many strong role models in mothers, grandmothers, aunts, cousins and friends. Being a mother is so rewarding, with moments of heartbreak, joy and hope: hope that you’re doing the best that you can. There is no manual, so you’re mainly winging it, with love, determination and support. I wouldn’t have it any other way

Approaching the Ides Of March

The saying is Beware the Ides of March (15th March), but I don’t want to dwell on a negative connotation.

February with extra day has come and gone, and March is going to be full of lots of exciting things.

I definitely feel a lot better this week, and have managed to get a few things done, been to the cinema, met a friend for dinner, went out with River and I even managed to cook for friends, something very simple but good to be able to do it. We had some vaccinations as we need them for our trip to Tasmania. I also learned a bit about taking photos with my phone: some tips and tricks and Lego bricks! Watch this space…

Next week is very busy and I have my post surgery check up next Saturday, which I’m sure that will go smoothly.

The weather is set fair this week , so I’ll be walking a lot more and getting some light gardening in too, especially with the nights drawing out.

I’m looking forward to a trip up to London for lunch and meeting some fabulous women.

Recovery

So almost two weeks post op and every day I’m feeling a bit stronger.

The first week left me feeling a wee bit sorry for myself, but a pamper session from my daughter and a visit to my cousin lifted my spirits.

This past week I removed the wound dressings. I was expecting three small incision marks, but was shocked that two were small and two were larger than I thought. I changed the dressings and all seems to be healing fine.

I also had a bit of reality check with news reports of conflicts around the world showing the harsh realities of war and some wounds that may never heal. I realise how fortunate I am.

I walked up to town yesterday which perhaps was too soon, but I must keep the momentum going to increase my strength. I’ve had a lovely week, enjoyed time with River, watched Rugby, been visited by friends, even a bit of bulb planting.