Kidney Island

A boat trip tour from Stanley; friends have hired a boat for the night, we have a picnic on board, and we are heading out of Stanley harbour, and round the corner to Barclay Sound. Kidney island has sea lions, fur seals, Magellanic and Rockhopper penguins, and, most important of all, sooty shearwaters.  

Sooty shearwaters live out at sea all day, and return to the land at night, diving into their burrows at the foot of the tussock once dark has fallen. This is to reduce predation , but it is a spectacle to be witnessed; in the middle of the season, the twilight sky goes black with shearwaters as they fly in from the sea, circle the island in their thousands, and dive for their night-time safe houses. We certainly saw thousands, although not as many as normal; a storm had thrown out their system, and the season is nearly ended – migration has begun.

We ate our picnic watching the rockhoppers, struggled through tussock grass way above our heads to cross the island, and finally sat on the beach and watched the sun go down in orange and grey  majesty, as a huge sea lion bobbed just off the beach, waiting for us to leave.

We waded out to the Rigid raider, puttered through the kelp back to the boat, and then all fell asleep in the dark on board in a heap as we were driven back towards the Pembroke lighthouse across a dark and swollen sea.

South Georgia

We have been hoping to squeeze in a trip to South Georgia but it has been simply too busy. This was our one chance, and we grabbed it with both hands. HMS Clyde was heading south on patrol, and we would join them for the 3-4 day journey, taking the opportunity to look around the island for the couple of days we would be there. We are not sailors and did not truthfully know what to expect; it may not have helped that most of the crew had recently changed over, and so neither did they. We had heard tales of huge seas in the South Atlantic, and true to form, our sailing was delayed by 12 hours because of damage risk. Mmm.

The first 24 hours were quite eventful; we both failed to hang on to lunch, and decided that dry toast and bananas, accompanied by ginger biscuits, were as much as we could manage. Even then, with the view generally skewed at round 25’ we saw some fabulous sights; the Wandering Albatross joined us around half a day’s sail from Stanley, and stayed with us all the way south. Wingspans of 10 feet plus – they are like terriers with wings. Without perspective in the wake of the ship, it is hard to grasp how huge they are until a storm petrel arrives like a tiny hummingbird in comparison.

After two days, we hit the Polar convergance; this is the drop zone from a weather cycle, and the temperature plummeted significantly. Grey swollen seas rolled and pitched the ship, and after another 24 hours it was fabulous to finally spot land. And HUGE land – rising up from the sea to truly spectacular heights, snow topped, craggy, woven in and out of clouds.

Now the ice watch began; four hour watches for icebergs, bergy bits and growlers. The hull of Clyde is 6mm and will not stand impact, so we slowed and focussed.

Eventually, King Edward Point approached, Gritvynken whaling station just around the bay, hulking rusting tanks and engines serving as a reminder of the whaling industry which nearly killed off the whale population, and only stopped in the 1960s.   Seals and dolphins bobbed and dived, penguins porpoised. Storm petrels, white chinned petrels, wandering albatross, black browed albatross, light mantled sooty albatross, with amazing and almost shocking white ringed eyes.

White Rock House

Bill and I escaped to the shepherds shanty at White Rock; an outside house used by sheep gatherers and shepherds from Port Howard farm on West Falkland. A white and red wriggly tin house in the middle of nowhere;  a diesel generator which Bill wound up (Critter’s advice was ‘wind like hell’), a pump to fill the tanks from the spring, and a peat stove for cooking and heating. Fabulous. A weekend away – basic basic, bunk beds, sleeping bags, bare floor and plenty of mice. But the views.. and the wildlife…rockhoppers and cormorants everywhere, spectacular cliffs and a fabulous pebble beach. Treasure !

West Point Island

A fabulous day out with the Jones Avenue mob; clear blue skies and strong winds and a heli trip with film set views across West Falkland. The island is a stride off the West peninsular;  uninhabited for the Winter but managed by Mike and Jeanette Clarke in the Sumer months. They run their distinctive yellow boat back and forth to Carcass island, and from there to Steeple Jason; a 4 hour one way trip which is notorious for impressive waves. We have stuck to helis.

The inlet which heads into the settlement is an idyllic  harbour edged with white beaches and hebe, sheep and penguins bothering each other loudly. The house has the most protected gardens I have yet seen – and as a result the most incredible flowers; roses, honeysuckle in full bloom-and away from the wind and inbetween the hedges, the perfume lingered. This was clearly our picnic spot – but we had exploring to do first.

The winding path out of the settlement leads up the saddle dropped between the dramatic cliffs facing south. A half hour uphill climb rewards you with impressive cliff faces, crashing seas, Rockhopper penguins and Albatross. Sunny enough to encourage us to sit and watch, we watched the antics of the chicks, and sat underneath the albatross flightpath, always a risky and exciting pastime.

Back to the house and a magnificent picnic provided by David (well I did a bit) and supplemented by a huge spread of tea and cakes from Jeanette. I wish we had found this island earlier – it is very similar to New Island in character and wildlife – definitely in the top 10.

Pebble Island - January 2013

A weekend for just the two of us to head back to Pebble. We have been here before, we have hosted the Vets and attended their lectures on the Pebble island raid; so to be returning with the promise of a tour from Alan (who with Jackie owns the lodge) was something to look forward to.

We had two days, so asked to be dropped off East on Day 1; a 6 or 7 mile walk back in bright blustery weather – lots of wildfowl, whale bones, and some Sea Lions. The long sandy beach leading to the settlement is purported to be the longest in the Falklands, and it feels it at the end of a long hike when you are ready for a bath..

The next day we headed off in the Rover with Alan. Going West to see the Lear jet memorial, we stopped at the Cross for HMS Coventry and took photos of the cracks which are emerging again, so that a plan could be hatched to bring it back to standard. The views from this spot are spectacular – out across Coventry bay, now officially named, thanks to Alan, and a perfect reminder of the ship and her crew. The Bay was the one the captain had apparently chosen as the ‘run to’ option in case of damage. She never managed to get there, but it serves as a beautiful memorial.

Rockhoppers everywhere; noise, squawks, smell, curious chicks waddling up to the camera – and then on to the western-most point to lunch at the fabled pebble beach. Falkland pebbles can be found on a number of the northern most beaches of the islands, but nowhere is as well known as this beach. Alan, eyes fully trained, collected handfuls instantly, but we were soon catching up; there had been a number of storms, and the crashing waves had landed new treasure. There is clearly some volcanic activity north of the islands which superheats stones and produces glassy, collectable pebbles. These will be prize mementos, and better than any tourist purchase.     

Dinner with Alan’s Mum who was staying at the lodge again – and Stu from Jones avenue, taking his parents on a tour. I bet he was glad to see us arrive ..

Christmas in the Sun/Rain !

An escape from school and a tense wait to see if we had to travel to Teeside airport to avoid the fog, resulted in the flight leaving only two hours late from Brize.  Phoebe celebrated her birthday at 30,000 feet and we landed at 4pm in time for birthday supper and cake made by David.

We had a week just the three of us and set off to enjoy some time together – first to Carcass, and then to Weddell island.

Carcass was beautiful and welcoming as ever. Rob lent us a Rover and Roland filled us full of food. Fresh milk, and cream skimmed off the top of the bucket – fabulous. We walked to Leopard Beach to see the penguin chicks – many still very tiny – just a few days old. Johnny Rooks were waiting their chances and unwatched eggs and chicks were easy prey. On the second day we headed over Stanley hill towards the FIGAS (Falkland Island Government Air Service) airstrip and spent the day watching elephant seals roaring and play fighting. They were in full moult and looked fairly tramp-like, itchy and scruffy, but were unbothered by our stumblings and watched, vaguely interested as we crept through the tussac.  We picnicked on the warm lichen-painted rocks at the north end of the island, watched by magellanics and tussac birds, and with seals curiously bobbing in the sea.

Before heading off to Weddell we had a few days at home, and the Kilmartins came for lunch so that they could visit the typhoons. Toby, 6, sat in the cockpit and pressed a few buttons, so the nation is safe for the future; his grandfather was a pilot – maybe Toby will follow in his footsteps..

We had never visited Weddell and were not sure what to expect. A huge island – 98 km square, and third only in size to the two main East and West islands, Weddell now houses two inhabitants, Jane and Martin, ex military, and living here 6 month of the year for the last 6 years.

The cottages are gradually being refurbished; we stayed in Sea View – perfect for a family, with two bedrooms and a dining kitchen and living room. Chickens squawking on one side of the house, meadowlarks tapping at the windows on the other. Mountain View can sleep at least 8, and Hamilton Cottage looks to be being renovated at the moment. We had thought Weddell did not have much wildlife, but we were wrong. A Gentoo colony busy with chicks, is 5 minutes from the settlement, and seals (fur seals, sea lions ?) are around in the sea, with a large colony of Sea Lions at the end of the point a 45 minute drive away. Unique to the island are the Patagonian foxes introduced by a previous owner. Small and cat-like, they are sandy coloured and appear to live mainly on insects, predating to some degree on Magellanic chicks when they can slip into undefended burrows. With the conservation focus and the drive to eradicate invasive species, the foxes have been studied and at one point, targeted for eradication, but the consensus now is that they do little harm, and they are certainly an interesting addition to the environment.

Only 750 sheep live on Weddell at the moment, but in the past maqqqny thousands have overgrazed the island and much of the tussock has gone, leaving it a little bare in places. The flora is abundant despite this, and we found Ladies Slipper and white and yellow orchids in bloom, as well as Vanilla daisy (yes it smells just like ice cream according to Phoebe) and field mouse ear and berry lobelia. The very botanists we are becoming… We did the whole lying on the ground in the wet thing to take close up photos..

Home again to prepare for Christmas. Oh my goodness lots of cooking and decorating. Off to Bertha’s Beach to find a Kelp tree (no trees here, so dried kelp will do – 6’ high branches, dried like wood and painted white) – very modernist.

On Sunday 23rd the livers in arrived at the house for carol singing, mulled wine and mince pies, and on Christmas Eve the Military wives’ choir did the same but different, just as the family arrived on the airbridge (I think they thought it was an especially warm welcome), followed by a Christmas drinks party which the family, jaded though they must have been, galloped their way through gamely.

Christmas day brought the usual deliveries of mince pies and sprouts to the troops, and after chapel we finally all reconvened for mass present opening before lunch. It is midsummer here, but during lunch it snowed. And not just a bit – a LOT. The Summer has been bizarre this year – it must be following the UK. We are still hoping for some blue sky..

The Stanley Races (100^th Anniversary) were cancelled because of the rain, but we drove into Stanley anyway to see the sights, and  as a cruise ship finally managed to make it into the harbour as the wind dropped in the afternoon, a couple of gift shops opened for an hour or to, and the girl’s day was complete. A visit to Surf Bay with spectacular storm waves, and Gypsy Cove to see the magellanics (Zoe and Hannah’s first penguin !) and Night Herons before home to leftovers and bubble and squeak.

The 27^th saw a first Heli trip for the Ford family. Off to Volunteer Point amidst sun wind and rain – we were sunburned and wet through all in the same half hour. Here are perhaps the largest group of penguins on the islands; Gentoos, Kings and Magellanics, and we had time and peace to watch their antics and photograph the slightly embarrassed looking King chicks currently moulting and looking rather weird.

Remembrance weekend

Whoops - I've added the picture twice. hey ho. What a busy weekend - 50 Veterans, The Duke of Kent, and Mark Lancaster and Kevan Jones from Westminster. The windiest day yet at Blue Beach with stinging hail for a poignant service on Friday, a joyful service in the cathedral on Saturday with the Band of the Royal Marines, and Remembrance day which dawned with warm air and blue sky on Sunday. Fabulous for the vets to see what they were fighting for;many had never landed on the islands - fewer has seen Stanley or felt the gratitude if the islanders.

Summer on New Island

Blue skies, temperatures up to 22/23 degrees, and a warm wind. The best days of the Falklands have arrived (don't blink - it could be snowing again tomorrow) and we are enjoying them while we can. We flew to New island on Friday; west of Weddell beyond west Falkland; a spectacular flight on a clear day over winding coastlines and running white streamers across the bluest of seas.

Maria Strange came with us to spend time with Georgina, her daughter, who manages the island for the Trust they created. It is a conservation island and generally populated only by Georgina, the handyman Sam (out from the UK for the Summer, and picked from a good crop of applicants) and a few scientists. It was good to meet Laurent and his wife Maude and two small boys again; they are out for a couple of months studying hormones in Rockhoppers. Another two scientists are observing the albatross. Laurent's son, about 3, spent the day making mud dams on the beach, surrounded by wildlife, happily chattering to himself, and shadowed by the resting hulk of an old icebreaker ship now beached, its copper hull green and peeling in the sun.

 So, peace and quiet as we stayed across the bay from the rest of the group - in a tiny chalet-style log cabin which Ian and Maria built for themselves years ago. The view across the bay offers a picture of Upland Goose goslings, magellanic oystercatchers, kelp geese and Steamer ducks, and the odd Seal and Dolphin. The tide washes the small sandy neck in and out, and this weekend the sea sparkled magically.

Friday we walked across the main neck to The Rookery and spent an hour or so watching the heady mix of Imperial Cormorants, Rockhoppers and Albatross which shoehorn themselves into the rock faces on the west facing cliffs. There are thousands of them, all nest building and vying for nesting materials (diddle dee and tussoc) and space. A cacophany of noise and attitude. We wandered back in the evening sun and fell asleep early in the quiet.

Saturday morning, Georgina trundled us in the Rover across clay ruts and rock falls to the North of the island, to allow us to explore as far as possible in a day. We revsited North beach and its tiny shanty (Georgiana's honeymoon house when she is married in December), and walked through hundreds of gentoo penguins sitting on eggs. The Caracaras were doing their worst and there were some bloody sights, but watching penguins jumping in and out of the sea never gets boring. At the waters edges a huge male Fur Seal was sun bathing, but scuttled, dog-like, into the sea as we approached.
We set off for the nearby Albatross Rookery, set in precipitous cliffs above crashing waves, and walked the beautiful coastline to find the Fur Seals - about 30 of them - a community of characters; young males play fighting, mothers sleeping, young seals playing like labrador pups, sliding down rocks into the sea. ambushing each other from behind boulders. We walked from 10 in the morning til 7 at night and arrived back to the chalet for a glass of wine and a fabulous sunset. Dozing in the chairs, we remembered to venture out at 10.30, as dark fell properly, to witness the return of the Prions; the smallest of the Petrel family, they spend their days at sea and return to burrows at night. In the darkness, they seem to have a bat-like orientation system, flying into their small burrows at speed in the pitch black. Standing in the dark and feeling birds all around, hearing their wings past your face and their busy conversation, was a memorable experience.

Sunday our feet ached; we ventured south across the island to visit the abandoned whaling station. The only one of the Falkland Islands to be used for whaling, Salvesen set up a station around  1910 and ran it for  5 or 6 years, before deciding that South Georgia was more lucrative, abandoning New island. Huge rusting hulks of furnaces, vices, clamps and haulage devices stand on pristine white beaches, and you can only imagine the horror.

Back to MPH  and across Onion ranges where live firing has set the diddle dee alight. back to business...

Third chick arrives!

We have just returned from a fabulous weekend on New Island (more about that later) to find a third chick has hatched .Hoorah! We need names please....
Delilah seems to be a very good mother  -she is keeping the babies under her feathers and squawking when we disturb her. We have boiled eggs and mashed them up as apparently this is what baby chicks prefer. They seem to be eating well, so fingers crossed.
They are VERY sweet.

Zumba Chicks

School Life:

This afternoon we were given the opportunity of either doing hockey or Zumba so we obviously decided  to do Zumba!! It lasted for an hour but seemed to go really quickly.It was great to try different dances from completely different cultures such as India's Bollywood and Irish dancing!!!
There were about 20 people from our year doing the zumba class but only 6 people did the hockey- just shows how popular it was...
At first the strange dancing seemed awkward and confusing but we soon got ito the rythm of things and by the end of the session were loving it!

Such fun!!!

Very excited about the chicks and naming is in progress here in our dorm. At the moment, our thoughts are Jemima Puddle-Cluck, Fuzzy, and Cookie....although only two have hatched....
Any ideas??

Lots of Love from school
Phoebe and Georgia(her loyal and trusting friend??!!)

Delilah

The latest excitement at Mount Pleasant House is the decision (after a lot of whinging from Phoebe) to allow the latest broody hen to sit on eggs. Delilah is currently sitting on 4 or 5 eggs and we are waiting for November 20th to arrive, to see if any hatch. Watch this space....

Wheel changing coffee mornings...

I had to add this to the blog..only in the Falklands would you have wheel changing coffee mornings. On our remote roads, you are unlikely to find a passing man to help, and with the state of the roads, punctures are common. It is vital that everyone has the right kit in their car,and is confident in manhandling a Landrover...so we bake some cookies, get out toys for the children, and all listen to the Driver while he tells us what to do. And we then all change tyres (and those xcountry tyres are HEAVY!) I am confident that no patch has so many wives competent in vehicle care.

The Neck, Saunders Island

Wednesday morning, and no let up – off on a heli to Saunders Island. One of my favourite places, Bill’s first visit, and I  was very excited as we had managed to book the cabin at The Neck for the night. This a three room basic portacabin, equipped with 8 bunk beds, which was dropped in the time of chinooks, on The Neck – a thin strand of sand between two main landmasses where 8,000 plus Gentoos, hundreds of Rockhoppers and Albatross, and a handful of King penguins, live peacefully together . Flying time is around an hour; it is to the west of West Falkland, and the pilots kindly diverted to show Robert San Carlos Water, Ajax Bay, Blue Beach, and various wreck sites. As we approached Saunders, we learned that the Leopard Seal we had heard about the previous day, was still around. These are rare and lonesome creatures, with a bad and arguably fair reputation for aggression and viciousness. It was a leopard seal who killed the BAS diver a couple of year ago in South Georgia, pulling her down under the ice and drowning her at depth; their method of killing prey. Leopard Seals have an ‘s’ shaped snake - like spine movement when swimming, and have triangular, reptilian teeth. I was torn between fascination and the dread of seeing The Neck a gruesome massacre site.

We were dropped on the hillside and collected by David Pole Evans who owns the island. He drove us the couple of miles to the portacabin – a luxury not experienced before – but a necessary one because of our luggage. Once established we set off to the beach and spotted the Leopard Seal at the water’s edge. It had obviously gorged itself and now wanted to sleep, not particularly bothered at our arrival. A Johnny Rook, the curious and fearless local bird of prey, hopped around its head and riled it into a lazy snap which allowed us to see its vicious teeth. We kept a reasonable distance. More Caracaras (rooks) arrived, disgustingly picking at the pooh which was being produced at regular intervals; ragged pieces of penguin skin and fur were clearly visible and irresistible to the hawks. Eventually the seal had had enough and swirled a full 360 degrees on the sand, snapping and flapping. The Johnny Rooks hopped back and returned.

We headed across the beach to watch the Rockhoppers justifying their names by hopping up the cliffs from the sea to their colonies; they leap without resting, on,on.  They prefer to live near fresh water and here they hopped up through a small waterfall, following a stream which ran alongside their colony. Whilst Gentoos will stop, watch and sometimes divert when we arrive, Rockhoppers carry on regardless, and we felt very privileged to see them at such close quarters.

Back to the cabin for lunch and to meet up with Bill who had been in town for meetings all morning, and then off to show him the Leopard Seal. It was a David Attenborough moment, sitting on a rock with a Leopard Seal three metres to one side of us, a couple of Rockhoppers in the pool behind us, washing and splashing happily, and a line of Gentoos emerging from the Sea ahead of us. Magical.

Up the cliffs (some more mountain goat - like than others!!) and then round to see the Rockhopper colony from above – nest building, chasing, egg laying, yellow eyebrows waving in the wind. Charming couples huddled together, beaks touching and eyes only for each other. Lone males, running the gauntlet around the colony, squawking, mischievous.   And at the edge, a lone Macaroni penguin – Phoebe’s first. Hoorah! They often seem to live with Rockhoppers; possibly confused – there certainly seems to be interbreeding. Macaronis are not so different from Rockies; larger, orange eyebrows instead of yellow, a little fatter, perhaps not so cute – but good to see one here.

And then on to my favourite ..Albatross. Back for the season, committed and caring couples act out the elaborate courtship rituals, beak touching, neck preening, sharing the nest building and the egg sitting. Every time one returns from fishing and they exchange places, the ritual repeats in a reassuring and sophisticated cycle. They too have no fear of humans; landing at your feet, they will carry on regardless, and plod plod past you with their wide grey flat feet. They colonise cliff sides here on Saunders, which allows them to launch elegantly and swoop across the sea. Landing can be a little clumsier which may be why they sit down quickly ; they are not land birds and moving their vast wings without the wind under them always seems to lead to trouble.

Back to the cabin for tea and cakes and to warm up, before heading back to watch the Gentoos come up for the night,

An evening of charades and meatballs. What more..

We had not yet seen Elephant seals during our whistle stop tour, and with a whisper of them at the end of the island, Robert and Alexis  headed off early for a couple of hours’ trudge. Phoebe, having seen many elephant seals, saw no reason to exert herself, and Rachel and Juliet were happy with the penguins. So we headed across the other aside of The Neck, finding a number of Leopard Seal Gentoo remains , and a depressing amount of rubbish washed in from the sea. Litter on island here is not an issue, but the huge number of fishing vessels around the shores sadly have no compunction in disposing of their waste overboard. A cold but happy morning revisiting all types of penguins, and discovering some awesome views across the island from the other end of the beach. The adventurers returned successful, having seen mothers and pups hauled out, and we trudged off for one last look at the albatross before home.

David was coming to fetch us, and there was a cruise ship calling that afternoon, which we had not seen before. The Ocean Avior, with 68 on board, anchored off shore and dropped zodiacs to transfer passengers ashore. Just as they set off, the heavens opened, and we watched from our cabin window as they waded in. We felt very privileged to have had the wildlife to ourselves for two days. 

Back home to warmth and comfort food – a last supper of chorizo chicken before the Friday flight. We had a fabulous time – wonderful to share such a magical place with friends.

A Visit to the Capital..

Tuesday was a home day; we headed down the long road to Stanley to see the sights; shopping, the cathedral, the museum. Bill met us at lunch time and we drove to Gypsy Cove and spotted Magellanics, Night Herons, and finally, close up Sea Lions, hauled out and suckling pups in the tussoc above the cliffs. We hadn’t expected to see Sea Lions, and had the dogs with us which made for an exciting moment. Archie’s nose was aquiver, and the Sea Lion gave some impressive warning growls.   The tussoc is substantial even here, perhaps 1.5 metres tall, and dense; it is easy to come upon  wildlife unexpectedly.

Back to the cabin at Hillside; Hillside is the army’s adventure training base in Stanley, and Bill has a portacabin (think dodgy caravan from your worst childhood holiday) which is useful if we have to stay over. We all piled in to get changed, and then the adults headed off to a reception at Government  House, so that Rachel and Robert could see how much better FCO quarters are then military (!) and the girls headed to Shorty’s diner for supper, where there is a huge menu, and chips with everything.   Andy, Bill’s driver deserves a medal for scooping them up and driving them home, listening to a hour of girlies banter..and we followed on later.

To the West!!

Monday morning saw us head West. Ant, who lives on Saunders island, was flying, and we crossed the Sound and dropped Bill and Robert on the Warrah river, just beyond Port Howard. The day was looking bright, and we hoped they would not be soaked before we collected them later. They were off to fish for the day and Critter, who owns the land, had kindly offered them the use of his brother Miles’ cabin if needed.

The girls headed on towards Dunnose Head and Rosemary Wilkinson’s craft room. Alexis, Juliet and Phoebe sat up with the heli pilots to see how to fly, and to press a few buttons, and soon the bay in front of Dunnose Farm appeared in front of us. We spent the day with Rosemary, felting, and produced bunting  and pictures – I may have let the side down, but otherwise, huge talent was evident!

We located the boys and picked them up, sunburned and with stories of the one that got away (and the one that didn’t – I think it was only one).Home and Supper.

Bleaker island

Friday morning saw an early start and off to the heli to Bleaker island. We had booked to stay at Cassard House, the Rendells new lodge. It is luxurious in a very un-Falkland way – open plan and airy, with modern bathrooms and all mod cons. We chose the easy walk up to the imperial cormorant colony  before lunch and watched a frenzy of nest building as diddle dee and tussoc was stolen from nearby moorland and nests established whilst neighbours simultaneously stole supplies to improve their own creations. Fascinating to watch the ensuing angry arguments and posturing; and at the same time the elegant and fantastic courtship behaviour  - winding of necks, rising and falling of heads, coral orange combs contrasting tropically with iridescent flashing blue eyes.  Thousands of birds bustling together on a cliff top; and here and there, an egg appearing. One or two Skuas were starting to arrive, preparing to take their gory share..

We couldn’t resist walking into the tussoc at the edge of the cliffs and finding the Rockhoppers. Just back for the season, they too were nest building, stealing tussock and chasing each other angrily away from chosen nest sites, partners, or choice pieces of tussock. Very noisy and busy, but endearingly curious as always, they were happy to sit close to us, walk up and inspect us, and carryon their business apparently undisturbed.

Back to the house for lunch and then off to find Seal lions – but no luck. Presumably out fishing; we ended up watching Southern Giant Petrels swooping  along  the cliffs in the draught, and being entertained by Magellanic penguins just back for breeding, busily sorting out their burrows and reclaiming their homes. We discovered a young Night Heron and watched him fishing, spotted two sleeping Oystercatchers and a flock of Snowy Sheathbills, stark white against the slate black rock.

So back to the Rockhoppers for a proper look – and on to a second colony perched on the cliff edge with a breath-taking  view out to sea which I don’t suppose they appreciate. The weather was bright but very cold and windy, and the sea and the cliffs conspired to produce tall walls of shining white spray, shooting high towards the sky. The cliffs here are dramatic shelves of rock which allow you to step down and down until you are offered out towards the swirling crashing green water; impressive and intimidating.

We had ordered the Bleaker meat packs that night, intending to use the BBQ in the barn across the field. A huge pile of (very) low carbon footprint meat duly arrived, but while Bill dutifully stoked charcoal , we didn’t venture far from the house and enjoyed the warmth and rest on a very cold evening.

Saturday morning was bright but still finger- numbingly cold, with a skin- freezing wind. We set off to walk to the Gentoo colony, passing Big Pond (typically imaginative) and spotting silver grebes and black necked swans. Magellanic penguins poked up from their burrows in and amongst the cows and sheep, and after a very cold night, petrels and vultures were cruelly on hand to clear up new born lambs who had died from hypothermia overnight. It was heart rending to see the mothers fight off the scavengers until they realised the futility of their instinct, eventually running back to the flock.  

The Gentoo colony is at the far end of Sandy Bay (see earlier !)  and the penguins have established a highway between beach and colony which they bustle up and down. Nest building was in train, but many were already sitting and were intent on protecting their one or two eggs, standing up regularly to check between their toes, and then carefully lowering their warm bellies over the nest. Some Skua activity could be seen, with an odd egg out in the open, but in general the colonies were calm, although those penguins without mates were regularly chased crossly through the nests and ejected.

We headed back for a cup of tea, spotting an Upland goose sitting bravely on her nest low down in the Diddle dee. We stumbled upon her, but she held her nerve and stared us away.  The nests are beautiful soft feather and down creations, with 6 or 7 brown eggs. Islanders will collect and eat these eggs and they are plentiful, and apparently good for baking. A Rufus- breasted dotteril jumped around in front of us, and as we headed back we were buzzed by a Hercules; the ADC and team had convinced the Herc guys to take them up, and they had come to find us. (We later discovered they were either being sick or hanging out of the side door, terrified, in danger of their ears blowing off!

After warming up we borrowed Mike’s Rover and headed back to the Gentoos to watch the evening exodus; from late afternoon, the penguins all head out of the water and back up to the colony for the night; it is addictive to watch raft after raft of flying birds leap from the spray. The wind was up, and the crashing waves offered a dramatic backdrop.  Another stream of photographs of penguins and waves - what will we do with them all. Alexis found her machine gun button, and took around 30 shots for each click. I hope she can edit ruthlessly..

Mike and Phyl were staying on the island and kindly invited us over for a drink; their cows were calving, and all hunkered down in the tussoc at the back of the house. What an amazing location to live; windows on all sides, sea front and back, penguins burrowing nearby, and huge sunsets stretching across the front of the house.  Phyl had seen a sea lion catching mullet earlier – rising up out of the sea, fish in mouth, to celebrate his catch.

A night of jigsaws and bananagrams, and lots of sleep.

On Sunday we drove to the Southern edge of the island – craggier and loftier cliffs than in the milder centre of the island – and it was good to witness the contrast. We did spot a few sea lions, but they kept their distance, although with the blue sky now breaking through, the views themselves were sufficient. Gentle pottering and sheltering from the bitter wind for the rest of the morning – and then back to Mount Pleasant to regroup.

October Half Term - the Purdys arrive!

Hoorah! One less UK return flight – the lovely Purdy family brought Phoebe out to the Falklands for half term, and stayed for the week. How fabulous to be able to show off our new found treasures to our friends; and great fun for Phoebe to have teenagers instead of adults as company.

We were determined to make the travelling worthwhile for Rachel, Robert, Juliet and Alexis; my planning may as a result have been rather full-on, and I think everyone was looking forward to a lie in by the end of the week, but we did do a lot and see loads – so hopefully it wasn’t all bad. I have to admit to my bossy tendencies coming to the fore in, at times, a rather military operation, but I hope all will be forgiven…

Winter/Summer holidays down South..

Summer break over, with lazy days on the canal, soporific afternoons at Henley and visits to Eton Dorney to watch the rowing all behind us, the three of us set off for the Falklands for the Summer/Winter holidays. Last year, we spent weeks with snow up to the windows, taken hostage by the wind and roads closed. I was apprehensive that we would be met with the same fate; a group of us had planned a huge raft of children’s activities to ensure everyone was busy and happy, whatever the weather. Cooking with the chefs, felting, sport with the PTIs, craft sessions, films and bouncy castles.

Landing at ascension, we met Mark, new Station Commander. He was due to visit FI the following week, and in the end he brought Beccie and Amy with him –Amy is the same age as Phoebe, and reeling from transferring from leafy England and grammar school, to a remote, barren Atlantic rock.    We had a good week; Beccie and Amy pitched in to help with the children’s activities, and we were able to take them to see the penguins on Bertha’s Beach, and at Volunteer Point. Landing in FI on a wonderfully sunny afternoon, we put 20 hours travel behind us and marched along Bertha’s Beach  as the bright Winter sun lowered in the sky, to watch long- shadowed penguins marching out of the sea in their nightly exodus as they filled up their camp sites for the night.

Trips to Stanley, mad rushing between children’s activity sessions, and then we escaped for the weekend to Elephant Beach farm. Up past San Carlos, and NW of Stanley,  Ben Bernsten lives with his African wife Maria just a mile or so off what is known locally as the M25 (think clay farm track, but it’s a circular road and usually passable). They have built a cosy cabin on their farm, and offer the option of a roast dinner cooking in the oven. We ordered beef; half a cow awaited us, smelling just like it should – no one was around when we arrived, so the smell was the only way to know we were in the right place! In Summer, off road trips to Ben’s beach for Falkland pebbles and wildlife will be good, but for now, we wandered the inlets and visited Mandy next door with her chicken fields. This was where we had bought our latest two (one has turned out to be a cockerel) and by the end of the weekend, we had ordered two more. Mandy’s daughter Louise with husband Tony and tiny baby daughter all live there at the moment. Mandy and Louise make soaps and lip balms to sell locally, and Tony has a graphic design business from the kitchen table. They brought their wares to our Craft fair the following week, and the chickens arrived at the same time. They have been named Delilah and Hepzibah and are laying already. Hoorah!

The next excitement was the arrival of the new warship patrolling South Atlantic seas.  Dauntless looks an impressive ship sitting in Port William; as we drove towards Stanley, she was standing proud of the headland, modern lines and stocky. A week of visits, parties, outings and dinners, both for the base and the crew. The culmination was Sunday church followed by a brief service at the liberation  memorial to lay a wreath, and then preparation to leave the islands. We drove out to Gypsy Cove and walked across the cliffs overlooking the bay, where the century old gun installations still stand, to watch as she readied to go to sea. It was a hot still day, and hard to believe that 12 months earlier we were snow bound.

Jenny Luxton kindly invited us back to Sea Lion Island before the start of the season – but her plans were scuppered when she was called early (or probably late) back to the UK for a knee replacement.  Maurice flew out to Sea Lion alone to check, mend and start up as required, and we joined him, with sleeping bags and food for the weekend. Three days of perfect weather followed (apart from an hour of hail and squalls when we had just managed to reach the Rover in time) and we were hugely privileged to be the only people wandering the island, witnessing the return of the first elephant seals, the first sea lion, and the rafts and rafts of Gentoo penguins as usual. Southern Giant Petrels swooped overhead, Caracara’s followed us, and the Snipe hopped around our feet.

The supply ship, which calls every 6 weeks or so was due, and we went to the Gulch with Maurice to unload. The seas were reasonable, but the Concordia bay tried for an hour to find sound anchor – and failed. The sea truck was lowered and brought in some basics, but with no anchorage, the fuel line could not be secured, and she left without offloading the much needed diesel for the generator. She will be back in mid-September. Standing in the chill, next to swirling kelp ,and willing the anchor to hold this time, as the sun dropped in the sky, the warm of the day disappeared and the wind blew up, reminded us (and particularly our fingers ! that it was still Winter.

Heading back on the air-bridge now, we have just been intercepted by two typhoons practising; the huge roar as they arrive is awesome – and close enough to see the pilots – weird!

A weekend of unpacking and repacking, and then Phoebe is back to school on Wednesday. Roll on half term.

A week on the 'Silver Dove'

Canal Boat

This week we spent on a canal boat starting off in the Worcester and Birmingham Canal. We collected ‘The Silver Dove’ from Tardibigge Marina, and set off down the canal.

There were millions of ducklings and baby moorhens amongst the banks, and they all followed us as we went past them, hoping for food.

The first major event was a long tunnel about 30 minutes after we started our journey. Then, I kept a log of every bridge, tunnel, and pub we passed!

We had some very long days, starting at 8(you’re only allowed to leave a mooring at 8), right on through until 9. There was a very busy day in Birmingham, with lots of locks, and we weren’t allowed to moor up until we were out the other side of Birmingham.

During the week, we passed through the Worcester and B-ham Canal, The Oxford Canal, The Coventry Canal, and a little bit of the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal.

On the second day on the boat, the Ford Family(not forgetting Freddie), and Grandma, came and helped us for the day through Stratford, of which the highlight of the day was definitely the ice-cream(and also the Grass Snake which Uncle Robert fished out of the canal)!

After the Fords, we had no other visitors, but we had a fantastic time on the canal in our third time in a narrow-boat. We met lots of people on the canal, mainly from other countries enjoying their holiday (but not the weather). Mummy’s favourite boat name of the week was ‘Hephzibah’, but Bill and I weren’t quite sure…

Although the summer weather wasn’t quite summery, it didn’t rain that much, and on some days, was very hot. (Bill steered while Mummy and lay on the roof sunbathing)!

By Phoebe xxx

An Evening at Bluff Cove

Hattie and Kevin Kilmartin live at Bluff Cove and own the fabulous Sea Cabbage cafe at the Lagoon; penguins galore and a carribean-white sand.
In cruise ship season, they drive passengers off road over the moor to see their penguins, but now it is off season, and we all met up for a fabulous supper. The sun went down as we raised our glasses to the Islands, and  Hattie's supper was, as ever, delicious. The drive back in the dark over the boggy moor was interesting (!)