With a Little Help From my Friends – 23rd December 2018

I took off my skis when I finished for the day and am shocked when I immediately fall over. The snow is knee deep and I go flying. I know what you’re thinking, snow in the South Pole shouldn’t be a surprise – but these levels are simply unheard of during Antarctic summer and the freak weather I’m experiencing is forecasted to continue for at least the next three days.

Despite these stormy conditions, I had a lot of fun out there today, I’m still waddling through deep snow (neither of which my skis or sled are designed for!) but I’ve had to put the conditions to one side and focus on other things. The sun came out today which was simply brilliant, it meant I could charge up my batteries using a Solar panel affixed to my sled. It’s been so long since I had any sun that I was low on power and wasn’t able to send a blog yesterday. I had a ‘sit-down break’ on the sled for the first time and even had a little dance (I hate sitting down at rest breaks and generally hate stopping). I even paused to take some photos.

For the first time on the expedition, I listened to audio messages from friends and family today and as a result, I smiled all day long. There are hundreds of them and they’re mixed in between songs. It means the world to hear your voices and I miss you all dearly. I laughed, I cried happy tears and I danced my way across Antarctica today. From friends setting trivia I could play along to, singing karaoke, setting riddles or reciting plays – it made a world of difference today, so thank you. The weather was awful and the snow deep but it just didn’t matter.  I’m a happy camper this evening, my distance covered was poor but I had a truly beautiful day. A reminder of how grateful I am for the friends and family I have. I’m lucky to have you.

So, today’s blog post is a shout out to them. With a Little Help from My Friends, I’ll get by and make it to the South Pole.

(Yes, I listened to the Beatles today!)

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