Station Happenings...

Hi there.  Thought I'd throw up some photos of some happenings about station that might be of interest.  To some more than others I would suspect.  I've put a little more detail into a few of the items, as I'm sure a couple of people might be looking at it with intrigue...

We're getting to the end of our meat rations... can't you tell.  This one has in the freezer from most of the winter.  Made for quite a nice Saturday dinner though.  Meat is being restocked when Voyage II arrives in about three weeks.

A few pictures of the beer making setup.  As you might expect there is a fair quantity of beer consumed on station.  The boys, and girls, are pretty good though, and don't get too untidy.  You'll notice the two main brewing drums, the two silver 44's.  There are two smaller 60 Lt. drums and then another couple of the standard 30 Lt screw tops.  Generally they stick to the standard cooper mixes for the larger quantity brews, and try a few different ones in smaller batches.  They are keen on the Draughts, Black and Tan's, Lagers and a few darker beers.  I noticed in the diary there were a couple of honey beers made over the winter... not too many to be seen on the shelves though.  They also do an apple cider, which they're not too sure of the alcohol content of, as well as a ginger beer.  Both seem to go pretty quickly.

The key to their consistency...  A couple of pictures of their bottle washing setup.  You'll see in the bottom left, there is a place unfilled.  There you can see a perforated copper rod which sprays water up inside the bottle which is placed over it...  I guess you'll get the drift.  The two drums under the stainless hopper both are hooked up to the pump.  One has your disinfectant solution, one has fresh water - both are hot.  The taps are arranged in a manner so as you can reticulate the water, or flush it straight out to the sewer.  They are run separately, but able to be interrupted and swapped over with the swing of a couple of ball valves.







Casey has a small hydroponics program.  It's setup in two insulated 20 foot containers - the white ones above.  They remain split though the middle, dividing the space up into two compartments, and a small air-lock to stop the loss of heat when a person enters.  While it falls far short of providing all the green veggies the station would consume, it does contribute a few welcome additions.  At the moment there is a selection of herbs, salad greens, some Asian vegetables, capsicum, chillies, some silver beet, and of course tomatoes.  It's something I would have been keen to be involved with.  However, being summerer, and also being part of the contingent heading to the Wilkes air field, I don't really get the chance, nor are eligible for the training.

You'll notice the small digital thermometer and humidity reader.  While the figures might not be too surprising, the humidity is interesting.  It's one thing that people living in Antarctica notice.  Waking of a morning it's not unusual to feel dry and blocked up.  You notice you drink more, and you don't seem to sweat as much.  The air is dry to start with, but when heated, the humidity drops as the volume of air increases.  And with such a difference betweet initail and final temp, this is significant.  The ac unit has a humidifier in it, but most have rigged up their own makeshift ones to add a little more comfort to their rooms.  Mine is a piece of perforated stainless folded into a 'V'.  I've upturned it in a tub of water.  A cloth is placed over the perf, and draws water from below.  It is then sat in front of a supply air vent.

Anyway, that's probably enough for one blog.