The last two weeks were quite difficult for everyone on base and we all felt like we deserve a bit of a break and a change of scenery. In addition to that, Al’s birthday happened to be during those two weeks, so we had one more reason to have a special day out.

Ye Olde Banjo String

Al and Gerard arranged for a BBQ night in Al’s Workshop, which morphed into “Ye Olde Banjo String” pub – the best pub for at least 790km. There was a real BBQ, build on the Sledge servicing rack, with a steel plate from the garage still featuring a big vice, and with two Primus stoves providing the heat. There was also a beer fridge in the form of a pulk filled with snow and beer. The whole place was lit up using just the tilly lamps. We had a table in the middle, and we were sitting on man-food boxes covered with sheep skins. Proper antarctic hero style!

After about 10-15 minutes wait you were handed a steak cooked to your liking, wedged in between two slices of freshly baked bread – all this made for a really nice manwich (which stands for a manly sandwich).

Add to all this good company of friends and nice music, and it was a perfect night out!

Thanks Al and Gerard for putting this all together!