hippies and happy times

The week got off to a slow start. Although, most days tend to kick off rather slowly around here.
I know everyone gives Capetonian's a lot of grief for being chilled out and relaxed, but I have to say they don't even hold a flame next to our way of life.
But it's not to say that we don't get things going and make things happen. Cause this week we managed to mission through the rain toward Tumble Down to weigh the seals. See, we may be a relaxed bunch out here, but when it comes down to the work that needs to be done, neither rain nor shine will stop us from getting it done. The risk with all the different factors in play the risk may increase, but as does the challenge and subsequent reward of having achieved something of such a nature.
And it's these moments that we tend to focus on and plan toward.

Let me quickly explain the situation a bit better.
What happens in an emergency?
Well, we have a pretty well stocked hospital with all that we require for the minor stuff. But when it comes to broken bones or other injuries which are as severe it is a bit of a different story. We are constantly reminded that we are 2500km's away from the nearest hospital. Relatively close by! But what complicates it is that we can't just be flown out in an emergency situation. No, it's a good 7 day wait for the ship to get here, and that's if ones is able to set sail immediately. Then once the ship arrives, it's another couple days out at sea before we would arrive in Cape Town to get the required medical treatment. A lot can go wrong during that time.
We can also add that if one does take a bit of a fall when going down the rope to access various beaches, and is unable to walk or climb back out, then we also have to be able to set in action a organised rescue. See, makes things far more complicated.
But it doesn't stop us doing what needs to be done, it just makes us more cautious. Calculated risk if you will.
The level of risk in so many mundane activities increase exponentially because of our location, and this being the reason we have to be so focused and have to plan exactly what it is we will be doing. We never leave the base without a radio (Walkie-Talkie), never leave without telling at least one person where we are headed, and we always have our name, destination, departure time, and ETA written down on the excursion list. And for most destinations we always have someone walk with. So well planned and well thought out so we can avoid any problems.

It was no different with going to weigh the seals this month. I've already explained exactly how we do that once before. But this week with the wind and rain, the increasing size of the pups, and the presence of stroppy males on the beach, we had a whole new set of problems.
Accessing the seals is by way of rope down a steep and high sea cliff which is covered by soft tussock grass which when wet just slips away under the lightest load. Easy when the rope is dry, not so easy when the rope is muddy and wet. Rocks are perfectly good when they are dry as well, but when they are soaked and covered in guano from the penguins, they become very slick. Also with the increasing size and agility of the pups the chance of being bitten also grows. Then there is the change in population of the beaches and change in hormone levels. There are now not only females and pups on the beaches but the bulls that have returned for the breeding season which has just passed and are rather territorial. This combined with a hormone spike that occurs at this time of the year makes them a pretty intimidating force.

At the start of the day. Top of Tumble Down.

Happy to report that all went well despite the above obstacles. Jack and I managed to get all hundred pups in one day and came out with all digits in place. Not to say there weren't a couple close calls.
Reaching in between rocks to grab a pup leaves one at risk. And on more than one occasion a pup was able to snap back and try and sink his teeth in. One youngster come very close and gave the back of my hand a scratch, whist another tried to get stuck into my knee. Fortunately we wear overall pants as well as rain pants and it forms a fairly thick layer. One which there little teeth can't get through yet. As they get bigger this will change. So we will have to be more cautious.
We also had one or two of the a fore mentioned bulls charge, but they retreated when given a bit of a prod with a stick.

Jack with our protection against the stroppy bulls; A stick!

The seals are developing very nicely and the males are averaging 8.3kg's and the females 7.6kg's. This is up a fair bit from last months 6.8kg's and 6.1kg's for the respective sexes. The largest pup weighed this time round was 14.2kg's and last months was 10.1kg's
Next weighing is on the 21st March and is the 100 day interval. What has just passed was the 71 day interval.
Jack and myself rather enjoy being able to do the seal weighing as it takes us away from the base and breaks up the monotony that can develop after doing observations for 10 days.
So we are both looking forward to next months weigh in.

Soaked after a day of weighing pups.

The penguins have also pretty much finished moulting and are looking a lot more dapper than before. No longer are they fluffy balls with beaks and feet protruding.

Some dapper looking, Rockhopper penguins.

The return from Tumble Down to the base was also more interesting than usual due to the continual rainfall though the day. The water level at the rivers we had to cross had risen considerably since we the morning and we were wading through waist deep water on our way back to base.
It may not look very deep, but once you step in you are in for a rather icy surprise.
From calf deep to ankle deep is quite a increase for a river that's only about 2-3 meters wide.
But getting wet was not a bother. As ones rain suit eventually reaches a point where it no longer keeps you dry and you do get soaked. So either way, we ended up at base thoroughly soaked and keen for a cup of hot tea and a shower.

River rapids after all the rain.

This week also saw one of our french birders celebrate her birthday.
Happy birthday for the 22nd, Karen!
For her party she decided on a hippie theme. Everyone got into it with great enthusiasm. The bar was decorated with a few posters and everyone else decorated with bell-bottoms and bright colours.
We all had a great time at the bar, with homemade pizza for dinner and a delicious chocolate cake. Tied together with great music, some fun playing pool and hacky-sac, it was an evening to be remembered. And hopefully Karen will remember this birthday for many years.

Couple of our hippies.Gerard and Jack.

Leonard, the real hippie, manning the bar.

Hacky-Sac time

Jack demonstarting his slick skills.

Gerard with complete control.

Amazing moves from Sylvain.

Sunnete, watching on in amazement after showing how it's done.

That's about all from the week :)
Now it's a matter of figuring out what else I can find to break the monotony of watching the clouds go by.

And for those who are fasting for Lent. I wish you all the best and hope that what you deprive yourself of may stir you up and remind you of why you do it.

Take care  everybody.

PS Apologies for the blurriness on some of the photos. It's from the rain!
Luckily I have a water proof camera so I can actually shoot with no concern.