F e a t u r e s
there were no spaces). We loved the Tea Coach – yes, it’s a café in an old coach.
December 29th We joined a convoy of eager cars driving to Volunteer Point with a guide from Stanley. What a hoot. Terrifying driving, with bogs and ditches – every now and again someone would get bogged, to everyone else’s delight and relief – and either abandon the car and pile into another, or get pulled out. Volunteer Point has the largest breeding colony of King Penguins on the island and is really worth making the effort to get to. Soon after, I went back by helicopter – much easier but not half so much fun.
December 30th The chaplain on HMS ENDURANCE has invited us to look around this beautiful Antarctic survey ship. From there we venture across the pontoon to other end of the nautical spectrum, the trusty tugboat the INDOMINITABLE. They kindly feed the children Magnums and chocolates and have a singing fish on the wall. The children love it.
January 19th Henry starts at the pre-school, Rockhoppers. At last! Hip hip hurray!
January 26th At last, with Henry at nursery, I get a chance to go fishing. The Frying Pan, at low tide in the morning, is beautiful, but I catch diddly squat.
February 14th Henry is a very very LOUD two year old, who ignores me much of the time, and I have been rather hoping there might be a medical reason for this. So when the Ear Nose and Throat man comes for his annual visit to the island, Henry is booked in. Obviously, he behaves beautifully for the doctor, and all the ENT machines say that he is fine – it’s just his character. Damn.
Februry 28th Races at Goose Green. I had been bricking it for some time, having never flat raced in my life. Apart from childbirth, this is the most frightening thing I’ve ever done. When I got there at 9am and found that I was
Number 13 and had been entered for four races on two different horses, I was terrified! Like childbirth, in retrospect, it all seems less daunting and I’d probably do it again. The race, that is, not childbirth.
April 21st The Queen’s Birthday Parade in Stanley. The Governor’s feathery hat blows most satisfactorily in the wind, and the scoutmaster has a traditional Baden Powel hat. Superb.
June. As midwinter approaches, there is talk of the whales which arrive in July and we start planning a whale watching boat trip. But the best laid plans etc etc… Both boys, and 2 other children, manage to contract a nasty
strain of e-coli, and after a bit of this and that we are medically evacuated home a month before we were due to leave. Rats. It was all a bit surreal. However, since the two families travelling were possibly infectious, we did get the entire top floor of the plane to ourselves – every cloud has a silver lining!
So there you have it – a few happy memories from a year (almost) in the Falklands and I’ve not even mentioned our fantastic holidays in Ascension and Chile. I’d thoroughly recommend a Falklands posting if you have the chance, but if you have young children, from my own experience (which is, after all, all one can honestly offer), I would wait until they are at primary school…
8
Summer 2009
www.raf-families-federation.org.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48