P..P..P..Penguins are go!

Summer is on its way. There has been a noticeable shift for the good, in the average air temperature here. We even had one day last week, which just about reached double figures. I know this is light years away from the sultry temperatures of the Middle East, but it actually felt quite pleasant and was a nice portent of the sort of weather to come over the summer months. The wind was back the next day, as was the rain, but the driving hail and snow of that greeted us on arrival in August seems to be behind us for this year anyway.

The onset of the warmer months here brings with it the jewels in the crown of the Falklands. It's about now that we see the early appearances of the magical wildlife that draws many people to the islands. A few of my colleagues had been down to Gypsy Cove earlier in the week and the word on the playground and in the corridors was of sightings of the wet feathery kind. We actually nipped down to the beach last weekend, but being naive Falklands virgin types, got there at completely the wrong time of day. This weekend was going to be different. We decided to go down much later in the afternoon. It seems that the penguins spend much of the day out to sea fishing, coming back to the beach late afternoon, to relax for the evening in their bunker-like burrows in the sandy dunes. The penguins at Gypsy are Magellanic penguins. They are smaller and a little less imperious than their stately cousins, the King penguins, but no less lacking in character.

On approaching the beach on the path around the coast from the car park, we knew we were going to be blessed with their presence today. Before we had even a sniff of a sight of a penguin, they had already underlined why they have been given the nickname Jackass. In the distance we could hear a rather strange braying, that sounded like a cross between a donkey and howling dog. Low and behold, as we rounded the path, sitting rather proudly in the entrance of a burrow, was our first wild penguin. I have to say it was quite an exciting and special moment for us all. Experiences like this was one of the reasons why I chose to come to the Falklands and this one was not a disappointment. As we made our way down the dunes among the burrows, we soon found ourselves surrounded by numerous Magellanics, resplendent in their evening wear. They wouldn't let us get too close, especially at first, and would dive for the safety of their burrows when you did. However, if you were quiet and sat still, they soon resurfaced, with their awkward little waddles - the lure of the evening sun on their chests obviously too much to resist. Leaving Caz and the kids on the dunes among the burrows, I made it down to the beach to try and get some close-up shots of a couple paddling about. Again, they kept me at arm's distance (or should that be at flipper's distance!), and when I did manage to get close, that awkward, comical waddle transformed into a elegantly impressively glide under water, away from the shore. It was certainly a very good demonstration of the habitat they are most suited to.

On the way back to the car, even more penguins were arriving into the dunes and I even managed to get some really great close up shots of a very confident one. He seemed to even enjoy the moment, posing with the grace of a cover model in front of the lens. This had been a great end to the day and has certainly wet our appetites for more in the way of nature. 

 

The Good Life!

The summer holidays came crashing to a halt at the beginning of the month as the new school year begun in earnest once again. Gone, at least for a couple of months, are the lazy days of not having to do anything. Back to the daily spinning of plates that is the reality of primary school teaching. The first two weeks have gone pretty well so far, despite the feeling I am only just about keeping my head above the water in terms of what needs to be done. The list of things to do and set in place is looming over me like towering building and I feel that I am taking the stairs to the top rather than the express elevator. I have been getting to know my new class. They are generally a lovely lot although I have a few characters, which typically permeates most classrooms, and I will have a well exercised 'thumb' by the end of the year in my attempts to persuade them that an education really is the best thing for them in the long run. Thankfully, Olivia and Evie have settled in fantastically well. Olivia has been awarded 'Student of the Week' already and both have started to create a good social network. In fact at the end of last week Evie was apparently going to a friend's house over the weekend. She couldn't remember her name or where she lived, but she did know that the house had a red roof…

Over the short time we have been here it is quickly becoming apparent that this move is going to be beneficial in at least one thing – family resourcefulness! The remote nature of the Falklands means 'things' are simply not so easy to get and when they are available, they are usually quite a bit more expensive. Food is a prime example of this. It's one of the basic requirements for life (along with water and the need to eliminate bodily waste), so not something we can simply avoid. Yes, eating less food is an answer and probably most of the developed world could do more of. However, a family of 4 is a pretty ravenous consumer and there is great potential for a very high food bill.

So we have started to introduce small money saving practices to help feed this hungry beast. Caz has donned the white apron and taken to baking in a big way, producing on almost a daily basis, a considerable variety of loaves and cakes. We are also making our own yogurt now (albeit in a very simple yogurt maker using packet mixes), which has reduced the weekly yogurt bill by half! The next stage in our morphosis will be the procurement of some chickens for the back garden. The imported eggs are expensive and to be honest not good quality. Falkland Islands' eggs are cheaper and much superior in quality, however they are not nearly so available – especially in winter. The solution… lay our own! Caz has sorted delivery of a wooden shipping crate, which will be transformed into a chicken coop and run (a test of my currently limited carpentry skills), and the chickens should be easy to get as lots of people have them here. In fact half a dozen are in an incubator in Olivia's year 5 classroom as I write (and you read!). We will not be stopping at small scale chicken farming either. The green finger muscles will shortly be flexed with a number of grow bags in the front porch. Fresh fruit and vegetables are ludicrously expensive here, so we are lessening the blow by having a go at growing tomatoes, cucumbers and anything else that will work in a green house.

As in Cornwall, the sea is an extremely influential part of life here. The rich south Atlantic fishing grounds around the Falklands are partly the cause of the dispute between the Argentine and UK governments. We have started to reap the benefits ourselves with a huge bag of giant muscles. Not having eaten muscles for a long time and having never actually cooked them, they actually tasted pretty good – cooked in white wine and stock. Being honest however, I did go to bed slightly nervous of seeing them again later! Thankfully my fears did not materialize so I will definitely be repeating this experiment. The mullet and trout season has also just started, which promises more in the way of free marine delights. A more daunting prospect, but one that I definitely plan on taking advantage of, is the promise of learning how to carve up a whole sheep. Apparently the local farmers will sell a whole mutton extremely cheaply. I will just have to cut it up and stock the freezer!

 

Snowballs in August!

My last blog focused on how we actually got to the Falklands, so for this one, I hope to give you a feeling of what it's like to actually be here. I will try to be as concise as possible, I promise...

The weather! It's Winter down here in the southern hemisphere and there is no denying the fact that it's very cold. As I write this we have been here for 4 full days, and all but the first have greeted us with snow – much to the delight of Olivia and Evie, who have been throwing snowballs, playing on sledges in the garden and trying to make a snowman. Before we got to the islands we were 'warned' that it would seem that it was possible to experience all 4 seasons in one day. This is so true, as one minute the sun can be shining, the next we could be in the middle of a blizzard – this pattern has continued all week without fail. What is a constant however, is the wind! It blows consistently strong, pretty much all the time and being mid-winter here, creates a 'nice' wind chill factor to really cool things further. This may all sound grim and depressing, but this wintry spell has only served to the add to the wild and beautiful nature of the islands (admittedly we are still in the 'honeymoon period' and I will probably be moaning about the weather soon enough) and give it a month or so the weather will be improving as the islands welcome the warmer seasons. However for the moment we must be resigned to the fact that we will have to spend an extra period of time getting ready to go out. Gone are the days of quickly slipping on a pair of flip flops, while just wearing a T-shirt and shorts, replaced by an extra 5 or 10 minutes of layering up and adorning ourselves with a long list of warm accessories: gloves, scarves, hats and sturdy boots. Leaving the house has suddenly become a greater logistical issue!

After the weather, what has struck me most has been the natural beauty of the islands. Without a car yet, we have limited experience of the islands so far, however a quick guided tour of the immediate area with Karen (my new head), a number of bracing training runs and of course the amazing view that greets us every time we look out of our living room window have all served to reinforce this place as a beautiful wilderness. Other than the above mentioned view from our window, we have Surf Bay and Gypsy Cove within a 10 minutes' drive (and about 20 to 30 minutes run). Both are beaches with the most amazing white sand looking out to a very icy looking south Atlantic. Unfortunately Gypsy Cove is a suspected landmine area, so inaccessible; however it will be a great place to watch the Magellanic penguins over the coming Summer. Surf Bay will undoubtedly be a regular haunt for us, as it looks a fabulous place to hang out and is literally only down the road – especially when it's warmer.

One of the biggest draws of the Falklands to tourists, nature enthusiasts and even scientists is the wide variety of fauna that inhabit the island. Currently it's the wrong time of the year for the islands' most famous inhabitants: the penguins, seals, sea lions and the imperious albatross. These will be steadily appearing on our shores over the next few months. So not a huge amount to speak of in this respect so far, apart from lots of ducks! They are everywhere here, waddling in and around Stanley, in and out of gardens and down the middle of the roads, as if they own the place. The 3 commonest species are the Kelp Goose, the Ruddy-headed goose and the Upland Goose (this latter species are the most common within the town from my own observation). By far the most unexpected avian resident of the islands have been the enormous black Turkey vultures soaring in the sky and even roosting in a line of evergreen trees within Stanley. Apparently they feast off the carcasses of sheep and even pick off the odd stranded or sick living sheep, making them wholly unpopular with the local farmers. It was certainly a little unnerving watching one menacingly glide over me while out running near Gypsy Cove yesterday. Running alone, in the bleak and barren landscape, with no one around for miles, an Arctic wind blowing off the angry sea, I couldn't help but think whether this black menace above me was licking his beak at the prospect of another meal below him.

So finally, onto Stanley and it's human inhabitants. It's small, but has all the basics (bank, schools, police station with jail, post office, pubs…), beautifully quiet and the people are amazingly friendly. For me personally the town has a nice feel to it. Tourism creates a big income for the islands, so there are also quite a few gift shops. We are constantly getting waved to or people are always saying hello and smiling. The local population is also fiercely patriotic. Everywhere you look you can see Union Jacks, the Falkland's flag (which includes a Union Jack) and stickers telling people to vote 'yes' (a legacy of the recent referendum over question of staying part of the UK or not). Stanley also has some very quintessentially British aspects, such as red telephone and post boxes, pub and street names such as the Globe Tavern and Thatcher Drive. There are some other things we are going to have to get used to however. The general price of things is high – fruit and vegetables especially – due to most of it being imported. There are a few things I will not be eating any longer, simply because the cost of them is ludicrously high – blueberries at just under £6.00 a punnet are unfortunately well and truly off the menu! Meat is cheap however – very cheap. Lamb and beef is all locally produced, is extremely good quality (grass fed) and at least half the price to UK meat. Fish is also plentiful and cheap. What also surprised me is that alcohol is cheaper than the UK – reason alone to move here if you ask me!!! It appears that the cost of import is offset by a much lower taxation. Getting items not available here will be much more challenging and will require a good deal of forward planning. Most things will have to be shipped, as air freight will be uber expensive. This means Christmas presents ordered in September…