Cyril the Chef

25 March, 2004 Rothera

Being here still

By Cyril Millet

Et voila, the summer has gone, time went well, so did life. A brand new episode is just about to start, the winter rise along with its wonders. How the 23 of us will get on? Will I be part of the team? Which major pieces of equipment will break down first? How bad will the weather get? How far shall I pursue my own goals? Is there going to be enough time and will to rich them?

All those questions are important, but one concern leads and troughs us out of bed every morning, no place for doubt, no need to talk about it; Rothera Station must be kept up and running at all time, under any circumstances. That is not just what we are getting paid for, this is our personal concern, our own duty, our individual pride. Everyone plays a part in it, from the scientists to the field assistants via the doctor and the comms manager. But one of the reasons why we sleep well at night is the presence of skilled technical individuals. We know that the plumber, electrician, joiner, generator mech and vehicles mechs will be the guys who’ll get their hands dirty when things shall go wrong, and things will go wrong, they always do. How easy and tempting it is to rely on them, but who knows, they may enjoy fixing things, no matter how far it is from my understanding.

But for now, everything is starting pretty well, the winterers are all tolerant, positive and hard workers, I feel like being part of the team, the kitchen equipment is working fine, can’t wait for the nasty weather to come, got lots of personal goals, lot of time to achieve them, but far too little will to get there, as usual. Never mind, I’ll stick to the main line, trying to please everyone with my cooking. Not just because I want to be appreciated, but also because it is such a fun! Baking cookies, roasting lamb, simmering soup, frying eggs for a bunch of friends and loving it. Just as much as I don’t see the fun in fixing an engine, most people can’t see the fun in cooking. No point to explain, it all runs in our blood!