SEEING THE KING PENGUINS UP CLOSE When we reached Fortuna Bay, we had to wait to find out if we'd be able to land. The usual procedure was for one Zodiac boat to be lowered into the water. A member of the crew would go out in it to determine how safe it would be for a landing. When we finally heard the announcement over the tannoy that we would be landing, we were thrilled and eager to go. There was a gorgeous Antarctic Fur Seal in the water close to where we were disembarking and it seemed quite curious, watching us. It looks like it's winking at us in this photo.

AT SEA ONCE MORE With two more days at sea before we would reach South Georgia, there was ample opportunity to look for wildlife along the way and practice photographing flying birds...even the small ones! We had more whale sightings. Some people were lucky enough to have some close encounters and see tail flukes as the whales dived down, but it was all a matter of timing. You had to be out on deck at just the right time and on the right side of the boat to see it. The birders were almost always out, keeping an eye open for interesting birds flying by, so it wasn't suprising they had the most luck with the whales too. However, I was pleased to see two Humpback Whales not too far away, together. Their dorsal fin is a lot smaller than others and you can really notice their humped back as they dive deep.

DEPARTING PUERTO MADRYN The plan was to have two days at sea, heading towards the Falkland Islands. But, sometimes things don't go according to plan. Unfortunately, someone on board the ship had a serious medical condition and needed to be transported safely back to land, so they could receive the full medical attention they needed in hospital. We'd been warned of this possibility on the very first evening on board, during our briefing. In such situations the boat becomes the ambulance. Prior to our trip, I'd also heard stories of this happening and how the trip could be cut short as a result of it. Obviously, there was concern for the person in question and some days later we discovered their situation improved and they were doing well at the hospital, which was good to hear. The fact this happened right at the start of the trip was actually the best scenario. We weren't too far away from South America and were able to head to land at Comodoro Rivadavia. After safely evacuating the guest, we continued on to the Falkland Islands and we had just one extra day at sea. At that first briefing, we'd also been warned about a nasty weather system that was slightly ahead of us, so having the delay actually worked to our advantage. If we'd been further ahead on our voyage, we probably would have had to sit tight in port somewhere else to wait for it to pass through. During the days at sea, Bob and I enjoyed being out on deck with some of our fellow passengers, spotting the wildlife. Some people preferred to do this from the comfort of the observation lounge indoors. Others simply kept to themselves in their cabin. In the lounge area, there was also a varied mix of talks given throughtout the day, by the members of the staff. I attended a few, as it helped pass the time, but generally I preferred to be outside, as did Bob. It wasn't too cold those first few days and the seas were fairly calm. Whenever we needed to warm up after being out on deck for a while, we'd head indoors. There was an endless supply of hot drinks and at tea time there was always some kind of delicious cake available. We both enjoyed the wildlife watching, even though there were long periods of not much happening. I kept a keen eye out for vertical spurts of water coming from whales close to the surface of the sea. They were often very far away and not worth photographing, but this Sei Whale was a little closer to our ship. It is the third largest whale species in the world, behind the Blue and Fin Whales.

PRIOR TO EPIC ANTARCTIC ADVENTURE I'd given up the idea of visiting Antarctica after the trip I was booked on in November 2020 was cancelled due to Covid. It was meant to be a 50th Birthday treat for myself. As you can imagine, it was hugely disappointing. With the future looking so uncertain at that time, especially being self-employed, I abandoned the idea of going because it was just so much money. I know there were many people that had cancelled holidays then, including Bob's son, Matt, who'd been due to visit Madagascar. In 2024, Matt was finally having that dream holiday and when we were having a meal out one evening he was talking about his impending trip. For the first time in ages, I mentioned my own disappointment and how it didn't seem likely I'd go to the Antarctic, especially as Bob didn't seem interested in going. In a rather bizarre turn of events, later that same evening Matt received some information from Birdquest about a 50% discount on an Antarctic trip leaving in 6 weeks with Oceanwide Expeditions. I couldn't believe it! What's more, after reading about the trip and the dates, I realised it coincided with my mid term break in classes, and so it seemed entirely possible I could go. I'd have to extend my break from teaching to allow enough time to travel to/from South America and for the 21 days of the trip, but it seemed crazy not to take advantage of this amazing offer. I was keen to go, Bob was less so, and we took a weekend to think about it, look at all the costs involved, before making a decision. In that time, we nearly both talked ourselves out of going. For me, it was largely to do with whether I should go, considering the impact such a voyage has on the polar region and also my carbon footprint. After much deliberation, I decided it was such an amazing opportunity, I didn't want to pass it up. I needed to let go of any guilt in choosing to go and it was also important to me to find some balance - such as making a donation, sharing the photos and the experience not only in this blog, but by giving talks. This was in alignment with my greater purpose, which is to inspire people to care about nature and this planet and not just what's on our own doorstep, but all around the world. I'd actually given up the hope that Bob would join me, but as we looked through the promotional photos for the trip, he suddenly said, 'Okay! Just book it!' I was so surprised, but thrilled he was going to join me. What an amazing experience we would have together. I quickly booked before he could change his mind and six weeks later we were flying out to Argentina to begin our epic adventure.

Earlier in the year, Bob and I had a wonderful holiday up in Scotland, focusing mostly on the Isle of Mull. I've written several blog posts about this trip, which you can read by clicking on this link . However, at the start and the end of our time up north, we went looking for new butterfly species for me - ones we don't see in the south of England. I'm currently in the process of trying to see all UK butterfly species. During our last few days of that holiday, we were in Cumbria searching for the Large Heath, Northern Brown Argus and the Mountain Ringlet. It was too early for the High Brown Fritillary following the cool damp spring, however, there was a chance of seeing some in early August, albeit potentially very tatty and right at the end of their flight season. We'd already started mulling over the idea of returning to Cumbria at that time of year to see another butterfly species new to me, the Scotch Argus. The opportunity to see both species was too tempting to pass by. So, we returned to Cumbria on 6th August, but this time just for two days. It was all we could fit in to our schedule.