A slight rise in temperature (-38 degrees C at the moment) has been a positive development on the whole.  It means I can spend longer outside, carrying out the experiments that are the purpose of us being here.  I made 48 snow measurements after we’d stopped walking today – the best yet.  

Though there’s a big downside – and that’s that at night our sleeping bags are no longer frozen, but wet.  I’m not sure which is worse.  Martin’s is the most soggy and he’s hardly slept for 6 nights now.  

But from now on, conditions should continue to improve, with slightly milder temperatures being experienced (if you can attach the word ‘mild’ to these kinds of temperatures) and longer daylight hours.  As I walked today I reflected on the harshness of the last few weeks.  We have been battered by the winds, bruised by falls on the ice and burned by the frost and the cold.  It’s all part of the job, however, and we carry on regardless.