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The February SG Museum blog was written by Helen Balfour – Curatorial Intern

February 2024 South Georgia Museum Blog – Do you get bored in South Georgia?

One of our most asked questions at the South Georgia Museum is if we get bored while we’re here. You might assume when you’re living so far away from ‘civilisation’ that life must be quite monotonous. However, this is really not the case.

We have had an extremely busy social calendar this month (see below) and we have also been working hard to get things done around the museum before we leave in March, which is rapidly approaching. This month, with fewer visitors, we have been able to get some more curatorial tasks done; getting through an accessioning backlog, moving some outdoor objects and updating locations for objects on our database. Hopefully, when you visit the museum, you will be able to see our new display panels that Bodil and I installed. If you’re not planning a trip soon, make sure to follow our SGHT social media channels (find them via the website www.sght.org) to see some of the updates. We also have a dedicated South Georgia Museum Instagram account: www.instagram.com/southgeorgiamuseum/

 

Bodil cleaning in the Prince Room

Helen cleaning in the Prince Room using the MuseumVac

Last season my February blog was titled “BUSYNESS, BIRTHDAYS AND BUGS!” and this February has been much the same, minus the bugs this time.

When there are so few people in one place, it actually means that we end up creating our own fun. I would argue that it is almost impossible to get bored whilst living here if you participate in all aspects of station life. It’s a great way to get to know people and we always put in a lot of effort organising events. This month we had everything from karaoke to ‘speed dating’ for Valentine’s Day. Where else would you meet the love of your life if not South Georgia?!

The annual South Georgia Regatta happened at the beginning of February. Everyone makes model boats, and we sail them across a large lake near Grytviken. A fleet of boats was entered from Drukken (where the museum team live) and there were some other beautiful creations. Thankfully, there was some wind to blow the boats across the lake. Whilst we waited patiently for our boats to arrive on the other side, we enjoyed a little picnic. It truly was a lovely afternoon!

Anticipation was building before we released the seaworthy vessels!

James (Government Officer) and Louis (Boating Officer) talking tactics before the regatta

The sporting events for the season didn’t end there, we also held the annual South Georgia Half-marathon, organised by Deirdre (Museum Director) and Dee (Government Officer). It was a beautiful day, with gorgeous sunshine and just enough wind to cool down the participants! I was marshalling at the top of Brown Mountain and checked off people as they came past. This is the first marshal point, so it was important to check people are okay for water and snacks, and of course provide a little disco for them at the top of the mountain, if they need a brief dance break! Afterwards, I walked over to Maiviken hut to join Bodil (Museum Assistant) and James (Government Officer) and we had a lovely night in the hut, before the rain spilled from the sky the next morning.

Museum Director Deirdre as she ran past

View from my marshalling spot at the top of Brown Mountain

I also celebrated my birthday on 23 February. It was a great fun, and we organised a ‘gallery opening’ as a little party. James was kind enough to let us use his hallway as a gallery space and everyone on station was tasked with spending an hour creating a portrait to hang in our display space. Everyone arrived in the evening embodying their best art critic personas and a special mention has to be made for Laura’s (Postmaster) installation, which really pushed the limits of creativity!

As we had a day off on my birthday, I went around Grytviken photographing the Fur Seal puppies – they love playing in the water!

And so, to answer the question at the start, we definitely do not get bored here!

One of the many beautiful February sunsets

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