Veni, Vidi, Vici!

Hardly any wind today, makes a change, so the gang set about practising. Sparky, as always, went first. A little tail shake, a little dive into the chute. He must have been doing 60kph when he shot out into clean air, wings extended. Went for 45 metres in what can only be described as a 'power glide'. Awesome! The flurry of snow as he skidded to a halt! Jean Claude Killy would have been proud!

Also managed to get the 'lube' out of the station yesterday. I'm just glad they're mostly Brits at the station. It means they get supplied from the UK. It's an awful lot easier getting a tube of KY out under your wing, undiscovered, than the bl**dy bottles of Dr Johnson's the Americans use. Mind you, I was surprised at the variety of 'items' in the good Frau Doktorin's cupboard, fair made my eyes water! Well at least I now know what the lube's for! And all this time, I've been thinking electric toothbrushes............

Spent most of the day milling around on the periphery so I could watch the gang. By the end of the day they'd all got the basics off pat. Sparky said it was so like swimming in the sea, just faster. It was more a 'mental' thing, he said, rather than physical. It was so much easier to get it right if you just 'believed' you were in water, not air. Tomorow they start on the tricky stuff. I also have to find a stop watch for Cozy. He needs someone to time him with lube and without. No, I've told you, all in good time.

Most of the newbie Brits went off on their skidoos this morning. It's a kind of ritual every year. One of the experienced researchers gathers them all up and they go off to Scott's base camp. Paying homage, I think they call it

Funny sub species, the Brits. Now, as a whole, homo sapiens are about as arrogant as orcas, maybe even more so. Always so superior, always demonstrating how wonderful they are. How they can damn or save the planet whenever they like. But the Brits? They're emabrrased about being successful. No, honestly! The only real historical date the Brits remember is 1066. Why? Because King Harold Godwinson whipped the arse off the invading Vikings at Stamford Bridge, having marched his army 200 miles in a couple of weeks? No! They remember it because three months later they FAILED to do the same thing to the invading Normans! They don't remember the year, but they do remember that day and month when someone FAILED to blow up their parliament. They go and pay homage to a man who FAILED to get to the South Pole first. Why?

Does anyone remember Crecy? Agincourt? Do they remember the year of Trafalgar? Nope! But they'll tell you when the Yanks landed on the moon. When D-Day was (mostly Yanks, just a few Brits). So what is it about losing that attracts the Brits so much?

Is it really about 'playing the game', win or lose? Or are they so embarrssed by the bloody mess they made by being successful, empire, Rhodesia, Pakistan, Israel etc etc that they want to forget all that and concentrate on being losers?

I know you're just dying to ask so...................Yes, had a toboggan down the test rig this afternoon! Only one, mind. I have responsibilities! Truly awesome. Now that was so much closer to what I imagine flying to be like! Dream on, Kiwi!