Finis 2010

21 December 1910

Wilson went over to the floe to capture some pengiuns and lay flat on the surface. We saw the birds run up to him, then turn within a few feet and rush away again. He says that they came towards him when he was singing, and ran away again when he stopped. They were all one-year old birds, and seemingly exceptionally shy; they appear to be attracted to the ship by a fearful curiosity.

R.F. Scott

They have lost none of their attractiveness—they are most comical and very interesting—as curious as ever, they will always come up at a trot when we sing to them, and you will often see a group of explorers on the poop singing ‘for she’s got bells on her fingers and rings on her toes, elephants to ride upon wherever she goes’, and so on at the top of their voices to an admiring group of Adak[?] Penguins. Meares is the greatest attraction, and he has a full voice which is musical, but always very flat. He declares that ‘God save the King’ will always send them into the water and certainly it is often successful.

E.A. Wilson

2010 has been quite the year, all right. My heartfelt gratitude goes out to everyone who has made it awesome. No one has made it miserable, so that would be all of you. I feel like I've absorbed all the good fortune of the rest of the world, so here's to a 2011 which is better for everyone else!