Typing this from a very remote B&B somewhere near Kirriemuir - birth place of JM Barry - sitting in bed to keep warm - it's surrounded by snow here. You will note from our location that we are rather far off the track of B&J but today has been pursuit of personal interests a go go.

It has also felt like the first real day of the trip - we were at the Art college for the day hanging out with their computers and talking about electronic art etc. We were taken round the showthere by Dierdre Mackenna and afterwards had lunch with Lei and Steve from the TVI dept and Cynthia who is visiting them - wierdly unplanned meeting, felt actually very normal and work like. Once we left Dundee (goodbye one way hello hills) we were suddenly out in the wilds. The countryside has started to change now and is becoming pretty bleak and open. Came across a ruined church on a detour looking for this place - really beautiful with a big topiary tribute in the grounds and a pictish carving.

The other big Antarctic related news from today is that I went round the Discovery this afternoon in Dundee - it was apparently built here (although there was a rumour spreading that they weren't actually sure that this was THE one as another was built in Liverpool - did feel like the real biscuit though.) Karen waited in the car whilst I got misty eyed at the scenes of 'Antarctica today'. In case you don't know (I didn't) discovery was the ship Scott took down before the final mission and it was trapped for two years before a whaling ship freed it from 10 miles of ice with explosives!

I have a pretty low tolerance threshhold for these expo's normally but I have to say the ship itself was actually quite gripping - the back projected video displays weren't bad either didn't even go to the cafe! The cabins and living quarters inside were fantastic - the chairs could have the leather seats flicked over to wicker for when they were in hot climates! Still very hard to imagine actually spending two winters in the constant dark stuck in the ice on there though, despite great furniture and a cat.

Work wise a good day - had some time online this morning to fix the home page (I hope ) and also the landscape flicks should start to flood in now we've sussed that. We would be totally snookered without the quicktake - we maybe low on Art Ideas so far but we do have a LOT of 'road movie' type blurry photos.





FRIDAY