Up at 8. Breakfast nearly over – afterwards we discover that it has been changed to 7.30. Only Tove Birkelund, Ulla and I turn up.
Thin fog hides all the views but weak sunshine penetrates and blue sky is visible above. I write diary.
After lunch Ulla and I go for a long walk in tennis shoes. We go down the long air-strip and find a shed full of vehicles – lorry and two weasels, and outside a roller for the airstrip.
A young male white husky comes with us and is very entertaining, keeping close by us all the time. Ulla has to divert its attention when we find a minute baby snow-hare. It is brown with black tops to its long ears, and quite round.
I photograph it from a few inches distance. It is quite unafraid. Then before I can take a second picture it clambers clumsily off over the rubbish it was sheltering in and lollops off over the stony ground, big black legs flying out to both sides. We can’t follow because of the dog.
We find a road going down to the fjord and follow it. Skuas dive over the dog in anger but ignore us. The dog plays in the snow and gallops through lakes.
At the coast we stare at a single iceberg locked in the continuos pack-ice – beautifull clean air, fine mountains all round.
We try to walk back over the soft ground and get unbelievably delayed and diverted by melt-water seepage and streams. Find raised-beach shells on the ground. Get wet feet. The dog stays near us and cannot understand our slowness and lunges at us and gallops round like a mad thing, inviting games and chases.
Home at 4. Read until supper.
The helicopter at last arrives at 5.30. Afterwards weigh our camps – each in total 300 kg including ourselves. Ulla plays table-tennis with Peter, I read in a sunny corner.
At coffee at 9, Claus and Eckart Håkansson return, having seen a tame lemming on the hill and the immovable goose on her nest and photographed them. Then at last we get Christensen to allow us to choose our alcohol rations – we chose two port bottles, a whiskey and a Grand Marnier.
The others celebrate in the monkeys’ quarters, but Ulla and I write and go to bed at 11.
A heavy cloud comes over from North during and after supper.
