Winter Wonderland

The snow has more than arrived in Seward! Its crazy how different the estate looks all bald with no leaves on the trees.

Our little snow angel still demands a daily walk though, I wish he would be a winter-pansy and just beg to stay inside when it drops under 30'F

So we head off down our road....

and I realise how lucky I am to live in such a beautiful place with my two fav boys.

The Alaska Railroad runs right behind our house and its a good place to walk Saebo as he can run free like the wind. Hearing the big train 'Choo Choos' is exciting too! (Though not as cool when it's at 2am)

New Tool Shows Up at Rig 7 ES

This video should explain almost all of the pictures below.

This fellow named Robin had his glory day all the Bosses were in the pipe shed where he has remained for 3 years without a promotion.

It might have something to do with the fact that 90% of this hitch he has been reading this book during work hours.

This is Robin's favorite Hiding spot right in the wheelwell were no one goes unless we are moving the rig. Or they are on a robin hunt like I was to get the picture.

This is what happens when the bit comes out of the hole.. I like to call it the dogpile.. all the big leaders come out of the wood work to see it.

This is my little dorm room back at the Man Camp. I have never met my roomate we work opposite shifts so there is only one person here at a time...

Boat Duty

(Editorial note: Above picture definitiely NOT taken today)

While Craig is bringing in the bacon up on the frigid North Slope of Alaska, it was also just as chilly down in seward today. (-6'C not including the lovely 50 mph gusts that are blowing)

I am on boat watch while Craig is away and today was not a good day as far as boat watching goes. Alarms were going off, water leaking into the boat was scary high and I was f**king freezing my ass off down there.

This video actually makes the harbour scene look far more pleasant that it was..

After two hours of water pumping we got it all under control, I was going to treat myself to a can of coke leftover in the boat but unfortunately it was frozen solid.

Lucky for me I had my own personal heater waiting at home who didn't seem to mind warming up my cold feetsies.

Back to Bird TLC

After being out of commission for a couple of weeks, I returned to Bird TLC this monday and tuesday to give a helping hand, or atleast left hand.

I was greeted by this strange creature above and thought perhaps I had got lost and ended up at Bat TLC or something...(This Northern Hawk Owl is keen to go I think!)






Mr Merlin #1 above is quite a cutie, though he has a voracious appetite and will not hesitate to try prying through his enclosure to get to some mousey-goodness.



'Petra', our famous Bald Eagle was slightly confused by the gadget that I took this picture with; apparently an i-Phone is new to her so she had to check it out.

'One day your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure its worth watching'

So I (Amy) had a car crash on 11/2/08. Here's what the Anchorage Daily News Trooper Report said about it:

Location: Moose PassCase number: 08-91239Type: Motor Vehicle Collision with Injuries: On 11/2/08, at 1711 hours, Troopers responded to mile 32 of theSeward Highway for a report of a single vehicle collision. An investigaiton showed that Amy Kilshaw, 27 of Seward, was driving northbound on the Seward Highway when she lost control coming out of a curve.Kilshaw's vehicle slid into the oncoming lane and went into the ditch where it collided with an embankment. Kilshaw was wearing a seat belt and sustained non-life threatening injuries. Alcohol was not a factor in the collision. Author: DJC09Received Monday, November 03, 2008 9:03 AM and posted Monday, November 03, 2008 9:17 AM
AK Wildlife Troopers

Its very strange to read such an account of your life. It was really really scary, as in 'thought I was going to die' scary but I didn't! Yay, in fact I held up remarkably well but the truck not soo much.

I was going very fast when I crashed head on.

As you can see I tried to separate the cab from the truck bed and smash the back windows out everywhere.

I'm very very thankful I was wearing my seatbelt and I'm very glad for airbags.











The worst part for me about all this was that my partner in life wasn't there to make it all OK. Craig was out on a Hunting Trip in Prince William Sound so he didn't know till he got home 3 days later.

I have some amazing friends in Alaska who got me through some really rough days (Cindy Swan and Julie Atkinson-Elde in particular). You are wondeful people and my angels.

I'm forever indebted to the perfect strangers who came to help me on the highway and all the wondeful staff at Seward Providence Medical Center and the volunteer Ambulance Crew.


“What makes life worth living is knowing that one day you'll wake up and find the person that makes you happier than anything in the whole world. So don't ever lose hope and give up, everything turns out okay and the good guy always wins.”

6th Picture Game

I was tagged by my mother-in-law to be, Ina Offret in her blog (see it listed to the right) to do the sixth picture game!

Here's the deal; You have to find the sixth photo folder on your computer and find the sixth picture to post on your blog. Mine came from the folder 'Archive' and here it is:

This picture is of 'Woody', the male Steller Sealion that lives at the Alaska Sealife Center in Seward. This was during one of his daily training sessions and he is doing a wonderful display of his 'stand up' and 'tongue out' behaviours.

I worked at the ASLC for 4 years, mainly in the bird department but I also did a 3 month-stint as a trainee mammalogist where I got to work with the Sealions and Harbor seals.

I had alot of fun getting to know these creatures and working in this department..though I would take cleaning up bird poop over sealion poop anyday of the week :)

Just Relaxing...

I got a ride into town yesterday just to get out of the house and have a latte. This is the view from the upstairs of the Resurrection Art Coffee shop in Seward, I would love to just sit here everyday!

I was hoping to see the Prodigy coming home early from its trip, but Craig actually called me from a satellite phone out on Montague Island saying they were stuck in a storm so he won't actually be home till Wednesday :(

I'm a sucka for our canine companions so of course I made friends with the owners dog who is a sweetie. 'Lucas' was probably more interested in my muffin crumbles but I was glad for the company all the same!

Welcome to the World Matthew!

With just one photo you have my heart already little man!

I'm very very proud to announce my Sister Sophie gave birth to a baby boy, Matthew John Garbett on the 7th November at 3:43am! Weighing 7lbs 12 Oz. I have no clue if this makes him a chunka or not but I don't really care- My sister just had a baby its the nearest thing to me ever having a baby!

My sister lives in South London so I never saw the bump in the flesh but thank the lord for inventions such as phones, email, cameras and webcams.

I'm sooo excited for them, my sister's profession is Pediatric Nursing but regardless I know she will be the best mother in the whole world, she takes after our mum in that regard!

Sophie finally got married in June 2007 to her dude Richard, who she has been with for about a trillion years. It was a beautiful ceremony at our historic local church in the tiny village of West Chiltington we grew up in. The church of St Mary is un-restored and has a spire covered with oak shingles and ancient paintings dating from the 12th, 13th and 14th century can be clearly seen on the walls inside the building.
The village stocks and whipping post (yes, seriously) are preserved outside the church and are believed to have been constructed in the mid 17th century (Now I live in the USA I appreciate the history of where I grew up so much more).

In true English fashion it rained and rained, but nothing kept our spirits down. I just love this picture below of Dad trying to keep my sister and her beautiful dress dry.

The reception was in a marque in the garden of our parents house where we all grew up-it was completely amazing.

We do weddings abit differently in the UK, and by differently I mean we try to fit in as much drinking time as humanly possible. Firstly, you get married in the early afternoon after a champagne breakfast. Then you head to the reception and stand around for an hour or two for more champagne and nibbles, then you eventually get seated and have more booze and dinner, then you party it up till the early hours.

When Sophie and Rich took to the stage for their first dance, they seriously did not leave the dancefloor until the band started packing up at 2am. Badass's.

But anyway! After slightly (!) detouring on my sister's wedding back to baby Matthew!

This is my first letter to my new nephew so please pass it along to him,

'Matty,

I'm so glad you have arrived safely and healthy. You are very lucky for being born into a such loving, beautiful, dang-good looking family.

You have peeps all over the world so just think of the awesome places you get to visit and stay for free! You've scored an Uncle who has a fishing boat so you can come to Alaska and learn how to be all manly and shoot some big game and catch fish 200 times your current weight. This may or may not help you score with the British ladies someday.

(I on the other hand will teach you how to correctly identify every single bird in the world which secretly impresses the ladies also)

FYI-Seeming you put ya Mum through 24 hours of labour she may decide to vex that back upon you someday by either producing 5 sisters for you or maybe giving you her embassing genes of thumb-sucking into her late twenties.

Seriously though my little man, I can't wait to meet you and I promise as soon as U.S immigration let me out I will be on a plane pronto! By then you won't just be a squish anyway.

Much love from your most awesomely cool, Aunty Amy xx'

Love you Sis xxxxxxxx

Here me now...

Halloween is my fav holiday, mainly because the yanks really know how to let their hair down. Growing up in the country in England, I never got to go trick or treatin and the adults don't really celebrate it like they do in here. Its my one night a year I intentially plan to get absolutely abliterated.

Craig flew in from the slope yesterday, spent the afternoon shopping for his Ali G costume in Anchorage and drove home. I was quite the housewife and made him a pumpkin cake from scratch, so we blew out some belated birthday candles and consumed a bottle of bubbles. The alcohol was essential so I could block out the fact I was dressed so scantily.

For those of you who don't know who we are dressed up as, Amy Winehouse is a British singer who is more widely known for her crazy hair, hooka attire and slight drug addiction.

Ali G is a satirical fictional character played by a British comedian, Sacha Baren Cohen who also played Borat.

We hit the town, and I was bitter Ali G was getting more attention. This quickly changed after I downed some vodka shots and lost my big fleece I was hiding my half-naked body under.

I have to toot my own horn for how much time I invested on my Amy Winehouse Tattoos, I drew them freehand, scanned them, got some fancy injet tattoo paper but then had to wait for Craig to get home to work out how to use the stuff.

Good times with some long time friends. My friend Sarah (Wilma) in the picture below has just moved back to Seward. Sarah and I were interns together when I first came to Alaska. We met her- now husband at the local bar on my first night out in Alaska. I'm stoked she's back in Seward!

When it was time to go home we were waiting and waiting for a cab but with only 2 cars in town on any holiday you are pretty much screwed.

Craig decided we weren't going to wait any longer and said he'd drive even though we'd both have blown a Breathalyzer through the roof. I was hardly in any mental state to argue.

Well on the main road out of town we see those blue flashings lights behind us. Oh s**t.

I am completely freaking out while Craig is remaining calm though I know his heart is probably coming out of his chest right now.

The cop says we were swirving and speeding which was complete crap but Craig doesn't admit anything. Craig left his driving license back in Guatemala 8 months ago and we can't find the insurance card so the cop goes back to his car. This gives Craig enough time to tell me to calm down and look pissed off with the cop not scared for my life.

Cop comes back and asks Craig to get out of the car, I look back and there are 3 cops standing around him. At this point I start praying, and for all of you who don't know me I was raised by an atheist so I'm obviously getting pretty desperate.

Craig comes back and gets in the car, cop comes back and issues him a ticket for not having proof of insurance but as long as he produces it there will be no problems. The cop almost seems apologetic.

We drive off and I stare at my babe and realise I am spending the rest of my life with the most jammy git in the whole world. Only Craig Offret can get pulled over on Halloween at 2am and managed to talk his way out of it.