The Cargo Box... Is Finished

And it was worth waiting for...
Made and fitted by Glen Crawford of Croule Engineering in Whangarei, he is an absolute craftsman.
The inside will have a sheet of ply on the bottom and on the shelf frame...
That leaves a place at the end for tall stuff.
The doors... One opens up... He made a 'stay' that props it up... The bottom is held level on wires or can drop right down.
The retro railing on the top follows the line of the window and makes my 'deck' which will turn into my edible garden. The water access has been relocated, all beautifully piped and joined.
The finished product looks and is amazing...
It will hold so much of my outdoor stuff.

Inside My Bedford...

Slowly it's beginning to look like me...
Spring flowers... In candle sticks as vases!
I love flowers.

The corner of my kitchen...
Four very functional hobbs, a full size oven underneath which I don't use much. If I was installing one myself I would have a half size oven or a bench top...

My bits and pieces that I use all the time sit on the little shelf...
I mix Himalayan salt with kelp... So that's in the jar.
I have just bought a new pepper grinder... It was expensive but a lifetime warranty... So I'll leave it to somebody in my will!
The absolutely essential roll of paper towel, I use lots of them for wiping and cleaning... They save water.
The black bottle I bought home from Sydney. It's actually a boutique beer bottle. I keep olive oil in it... Yes organnic of course!
My 'absolutely must have' coffee  espresso. I  brew it up every mid-morning. I'm really fussy about coffee, it has to be just right... For me. I buy certified organic to avoid the 16 chemicals used in coffee processing.
My little 2 cup tea pot... This I found in The Warehouse... And my tea caddy with lovely Japanese figures on it for my loose leaf green tea... A friend gave it to me recently... It's old but I love it. And the ever important gas lighter. I'm looking for a new whistling kettle. This one was cheap, can't remember where I bought it but the handle falls over... As you can see, gets hot and burns my hands. Something 1970's retro would be nice


I have six of these plastic 10L water bottles but until I have more space... When the cargo box is finished... I only carry two. When a water tap  is available wherever I might be parked I fill them up, it saves draining my big water tank when filling with a hose is not an option. This system works very well, I can carry them full and lift to pour out the water... My arm muscles are getting stronger in the process!


And... of course a kitchen rubbish tin... These are are two stainless stock pots... They serve several purposes, firstly a rubbish container... or for heating water for an outside shower... Or for putting outside when it rains to catch water. This is very important in more isolated places where no water is available except the 210 litres I carry in my big tank.

I have been looking for decorating ideas. I want them to be the varied colours of sea and sand. Well the upholstery is the sand so the bits and pieces will be the sea.

I found this mat at the Trade Aid shop in Whangarei. It is perfect to build other things around.

I friend gave me the beautiful blue frame. I need to find a picture for it or take a photo. I think it's gorgeous... Both the friend and the frame!

And I found the big shell at Uretiti.

My latest find was the tall candle holders.
They are really for outside but I will cut them a bit shorter and stand them in an old 'crock' that I have, and put sand in the bottom.
It used to be my grandmother's, she preserved eggs in it... Do you remember those 'old days'?
I'll put tea light candles in them and slowly find some interesting tall sticks to make a collection...

So it's slowly happening.

Win... Win... Win...

This is my friend Di.
I met Di and her husband Hugh two summers ago at the NZMCA PoP site at Manganese Point, not far from Whangarei.
Di taught me to  play RummyKub. It's become one of my favourite games...
The other being Scrabble which I play online with a friend in Christchurch through Facebook.
Well... A couple of days ago who pulled up beside me at the Whangarei Town Basin, in their Toyota Coaster but Di & Hugh.
I hadn't seen them for ages so we had a great reunion.
The next day we had a really cold grey miserable day so what better to do than turn on the heater and stay snug inside and play RummyKub.
Since last seeing Di I have played with another friend and he must have taught me a few things...
We played eight games... right up to dinner time... and I won seven of them.
This is the game I lost...
Perhaps it was the glass of wine...

I Met Another Old School Bus...

This bus is a Bedford 1977 J3.
It was a school bus on the Hukerenui run (North of Whangarei) until 2006.
It met, nose on, with an accident, was written of by the insurance company and is now owned by Rex Steadman & Zelda Pepa.
Rex is a panel beater and over the last five years has dedicated lots of hours, hard work and love into making this bus a home on wheels.
They do not live in it full time...
Yet...
But that's the plan.
It hasn't been officially named but is known as 'The Bus.'
I love looking at what other people have done and there are infinite variations as we all want something different.

I envy Rex and his ability with steel and aluminium.
He has built a new little kitchen...
Because the motor is outside he has accommodated three comfortable swivelling seats in a very small area and a  little table that folds down when travelling.
He has left the original big window in the back, took out the emergency door and added new opening windows on each side shaped to suit the style of the bus.
I love all the light and sun this lets in.
In my bus all original rear windows and door were taken out and only a small window at the back put in.
The bed sits on a steel frame and aluminium door security screening - for ventilation. At the moment when lifted up it is held up by a broom handle but the plan is to put gas struts.
This makes it so easy to access all the storage space under the bed.
The rear windows and bed lifting up on struts are definitely on my wish list.

Parua Bay... A Winter Afternoon...

This is Parua Bay...
About 20km from Whangarei round the harbour.
I escaped the concrete car park where I was for a few days and came to the beach.
It's lovely - but cold - by Northland standards.
The tide's out and nobody much around but a walk in the sun well wrapped up was very nice.
I'm here with a couple of friends in their buses...
We are all lined up in the sun.
I've also been fiddling with my bike. I bought a new 'gel' seat so put that on and adjusted the height. Also bought some oil so have oiled everything that looked like it needed it.
The new seat has its own cover so one less plastic bag to tie on.
It's held onto the rack with straps and bungy cords...
I have also worked out how to put the lock through the wheels and onto the rack...
So it ceases to be an easy target for anybody who thinks they might like it more than I do.

The Lights Are Done... Moved and Rewired...

Well here I am at Auto Tech...
Again...
Or still!
Backed into the workshop out of the rain.
Young Cam did the job and did it very well.
The number plate was shifted, that meant a new light...
The old one when taken off was past its use by date.
The rear lights came off, new wiring encased in a protective sheath, was taken up the top of the box then down the side.
The bottom photo is the end result and I'm back on the road.
You can see the access to the  fresh water tank, that's the next thing to be re-located and then the doors...
One up on gas struts and one down to make a work bench.

The Work Continues...

Today the framework has been completed. The curved end bits fit perfectly.
The box is ready, a few trimming touches to make the curve fit and on it goes...
The framework fits inside the box and the box is riveted to the frame.
Right now the rear lights are being relocated and rewired.
So more tomorrow...