So, this old girl needs to go. She's nearly 50 years old and needs a spruce-up top to bottom and inside-out. A mighty big order.
This is one of the things I do when I'm not writing, and the writing timetable is intense at
the moment with a publishing date looming in May. Writing is sedentary and a long game in terms of results. You face that blank page or screen and it can be years before the book reaches your readers.
Practical jobs are the perfect foil because I get to move around and do varied tasks that show results.
Wish I could do the big reveal on this one when it's utterly transformed and stunning, but that's a ways off, and with the weather now colder and wetter, the exterior tart-up is stymied for the moment.
Still, there's been plenty done in the 20-odd work days so far. I began at the bottom, literally. The chassis is the metal frame the whole shebang is attached to. Being steel, it's prone to rust, especially in Aotearoa's salty, coastal climate.
I de-rusted and painted the frame 20-plus years ago, which has helped to preserve it. But it needed re-doing and it's not a pleasant job.
I spent 8 days underneath the van grinding and wire-brushing the rust scale and old paint from the entire frame and axles. Then it all had to be cleaned down and rust-converted to neutralise the surface. After that, paint. Two coats. What a mission.
So happy to tick that job off the list, which is a lengthy one.
Next up, prep of the roof and exterior for total repaint.
Ditto the inside where some small repairs are also needed for dinged-up doors, a broken window to replace, bench-top removal and replacement, build a full-time double bed-frame, replace some framing timber in the rear corner from a historic leak and move a couple of power-points. Oh, and new flooring. Then everything has to be sanded and primed and painted.
And there's always more fiddly little jobs like revamping the interior light fittings and fixing the exterior running lights and routing new wiring for that,
Maybe I won't be done 'til spring. But I can assure you it's gonna look a damn sight brighter and prettier than it currently does in the images above.
In fact, here's a little teaser below of how the outside is shaping up.
Anyway, there's a new Cal Nyx adventure about to be released and later this year, a standalone crime novel set in Aotearoa. So, if that's your cup-of-tea, sign up on the Contact page for updates or follow on the FB author page or TikTok.
Right, back into it. Be patient ... the before and after pics will be worth it I reckon. :)
I love how thorough you are!
Very noice. Are you aiming to get her on the road again?