The van design has been chosen. I'd love to share it with you all on here, but I think I'll leave it until it is finished, just in case it doesn't look as good as the design pictures. I'm hoping it will be eye catching. In fact, I'm sure, one way or another, it will be eye catching.
Slowly but surely the Windy places are being filled. Considering we are still 16 months from kick off, to have as many teams as we have booked in has got to be good news. Well over half are claimed and I'm still awaiting several more teams to sort out their staffing issues and complete the process. Even more impressive is the number of teams now in possession of their vehicles. I firmly expected most to wait until after the summer of 2012, so that they would only have one MOT to negotiate and only one year of insurance. But no, you impulsive lot have all rushed out and frittered your money already on a right bag of old tripe. Well done !
We are seeing a lot of vans being purchased. Ever since I was offered my VW T25 (Jezebel it is now to be called, after the wife), it seems that teams are favouring this plan of having somewhere to sleep on board. Team 6 have their VW T4, Team 9 have some sort of long wheel based ex-school bus and Team 15 have a Renault SWAT van with it's own private toilet.
So, what progress on Jezebel you ask ? Designs (as I mentioned) are on the drawing board (well, on my phone at least). Hairyman at JB Restorations has taken some of the paint off. It's a bit concerning as it looks like this paint is all that is holding the bodywork together. The front section of the van is hand painted, whereas the back 2/3 are dull, faded red. The sliding door is the main concern. Having taken off some of the paint, the door resembles Swiss cheese. He assures me it is fixable and cheaper than buying a new one (£250, which is as much as I paid for the entire van). I have faith in him. He may not have evolved enough to wear shoes yet, but his bodywork skills are admirable. He says he is putting steel in to some parts of the bodywork to replace the rusty sections. I think our van may be bullet proof and weigh more than a double decker bus by the time he's finished.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to the forthcoming Spring and to organising a few Windy events. Camping, treasure hunts, 3 Peaks Challenge. It's going to be tough fitting it all in around Lord Coe's sports day in the Summer.
