the long way round

yes, i’m aware of basic english grammar and no i did not write this post after a long night of fun. it’s probably that ‘dad joke’ thing natalie like to complain about. anyway, as i was saying the sink slide (get it now?) on the kk was a bit notchy and there was not a…

the outside kitchen sink has always moved rather badly, instead of smoothly sliding in and out there was a decidedly jerky motion accompanied by grinding sounds. clearly the slides had to be replaced. drilling out 12 rivets can’t be that hard, right? and then re-rivet the new slides i ordered from kk headquarters. except ……

when i installed the simarine pico and removed the victron battery monitor it left an unsightly hole. we can’t have a hole in the control panel of our beautiful van, that would be unprofessional. i thought about what we could use to cover it up, that would look ok and be useful at the same…

most of the time things are more complicated than they really should be but then there are those instances when things can go the other way. take this one for example, the hepvo valve. since there is no room in the van for a proper syphon one either deals with the smell coming back from…

that snorkel looks the business but we needed snowflake to bulk up a little more; the outback is a tough place. it’s also full of tough animals that despite many years of coexistence with motorized vehicles still have not grasped the basics of road safety. on the upside it is accepted practice to avoid sharp…

so far our dear discovery a.k.a. snowflake has led a charmed life. all she had to do was ferry one (other) little princess and her mum to school and back. not a particularly difficult task for a car that is supposed to be a tough as nails off road warrior. she did do a little…

they say it saves marriages. i can totally see how; the treg hitch is a simple but effective piece of engineering, allowing the trailer – car connection to articulate in every possible direction while still establishing a strong constant link. there is only one little problem: it requires precise alignment, or else the little pin…

especially things that really should be. here is an example: you have a single din sized slot for a car radio, so when you buy a single din sized car radio you should be able to expect that the thing drops straight in, right? i would have thought so. maybe, just maybe, it’s also a…

with almost all the prep work done it was time to install that tank. a few more little tweaks, like the cable routing on top. the thick one on the right is for the water coming from the internal sink, the thinner one for the overflow and ventilation and the cable comes from the sender.…

since i unexpectedly received the grey water tank kit much earlier than expected i again spent quality time under the van. it’s actually pretty good, especially since it appears my liberal application of insecticide has persuaded the red backs to move on (in one way or another) plus since the van has a high ground clearance it…

christmas came early this year. kris and i were just running some errands – like booking snowflake in for a little surgery – when we found a little pallet sitting on our doorstep. i was not expecting anything. least of all from the people in ballina who are otherwise known for building tiny apartments on…