We’ve had a couple of visits over to OEC since the last Blog entry; I went over last Friday and Rachel last Wednesday. things have progressed nicely and this week saw the pod go onto the base vehicle for the final time!

The Azalai pod is on!

My visit last week was with my Brother and his family so they could get a feel what we were about here. It was clear that much had gone on. The suspension airbags were all fitted and were being tested (plus a neat pressure dial fitted to the gear tunnel cowling). The plumbing was just about all there – essentially waiting for the main water tank to be fitted with the rest of its insulation before the last few bits could be completed. The seats were wired in, again with their switches neatly and conveniently sited on the transmission tunnel. The electrical essentials were all in place under the second-row of seats (in the redundant space boxed in by Land Rover) and both batteries were good to go.

The smaller steering wheel from QT was a great innovation, loads more room to accommodate the refitted hand-controls and no need to adapt the wiper stalk. Because it is a racing wheel, there was no cancel for the indicators. Paul had fixed this by inserting a small screw in-lieu – he wanted to paint it black, such is his attention to detail – I wouldn’t have even known it was there unless he’d pointed it out – it could have been pink for all I cared! To your credit Paul though – fair dues.

QT (smaller) Wheel - note the extra room adjacent to the door to accommodate hand controls

The chequer plate on the bonnet and wings makes the vehicle look very purposeful indeed, and should be a useful aid to getting stuff in and out of the roof-rack (for Rachel at least).

Black Chequer Plate makes 'Paula' look hard!

This week then, it was really fantastic for Rachel to be able to confirm that the pod was fitted on her visit. The end of the build really isn’t far off now and that is very good news indeed (both for us and those in the full order-book queue no doubt). However there is still a bit to do – not least the tail-lift. Paul confidently assured me that if what he had in his head “came-off, then we will be better off than we ever thought we would be”. There was an assuredness about his assertion and I look forward to seeing what he can contrive – but I am confident it will be more than fit for purpose. Engineering definitely matters at OEC, and all of the guys there clearly take personal pride in the successful outcome of their labour – something to bear in mind if you are looking to get any work done yourself (and I’m not even paid to say that).

Centre Console with Suspension Pressure Gauge and Seat Switches

Now the Azalai pod is on Paul is in a position to progress the lift. he had said he was hoping to build a template/prototype in wood to check that the levers are correct, before embarking on the fabrication in metal. Once the lift unit is built and in place, the trim can go on (which in itself is apparently a time consuming job).

Insert Tail-lift here!

(My) Current estimate remains the end of September then – which unfortunately will see the last of our planned summer shake-down opportunities pass. On an upbeat note regarding this though, Mrs H has joined the Royal Geographical Society and there are a few RGS events that are relevant throughout the winter. We are now building these into our plans (mainly in the areas of expedition medicine, driving techniques and expedition planning).

We have got a date to meet up with Simon Ward-Hastelow, the editor of Land Rover World Magazine towards the end of the month. I also got the first copy from our subscription this week, and a good read it is too. Hopefully we’ll have a story up to the calibre.

A couple of local Rotary branches have enquired whether I can do some talks here and there, so it’s a case of ‘have projector will travel’. I’m looking forward to sharing some of our learning to date as well as having a chance to explain what we are up to as well as the work of www.Motivation.org.uk

Andrew Hooper donates to Motivation

The Herald Express and Brixham News  articles seem to have caught the attention of a few people who have subsequently made contact to find out a bit more about what we are trying to achieve. We have had another fantastic donation for www.motivation.org.uk  from Andrew Hooper which amounts to another wheelchair and constructive re-engagement in society for a disabled person in the developing world. Thanks Andrew (and everyone else who has contributed to date) – we have now raised £655 (+ £180 gift aid) towards our preliminary charity target of £3k (which we’d love to smash!) . We’ve also had our first pledge towards the Expedition Budget too -  (thanks to Will Smith  – X ).

Planning for the fundraising Gourmet Fish Demo and Lunch at the Bickley Mill are at an advanced stage and several tables have already been sold. We’d love to see you there and please do get in touch if you’d like to attend.

Tags: adaptation, Azalai, Build, O.T., OEC, Press, Specification, Sponsorship, Transmission, Vehicle, www.motivation.org.uk

It’s been quiet on the vehicle stakes since the last update from our perspective  - OEC continue to beaver away though, and hopefully we’ll pop out later this week/early next to get an update. (I know that the cooker hob [Diesel Wallas] is being fitted as Anton called to ask us where we would  like him to put the exhaust – no jokey answers given and it goes through the locker where a gas bottle would have been). 

Outside of the garage I have been working on a project to develop a fit for purpose GPS that can run T4A (Tracks for Africa) and Open Source maps too – so that pins us to a Garmin based system. The problem is that due to market forces, Garmin currently only do tiny screen consumer models, and even tinier screened hand-helds. These units show you less than enough of the surround than is ideal for overlanding. Of course there are the marine and aeronautical plotters – but they come with a disproportionate price tag for our purpose! Luckily, historically it wasn’t always thus… 

Garmin did produce ‘Garmin Mobile PC ‘ software, which can still be found pretty easily on-line for about £60. It was designed to turn GPS enabled laptops into vehicle navigation units – with a similar (and I think better) interface as the one you’d find on a Nuvi. It includes a set of Euro City Navigator maps – but do note that unlike their GPS units, it will not let you unlock other Garmin maps!  However you can easily load (via Mapsource) unlocked maps – such as T4A and Open Source. 

Next I purchased a battered CF-18 Toughbook tablet on E-bay. this is really old-hat spec wise (XP, 60gbHDD, 512 MB RAM 4000 hours on the clock) – but easily has enough umph to run mapping, and it is certainly tough. I’ve paired it with a bluetooth GPS receiver and with it’s rudimentary touch-screen - Bob’s Your Uncle! A 12″GPS unit with turn-by-turn navigation, that should be up to everything a corrugated road can throw at it for not much more than a proprietary unit. The interface usefully will display grid locations, as well as a  few other niceties beyond those found on the current automotive crop. 

I’ll try to update the blog on its field performance, as I’m sure others must have come across the dearth of suitable units out there. 

Sans Rachel!

 The Herald Express have today published the recent interview, it reads OK to me, but inevitably within necessary, editorial constraints,  it is a precis of the discussion that we actually had that day. (Rachel is sulking a bit as she wasn’t in the picture that accompanied it!). We are hoping that we can stay in touch with the paper in the run-up and during the trip to hopefully entertain and inform those interested.

 Anton at OEC has also been banging on the bush-telegraph for us – and we have consequently made contact with Azalai owner and editor of Land Rover World magazine, Simon Ward-Hastelow. Simon can lay claim to fame in that he registered the UK’s first Azalai some three years ago. So he is the ideal man to determine that there might be some synergy in us getting together when he’s next in these ‘ere parts. Hopefully we can again get a few articles to LRW before and during the trip. The magazine certainly is an ideal media for just the sort of thing we’re doing and we hope that we can provide some material that will be of interest to the readers. 

Next weekend will see us camping, a chance to test a new pair of synthetic sleeping bags. These can be zipped together to form a duvet as well as be used in conventional (mummy style) form. We figured they’d be more versatile, packable and serviceable than a quilt in the Azalai. Certainly if you look at some of the night time temperatures at the time we are looking to travel accross some places, they will be a reassuring back-up to the Azalai’s heating and cosy shelter…..   Something that we will probably be proving sooner rather than later, as it is now inevitable that much of our shake-down will be happening in the winter.

Tags: biography, Charity, disability, Equipment, finance, funding, Gear, Info, motivation, O.T., OEC, philosophy, Press, reading, Sponsorship, T4A, www.motivation.org.uk

It seems with one thing and another, the theme of the last couple of weeks has been accommodating others – a perk of living in a beautiful part of the world, near the sea. Also, I have had the chance to engage in some frank discussions with my parents about what we need to do/arrange in order to accommodate the trip, the household, and their needs whilst we are away.

Now whereas there is no doubt that the enjoyment of the company of others is truly essential to maintain a happy, fulfilling life, I can’t help but ponder whether this can sometimes occlude attention that should be directed elsewhere….

One of the things that I’m really looking forward to in this trip is spending more time with Rachel. In fact it’s probably more than just time – it’s dedicated, unadulterated, unfettered and unrelenting(!) time together. Too often one might currently find conversations drifting to  mundane, trivial or routine matters, that in turn are reflections of the comfortable shared life that you can easily slip into as a couple. (We are married 17 years this year no less.) Don’t get me wrong, I have no real complaints – but as I’m writing this I’m trying hard not to think of a Spitting Image future as John and Norma Major, “Nice peas dear”, being the pinnacle of mutual interest as we decline into ‘lean and slipper’d pantaloon’ years.

All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players,
They have their exits and entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms.
Then, the whining schoolboy with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress’ eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden, and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon’s mouth. And then the justice
In fair round belly, with good capon lin’d,
With eyes severe, and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws, and modern instances,
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slipper’d pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose, and pouch on side,
His youthful hose well sav’d, a world too wide,
For his shrunk shank, and his big manly voice,
Turning again towards childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.

William (like you didn’t know) Shakespeare

I am pretty confident that our time together will be enhancing and cathartic. Already the mutual challenges and demands of planning the expedition are generating common goals, mutual working and new interest in areas that would otherwise never have been explored in our lifetimes. We are testing both our strengths and our shortcomings and doing so in the context of a confined Land Rover Defender cab and compact, bijou, Azalai accommodation. Inevitably there will be ups and downs – but for sure we will ultimately have more than peas to talk about in our own, developing strange eventful history.

And that alone justifies the ‘why’ in my mind.

Erberspacher heater unit and calorifier (blue) mounted on the azalai chassis

With regards to the build, we visited OEC last week and whereas there is clear (and quality) progress, I think it would be fair to say that we were disappointed by what seems to be a lot left to do at this time. Now this might well be our desperation to get our hands on the vehicle before the autumn. Bearing in mind that we were expecting the build to start Feb 2010, and even accounting for the auto-box transplant difficulties, the malevolent winter weather, the delayed delivery of the pods from France along with a pinch of salt leeway – it does seem a little bit too far behind to not be, justifiably, a teeny bit ticked-off. We may yet be surprised, as I’m sure the final ‘put-together’ will be relatively quick – but to our untrained eye we are estimating late September (a shame as our last planned summer trip is mid-Sept!)

That said, I think a lot is to do with some welcome, good, old fashioned engineer pride at OEC, in as much as each build stakes their reputation. For example the newly designed main water tank has just been deemed borderline fit for purpose as far as build quality goes; and so OEC have sourced a new supplier to build one that is more robust. There have been countless improvements like this along the way, and it definitely means that by not rushing, we will have a better, even more resilient product in the end. Paul is also going to fabricate the tail-lift himself (in the interests of fairness and given he wasn’t there when we visited – I think Martin will be involved too). He plans to build a wooden prototype once the pod has been finally mounted. This will allow him to check all of the angles before fabricating the actual lift itself. As he described it,  it sounds exactly like we’d envisaged. What I can’t gauge yet is the time that this might add to our already overextended build project. Still, as the saying goes, ‘worry about what you can influence – and leave engineers to do what they do best’

Stuff that’s been done:

• Colorifier and Eberspacher mounted with much plumbing for the same
• More Electrics gone in
• Final cuts and finishing panels done for Azalai (fitting these takes a lot of the remaining time – as Paul says, “well you could rush it, it would just look awful though, so you want to do it properly.” We’d agree.)
• Cut-through completed on back of cab

Obvious to-do’s

• Fit new, re-spec’d water tank
• Fit waste tank
• Fit auxiliary fuel tank
• Finish suspension mods
• Finish plumbing and wiring/electrics
• Solar Panel
• Fit cubby box when powder coated
• Mount Azalai
• Apply trimmings (roof and windows) and finishing panels
• Refit hand-controls
• Design, fabricate and fit lift

So are we happy – yes, but we do think it’s only fair to pressure OEC to pull out all he stops that they reasonably can now. We did accede to a request from them to pay a deposit late last year to secure a Feb/March build slot – and a three to four month lead time…..     But equally, I really don’t want them to think we are wanting them to compromise on their inherent high standards. Maybe I need to add patience to the list of personal virtues bestowed by engaging in this project (I’m sure Rachel would be grateful for that too!)

Tags: adaptation, Ashcroft, Azalai, biography, Build, disability, Equipment, Ethics, motivation, O.T., OEC, philosophy, Specification, Transmission, Vehicle, wheelchair

Thanks to……

HI. WE’RE PEDRO AND VERA AND WE’RE LAND ROVER ADDICTS…

World of Land Rover is a our personal little blog where we bring you news, articles, photos and videos of interest of Land Rover fans like us. But we don’t want to be the only ones writing here. You too canwrite a post about Land Rovers, your Land Rover club, mechanics or whatever you want, or just comment the posts. You can also just send us a message..

Check out this link: World of Land Rover.

Indlovu Drive 2011 Trans-Africa Expedition

Article by World of Land Rover, words and photos from harris.gb.net

DISABLED VENTURER, RICHARD HARRIS, HAS USED A WHEELCHAIR AND ELBOW CRUTCHES TO GET AROUND FOLLOWING A RUGBY ACCIDENT IN 1986. TOGETHER WITH HIS WIFE RACHEL, HE IS PLANNING TO UNDERTAKE A MAMMOTH OVERLAND DRIVE, FROM ZULULAND IN SOUTH AFRICA, ALL THE WAY BACK TO BRITAIN.

This is the kind of article I really enjoy. When you see on TV our on a magazine an article about someone that’s going to do something great for charity it almost feel like they live in another World, without the hardships and worries of “normal people”. Of course they have to find money for the trip as well as raising the funds for the charities they chose to support, but it almost seams effortless…

I read on in their blog, where Richard writes about their plans and the Defender preparation but also about bank loans and how they are going to pay for it all. These are normal people, like you and me, with jobs and mortgages and bills like the ones we pay. The difference is we’re sitting down reading about it on our computers but they are actually doing something worth mentioning.

What’s the story?

Richard has been living with the effects of a spinal cord injury since, as a rather clumsy 19 year-old rugby player; he single-handedly managed to break his neck. Since then he has trained and practised as an Occupational Therapist and through his love of rugby, wildlife and photography, has been drawn to visit South Africa many times. Luckily these are passions that Rachel shares too. The couple have self-driven many miles of photographic safari in that beautiful country, but are now desperate to explore more of the continent.

Richard explains, “We first visited South Africa in ’96 on a rugby tour. It was supposed to be ‘the’ trip of a lifetime – but we found, as have many others, that Africa grabs you – it gets under your skin – and so we have been back many times since. The challenges that people face given the fates of history and politics are incredible and inspiring. Every time we go back it’s different. You cannot fail to be moved by peoples’ spirit and resilience.”

Richard, Rachel and the Azalai Defender

So why the long trek?

“On our second visit, I distinctly remember seeing a French badged Land Rover Discovery in Hluhluwe game reserve. I thought ‘Wow, it’s possible to drive here from Europe!’ – Now that really is special. We looked into it but at the time there wasn’t a vehicle that could do the trip and let me stay independent in my self-care regimen. Things have moved on, and with buying and adapting the Azalai, we are now in touching distance of realising a very special ambition.

Both cite the personal development that comes from taking on such a venture. “It’s like doing another degree” Richard says, “The planning, research and reading is eating up the hours. It’s great fun though and it’s already a fulfilling experience before we’ve even driven a mile.” Rachel has her work cut out too, “I have somelessons in vehicle mechanics and maintenance booked, it’s essential that we can at least service the Land Rover as we go. This is certainly a new area for me but I am relishing the challenge and the experience.”

“The other children include me now. I can easily visit my friends and get to school. My wheelchair can cope with the rough ground here. It's good to have a chair that fits me, an adult's wheelchair would be too difficult to push.”

Land mines are a constant threat to children

Motivation – The charity
The Harris’ are proudly supporting the Bristol based charity ‘Motivation’. Their aim is to raise the profile of disabled people throughout the world and they have several projects in the countries to be traversed. Motivation’s work is categorised by three key issues: mobility, empowerment and inclusion. Their activities include the design and provision of low-cost appropriate wheelchairs, vocational training programmes to help disabled people access and lobby for their rights in society, and they work with other organisations to include disabled people into their work and programmes. By focusing in these areas they aim to positively impact on the physical, social and economic situation of people with mobility disabilities.

There is a clear synergy given Richard’s history and his career in Occupational Therapy. “I am really thrilled that Motivation are letting us support them and their work. Most people will be shocked to know that the U.N. Statistical Office estimates there are 20 million people in the world who need a wheelchair but don’t have one – so anything to help is welcome.”

 

The Azalai Camper – Land Rover 130 Conversion

The Azalai promises accessible living and sleeping space, masses of equipment storage, catering facilities suitable for long hauls and crucially, to meet Richard’s care needs, even an onboard toilet & shower. This is a truly special vehicle that makes the adventure a reality for Richard and Rachel. All they need now is just a little help and support, some more hard work and the best of luck ….

A ‘grafted living pod’ fitted by OEC Ltd, utilizes the very latest, lightweight but strong, insulating, vacuum moulded composite materials. Extra fuel and water tanks are under the floor, storage is all below window height. This preserves stability and agility. “We’ve invested more than our life savings to cover the £70k gross cost” confesses Richard, “But there really is no other vehicle as suitable or as adaptable for this trip.” (Because of his disability Richard had to spend an extra £10k fitting an Ashcroft automatic gearbox, hand-controls, and a lift to access the pod.) But what about eight months sharing a 2.5×1.8m living space come rain or shine? Over to Rachel, “Based upon our photo-safari experience to date, it turns out we do remain compatible.” A good job too!

Know more about the Richard and Rachel’s adventure, the Azalai camper and Motivation’s work and how you can help.

Tags: adaptation, Africa, Azalai, biography, Build, Charity, disability, Ethics, finance, funding, money, motivation, Overland, philosophy, Press, Resources, Sponsorship, wheelchair, www.motivation.org.uk

Well typically enough, after much vain listening out over the last few weeks, we missed the Radio Devon interview that apparently went out last week. A work colleague informed us that her husband had heard it. I just hope that it was OK and managed to communicate the gist to those aurally assailed. If we can find it on i-player we’ll try and put it on the site – but I’m not optimistic (luckily for you dear reader).

BBC Radio Devon

The Brixham News also published an article a few weeks ago, but again we missed it as we are outside of their catchment area. The same goes here – that we hope it was of some interest to anyone who read it. (If anyone should have a copy then we’d love to see it.)

The Herald Express are coming to get a picture to accompany Alex’s interview from a couple of weeks ago – ultimately that will go out on a Tuesday under the impressive sounding  ‘Big Interview’ banner.

If anyone wants any more details subsequent to reading or hearing any of these pieces then of course feel free to get in touch.

On a different matter we have taken some advice on (expedition) fundraising tax, and our accountant is clear that if donations are treated as such, under a clearly defined statement of intent, then they should not attract a tax burden. As we have said elsewhere, any donations made will be entirely directed to the expedition costs. Any profit (unlikely!) or surplus (eg if the expedition should not go ahead for any unforeseen circumstance) will be passed to our adopted charity Motivation. To be fair to any potential donors we will prioritise any monies raised towards ‘fixed, unambiguous, and unequivocal’ expenses eg  fuel, shipping, insurances etc (rather than food and accommodation in the first instance – I guess the level of the latter could possibly be contentious, with the best will in the World!). Of course you can also donate directly to Motivation via our JustGiving page too – and for business’ that can be tax deductable.

On that note thanks to Denise Walker for a great donation to www.motivation.org.uk – as a fellow Africaphile she can be reassured that it will help Motivation in working with TATCOT and the Pan Africa Wheelchair Association (PAWA) to provide technical and capacity building support to wheelchair services and to promote the professionalisation of services. Visits are made to wheelchair service partners across Africa to evaluate progress and provide input. Motivation are also involved in initiating Wheelchair Stakeholders’ Meetings to bring together government, DPOs, wheelchair producers, rehabilitation centres, donor organisations and international organisations to plan collaborative national strategies to address wheelchair needs.

Denise & David Walker

We will soon be offering donors a chance to get their logos stickered on the van, which you will see, when finished, provides an unmissable mobile canvas! There are not many Azalai’s (less than 80 worldwide) and they do seem to attract much attention from the curious and the interested.

We have set up a bank account in the expedition’s name courtesy of Barclays.

With that settled we really feel we can proceed with some gusto (so again see details of our next event below! Please come along if you can) .

Cookery Demonstration & Fish Lunch
at the

by Nigel Ward

Wednesday 24th November 2010
Tickets £22.50 in tables of 10 – Please put the date in your diaries! This is sure to be a popular event – contact us now to book your place

We just need OEC to finish the vehicle now! From correspondence yesterday, it seems that little has advanced on the pod cutting from last time, but there has been work on fitting the plumbing and other sundries (makes sense as these need to happen before the pod can finally be rested onto the chassis). Hopefully we will have a more complete update later this week/early next.

Tags: OEC, Press, Vehicle

Rachel and Richard contrive a pose with the Pod, note the lack of windows!

This week’s visit to OEC was definitely a benchmark of sorts – 30th July 2010 was the first day that the Azalai pod was mated with the base vehicle. Certainly this was good to see, as it must mean we are getting near that elusive and tantalising completion date – but tempered in that the next step is to take it off again! The pod is offered up to mark the remaining cuts that need to be made e.g. through to the cab, the second fuel filler etc. The lifting jig utilises the window and roof openings – so the windows have been removed until the pod finds its permanent home on the chassis. The water tank had also been removed for this exercise (to avoid damage and promote access to help with the marking-up). There is minimal finishing trim in place (obviously) and so it certainly could be said that ‘Paula’ looked a little bit rough around the edges. However, once these final cuts are done, it clearly can’t be too much more time and work to add or reapply the few remaining disenfranchised parts.

Poly-bag in place, rear suspension

This would then allow efforts to switch to designing, sourcing and fitting the tail-lift. The uprated suspension is going in, with the rear offside at least sporting the uprated shock, spring and poly-air bag – but the other wheels’ adornments are work in progress, as is the air system for the bags – again though, these can’t be too far off completion.

The rear end - quite a drop for the tbd lift to cover, especially on raised suspension

In the cab the Exmoor Elites are in, and the post testing consensus is very comfy indeed. The extended runners demonstrably give much more leg room, which will help with the  final set-up of the hand-controls. We agreed that a smaller steering wheel will help here too and we will be fitting one from  QT in black.

The naked cubby box was in for our approval, and although unorthodox, it will be substantial, practical and in keeping with the decor when powder coated and upholstered.

Sharon, Penny and Rachel - the Tombola Queens!

The weekend of firsts continued on Saturday, as we had our first fundraising and awareness event courtesy of the absolutely rammed Marldon Apple Pie Fair. We had a tombola stand and it was a great platform to raise awareness of the trip and Motivation. As a consequence we have now managed to breach the £400 mark, raised to date for Motivation. A special mention to Sharon Rylance and Penny Jones for helping out all day – as well as Rachel. Thanks must also go to Mandy Lewis (the Avon Queen), Jane Nicholls, Dee Burton, Tricia Smith, Dan Tisdall and Shaz for donating many of the fabulous prizes. I’m not really sure I’m cut out for the circus life, whereas I’m comfortable talking to people in depth about the project and answering their questions (in fact I quite enjoy it) – I’m not so good at collecting their donations. I’ve been musing about this since. I wonder (albeit at a psycho-dynamic level) if it’s a reaction to having to re-establish my independence post accident, and now finding myself (well ourselves strictly speaking) asking others for help. It may just be another skill to (re)learn as part of the project. Certainly people were on the whole genuinely interested and happy to contribute. (The trekinetic wheelchair generating a fair bit of interest too.) As the seasoned tombola experts say, “Every One’s a Winner!”

Anyway, we have the next one in our sights, a Fish Cookery Demonstration and Lunch at the Bickley Mill with Nigel Ward. Tickets will be just £22.50 and the date is Wednesday 24th November lunchtime (12:30 start). Please do contact us for more details. We’d love to see you there and think it will be great fun.

Nigel was one of the founders of Channel Fisheries 1981. Based in Brixham the company grew its reputation by sourcing the majority of their fresh fish from the early morning market on the quayside. Most of the produce is purchased from small inshore day fishing boats affording absolute control over quality and traceablity. Channel Fisheries committment to sourcing and delivering the finest quality fresh fish culminated in association with the Royal Household and a reputation as one of Britains leading suppliers of fresh fish and seafood. So this really will be a special and unique event. Nigel is a very entertaining speaker and is an expert in the field.

Rachel looks like I felt!

So whereas things do seem to be progressing in the right direction, the nagging doubt about how much more there is to do (build/train/save/fundraise) before May 2011 inevitably remains. We continue to miss proving and training events through what’s left of the summer, and the time and availability to do this in the winter/spring recedes proportionately. We must be at least a month away from completion – with the lift remaining an unknown, although Paul at OEC feels this can now be progressed with some gusto. Fingers crossed, as only after spending some shake-down time with the vehicle can we really reach a decision about committing to 2011 or deferring to 2012. At the moment it must be 55:45.

Tags: adaptation, Azalai, biography, Build, Charity, Equipment, Gear, money, motivation, OEC, Specification, Vehicle, wheelchair, www.motivation.org.uk

Water Tank in Place

Richard and I had another jaunt to OEC today, we were asked not to go too early as the boys had been away at the Landrover show in Billing all weekend and had a bit of tidying to do before we would be able to get to the vehicle. Paul was again on hand to advise of the new additions to the Landy (Paula), the frame for the Azalai is in the process of being mounted, the water tanks are in situ as is the pipework which takes the warm water from the engine’s cooling system and around the water tanks to ensure the water stays above freezing. Once the frame has been fixed it will be possible to attach the Pod, I certainly look forward to taking that picture!

Uprated Front Nearside Spring (polybags to follow)

The uprated front suspension springs are in and the back ones will be fitted next – once there’s room on the ramp in the workshop! The suspension airbags will be going in soon too of course.

A couple of weeks ago we ordered the new front seats from Exmoor Trim, these being the very excellent Defender Elite Seats in Outlast trim. We were advised that we needed to get cracking with the order as there was likely to be a 4-5 week lead time on these, however these have arrived and can now be fitted – once in we can contact GM Coachworks to look at the hand controls/left foot accelerator options.

Exmoor Trim Defender Elite

The Pod is coming along nicely, the toilet is in along with the cupboard and the shelving behind. The bench seats are all finished as are  the load bearing supports for the upper and lower bunks. The hobs and blower lid have arrived although not fitted yet – they look very neat. The seats for the benches were not at OEC (they are finished but take up alot of room and so are being stored elsewhere) so it will still be a surprise regarding the colour/pattern, hopefully will hide the dirt and dust nicely.

Galley Area (Wallas hob not yet in)

Toilet and Shower

Paul with the Wallas Hob

Tags: adaptation, Azalai, Build, disability, Equipment, GM Coachworks, OEC, Rachie, Specification, Vehicle

We haven’t visited OEC again this week, but there has been much contact as the outstanding issues reach a resolution.

After market copy of the console as used in the automatic Defender 50th anniversary and NAS spec vehicles.

After fitting the centre console that came with the 2.4 TDCi Defender Ashcroft Auto Kit OEC decided that it wasn’t quite right. (This NAS copy as stated on Ashcroft’s website has no lock on the cubby-box.) Consequently they are going to chop it in two and use the fore section to shroud the levers. They are also going to fabricate a metal cubby box, powder-coat it and trim it with upholstery to match that of the Azalai. It will have a lock matching the other lockers on the Azalai, all as part of the overall job. Whereas this might add some extra time to the project, it is exactly this attention to detail that mean OEC are such great people to deal with.

After a staff meeting this week it looks like the tail-lift will be bespoke and hydraulic with an electrically powered actuator. OEC are meeting a tail-lift supplier this week to see whether there is an off the shelf platform available to form the basis for this.

The order has gone in for a pair of Exmoor Trim Elite’s in Outlast Canvas. They will sit on raisers to increase available leg-room.

GM Coachworks are on board with making the disabled driving adaptations work (will need to happen after the seats are in so everything can be properly ‘tailored’)

My current guestimate – August

Tags: adaptation, Ashcroft, Azalai, Build, disability, Equipment, Gear, GM Coachworks, O.T., OEC, Specification, Transmission, Vehicle

The 'bathroom' area - the toilet will be fitted here - the shower will be to the right (from where it can reach outside the entrance), there will be a screen that can be opened to give the throne a modicum of privacy

Well we had another site visit last week, ostensibly to check how hand-controls might fit. Defenders have never had the most room for drivers, especially between the driver and the door. The Puma model is no different in that, plus the dash is slightly closer to the driver too. What was immediately apparent  (at least for someone with long legs) was that there is no room to reach behind the wheel to grasp a hand control. (The space being taken up by steering wheel rim and knee.) The windscreen wiper stalk also invades  space that would need to be utilised by a hand control kit.

Defender Jeff Gosling Hand Controls

We then iphoned the Jeff Gosling website. You recall that we were looking at their hand controls as their site has a picture of a Puma Defender fitted with their kit (as above). It was Paul [OEC] who now spotted that they had fitted a smaller diameter steering wheel. Paul explained that if we were to go down this route then we would need to make sure that we got one that was up to the job. Many it seems, will simply bend if used to e.g. lever one into or out from the cab. OEC recommended QT services (of ‘the Wildcat’ fame). It turned out that his was exactly the same wheel that Jeff Gosling have in their picture!

OEC then called Jeff Gosling Ltd to get some more detail. Anton was surprised when they insisted, in  no uncertain terms, that they would need to oversee such a fitting, as it was ‘special’ in the case of a Land Rover Defender. This was an entirely different message from the week before, when the same company had advised that the hand controls could be ordered and fitted as a kit “no problem”. [Of course the compromise here is to check with GM Coachworks who are agents for Jeff Gosling, and OEC work with them quite often.]

So the job gets a little bigger – as is the way of these things…..  Which caused me to (re)think about the viability of a left foot accelerator as an option. It would certainly save any need to replace the steering wheel and trim the wiper-stalk. Key would be the adjust-ability of the pedals (either of the accelerator unit or the brake).

Left foot accelerator as sold by Jeff Gosling

We decided to get GM to advise with me ‘in-situ’ as it were – at least then we can make the plan and get cracking. OEC are looking to pull out all the stops  to complete by the end of July (which will undoubtedly be tight). Both options will work for me I’m sure – but of course all involved want to be sure of the detail before committing both time and expense!

Regardless we should have more room in the cockpit, once the vinyl seats are replaced with Exmoor Elites on extended runners. We thought a lot about seats but inevitably they are so important that we decided not to compromise (although the rear row will remain in the OEM pragmatic vinyl).

We also agreed the colour of the pod’s upholstery (‘something drab, neutral that won’t show the dirt for us! OEC do advise that anything is possible though.).

Azalai pod towards the kitchen area

The pod is really starting to take shape. Much plumbing and wiring is in, the taps and filters are about to go in, and in general it is now starting to look like a finished Azalai.

Anton also advised that the OEC crew were meeting early this week to agree a strategy for the tail-lift. We confirmed that the design priority is to get me in and out easily and reliably – any load carrying ability would be a bonus.

It was a very worthwhile meeting as the build moves towards the beginning of its end.

Tags: adaptation, Azalai, Build, disability, Equipment, GM Coachworks, O.T., OEC, Specification, Vehicle, wheelchair

Not much to report, current completion estimate is 5-6 weeks (August in essence). Work is continuing on the pod (probably an understatement). Martin (OEC) has liaised with Gosling regarding the hand-controls and current thinking is to get them fitted at OEC. The tail-lift/access is still to be cracked – but we are all in the same ball-park regarding the sort of thing we need.

Inside the cut-out Azalai pod

We had a second fund-raising and logistics meet, and a few events are firming-up in concept. Of course we’ll be circulating details of those on the site (and any other means possible!) as they come to fruition.

Both Rachel and I have advised work (Torbay Care Trust) of our plans [to take a career break] and found them to be very supportive. To be fair in the current climate we are probably doing the country a favour as we’ll be saving the public purse the salary outlay for the duration; plus we are spending loads in the private sector in the meantime! (Albeit that a large proportion is borrowed money.) Of course there is a risk, as despite whatever policy is in place, we are, strictly speaking, leaving our jobs.

Rachel and Paul check out the finished Ashcroft conversion

Rob Cooksley also made a fantastic donation to www.motivation.org.uk via our just giving page. Money donated this way goes straight to Motivation. Obviously anything and everything is welcome as it all counts (from pennies upwards). Plus if you are a tax payer there’s something perversely satisfying about seeing the gift-aid element clawed back from the Revenue, right in front of your eyes! Try it, trust me it works….

Tags: adaptation, Azalai, Build, Charity, disability, Equipment, motivation, OEC, Vehicle, www.motivation.org.uk