Jolly July - A Progress Report

Slow, steady, and streamlined is what’s happening with our Honey Badger. Blueprint? There isn’t one. Plan? There isn’t one. But I want to acknowledge the team and partners whose dedication keeps us. We’re feeling our way, like building a tree house, with everyone's input shaping our progress.

Our faith lies squarely with the engineer on the project, the very able Earl Buntman, an engineer, inventor, carpenter and primary artisan. When things go slightly akimbo, I go back to my mantra, “Earl is a perfectionist”. Last week I saw a guitar he’s building, a work of art with the finest inlays, delicately positioned, each piece of wood perfectly laid—a labour of love, dedication and passion. The wood is all imported at great expense from various parts of the world. Redwoods, beech, maple and a dozen more I can’t remember. The timber and the timbre have to be perfectly synchronised; otherwise, the instrument is of no use. This knowledge gives me peace of mind. With Earl, there’s no favouritism; it’s all or nothing. Perfection. Nothing else matters or will be tolerated. He deserves a standing ovation!

It was with mixed feelings that I watched our Honey Badger leave the safe compound at Boland Engineering last week. “It's progress!” I know! But we were so happy there. Everyone who worked with or around our vehicle treated us so kindly. We experienced nothing but good humour, patience and professionalism, knowing full well we were often in the way, holding up important work that would benefit the business at hand.

We were the charity case, you see. But not a word to make us feel in the way, unwelcome or uncomfortable. Thank you, Hanli Roothman, for your compliment on your very able staff; you’ll never know how much we appreciate everything you did to make our stay at your workshop so memorable. We realise you must’ve felt really frustrated, but you never showed it, and I thank you for that.

Now that you’ve got more space, my wish is that every harvester, tractor, or heavy machinery implement in Worcester needs a service, and that they’ll all knock on your door. I know that’s where they’ll get the best service in town. It’s service like this that makes living in a farming community and small town so special. Thank you.

The fresh-water and fuel tanks are fitted. The battery compartment is ready to go; ladders, spades, spare tyres, and a high-lift jack have been fitted. All the heavy welding is complete; the window casings have been prepared, and the windows have been delivered and are awaiting installation. The entryway from the cab into our living quarters is complete, just waiting to be sealed. The roof has been prepared for the solar panels, and Earl says our "deck" is ready for a sundowner. 

Mental plans have been drawn up, and some sketches have been made. Some are too ambitious. The “island” bed has been measured, and the frame has been built. The initial frame had sharp corners; these have been rounded so we won’t have broken toes or bloodied shins. The bathroom has a designated space; as space is limited, we’re still considering fittings and fixtures and how to position them for optimal convenience, always keeping comfort a priority. We would hate to have regrets or frustrations every time we use our lavatory. We need a good flush, good shower pressure, and somewhere comfortable to brush our teeth.

A few headaches are cropping up, e.g. our dining area has to double as a computer workspace too. I have in mind a permanent workstation where all our laptops, chargers, printer/scanner, etc. will be safely stowed, with an easy changeover system for dining or watching a movie. Therefore, the seating must be comfortable, the desk/table interchangeable, and the extra space optimally used to house an Engel freezer, stationery, cutlery, and a small library. We’re conceptualising—a tall order. 

On Thursday, Andrie Everson at Pro-fitment collected our Honey Badger and drove her to his premises for the electrical wiring. I presume the piping for the gas to the inside and outside burners and the square tubing to channel it will be done now, too, as will the piping for water to the kitchen and bathroom. As their specialty is air conditioning, they will install one in the driving cab.

Earl estimates we can test drive the Honey Badger by the end of the year, with contractors finishing their work for the break soon.  

If you have any ideas, recommendations or tips please send us an email to [email protected] we love ideas and would hate to reinvent the wheel.   The red landrover comes all the way from France, so with a little effort anything is possible. 

Our travelling companion will always be "Earl" the Honeybadger.