Tag: Black Isle Brewery

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Wheres the bus?

Lots of people have been asking over the last couple of weeks, ”Wheres the bus?”

Its a good question, so for those wondering here it is :  The bus was sent for its annual MOT and I advised the centre that there was an air leak that I would like looked at.
The air leak was promptly located with a mix of good and bad news, firstly the good news was that the underneath of the bus and the vast majority of mechanical components appear to be a great order for their age, all seem to be genuine DAF parts which shows just how well our bus has been maintained prior to our ownership.

The bad news is that the part that has failed and requires replacement has not been easy to locate, but with a 24 year old PSV what can you expect. More good news, the parts has now been located and purchased and we are expecting a return of the bus very soon.

Back in time for a good and thorough clean, maybe a start to the next part of the renovation before head to Black Isle Calling 2024 where it will be used as the green room for the performers.

 

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Starting to take shape

Its been another busy couple of weeks for the bus.  Unfortunately we have not been able to trade in the bar due to a licensing issue but that meant more time to concentrate on the bus conversion.

We owe a massive thanks to Alistair Mann from Westward B & B who is an extremely talented craftsmen and has tuned the raw slabs of Elm that we obtained from our friends at Black Isle Brewery into the absolutely stunning tables that have now been installed in the downstairs area of the bus

Downstairs booths Downstairs booths

With the seats re-arranged and the tables installed, the downstairs area is really starting to take shape. A little more cleaning, a little more painting and we shall soon be welcoming our first customers on to the bus

Downstairs booths

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A busy fortnight

Laphroaig whisky barrel courtesy of Black Isle Brewery

Wow!! What a busy couple of weeks we have had.  We have so much going on at the moment and lots to report as we go ahead in leaps and bounds on bringing the bus online.

Firstly we have been gifted some very nice slabs of Elm from our friends at the Black Isle Brewery. The slabs were expertly chosen by local craftsman Alistair Mann of Westward B & B who is now crafting the slabs in to some very unique table tops.

Elm Table Tops in the making Elm Table Tops in the making

We have also obtained a couple of old Laphroaig whisky barrels again via the generosity of the Black Isle Brewery, these will be cleaned up and used on the upper deck to support a rather unique and characterful piece the Ali is working on for us.  No previews yet but cant to show that off when its ready.

In the meantime a lot of the seats downstairs have now been removed and the cleanup done, painting to be undertaken this week to prepare for the re-installation of chairs when steam cleaned and the fantastic tables once ready.

X435FGP Lower deck X435FGP Lower deck completely stripped out X435FGP Lower deck completely stripped out & cleaned

We have heating equipment on order and some electrical work scheduled so that we can hopefully bring the bus online in the coming weeks, even if it is in a limited capacity.