Cat Burglar????

www.microlodge.co.uk

Well a good end to the week, apart from Wednesday night.

Firstly, the good part. We have the weekend off as transport for builds 4 & 5 going to Noah's Ark in Perth can't come until Monday, so we are all taking the 2 days off for a treat.

Also, more camping sites are in the process of the planning stage for their own 'Hobbit houses'.

Now, the Wednesday night....

For months, Lucy the cat has been getting me up at all hours through the night, so bought a catflap months ago and I've been 'intending' since (repeatedly) to get it fitted. So at last, tools brought from the workshop, it was installed, and so much easier than the last one I tried.

So far, so good.

Fitting the magnetic collar to Lucy....no problem. Still good.

Then, at 3 in the morning, I hear a crescendo in the kitchen. Something not so good is happening in there. I leap out of bed, barefoot, and straight onto a floor littered with cat biscuits.

Now, I could likely do the hot coal-walking stuff if I was mentally prepared for it beforehand, but the sharp pain caused by scattered Whiskas bikkies contacting soft feet was excruciating.

To make matters worse, Lucy was doing the 'wall of death' run around the kitchen, with her stainless steel food bowl firmly attached to the side of her head, courtesy of the magnetic collar to operate the bloody catflap.

The update is that all cat bowls have been replaced with plastic ones...oh, and she still hasn't eaten since the incident.

New Concepts

MULTI-ROOMs???

Well, the heads have been scratching and we have arrived at a design to allow us to 'dock' any number of Hobbit houses together. We had 2 units sitting side by side ready for delivery to Noahs Ark caravan site, plus a spare 1/2 hour, so we started toying around with a tunnel design to join the lodges together...and put together a rough prototype joining doorway system.

It would mean we could have a 2 bedroom, kitchen, bathroom & living room layout for the same cost as a car lock-up garage in Edinburgh....

Our sales team have been busy lads over the past wee while, visiting the show at Birmingham and various sites throughout Scotland.

We now also have a new manufacturer set up to supply our mattresses, with a choice of 16 colours to choose from.

New DVD

Cannes film festival, watch out....

Well actually, not really, but we have just invested in new video gear, with the intention of making a DVD showing the birth and construction of a microlodge.

Starting next week, we will hopefully get some time lapse footage of a 'hobbit build', which is good as it will make us look as if we are working faster than normal.

This will show the making of the 3rd unit ordered by Noahs Ark in Perth and we will film right through until the delivery and handover of the microlodge.

What else.....

Our new sales and marketing team are now in position and have already generated a great deal of interest in the microlodges, both at the Birmingham caravan show and on their travels around the country. So, a warm welcome to Robert Mather, senior and junior.

More Noahs Ark

As promised, some pics showing the larger rear window for the latest builds. Saturday delivery for the first of the Perth Hobbits now booked.

Insulation installed

Dougie making the larger windows.

Ready for window fitting and varnish

Noahs Ark

The new-style hobbit houses are now in production. These are for delivery to the Noahs Ark caravan site in Perth.

Looks like a fine place to stay, with go-karts, 10 pin bowling, golf driving range and a huge kids adventure room.

The longer versions, incorporating a 'kitchen area' with fridge and microwave, improved ventilation vents, wider double bunk and coat hooks are looking good.
New cutting jigs have been made, and a fantastic concept in saw blades have been imported from the States which allows us to cut our circles in a fraction of the time compared to the router method.

Pictures to follow soon.

Summer hols

http://www.microlodge.co.uk/



Well, at last, we got away for summer hols, and it was a disaster.

Full of hope and cheer, we decided to do the Great Glen and West Highland Way.

All kitted up with our brand new, super flip up tent and optimism, we drove off to Crianlarich and stopped off at the wigwam site at Strathfillan.

Upon arrival at site, plumes of steam had started bellowing from the bonnet area of the car, and upon inspection, the hose into the interior heater had broken from its spigot. Luckily, thanks to their very helpful maint. man, we aquired a piece of central heating pipe and some steel putty and did an on site repair.

The constant downpour was only interupted by heavy drizzle, but we were cozy enough, albeit a tad cramped, and had the guitar out for a sing-song.


Next day, we headed North to stop at the Red Squirrel campsite at Glencoe.

At this point we discovered we couldn't close the tent doors with the blow-up mattress inflated, so decided to split the difference and have closed doors and semi-inflation.
So far then, not too bad, until we tried to find a pub showing the Scotland footie game. We found a bar at last....40 miles away in Fort William...and Scotland won, so the travel was justified.

In good cheer, we headed the 40 miles back South, and luckily, being still in the tail end of summer, the rain was reasonably warm.

Off out that night to catch a band at the Clachaig Inn, where the steam from soggy hillwalking gear created an artistic haze around the stage.

Fortified by the strength of Guiness, we headed back to the tent, dreading the thought of not being able to close the tent flaps, a problem that had been pre-solved for us due to the fact that the 'borrowed airbed' actually had a slow leak in it and was now as flat as a flat thingy.

So, next morning, sore, stiff and extremely wet, as the new 'flippy-open-tent turned out not to be as waterproof as one would expect, we cancelled the rest of the hols and headed home. Next year, I think we will hitch a microlodge to a trailer and travel in style!!

Microlodge hobbit houses on GMTV

At last, someone posted the microlodge feature done on tv last week, but we are still looking for the one done just before the X Factor on 29th August. Any help there??????

The article can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZCK9_9AaRo