Bill told me this was my 3rd trip on Waiouru. Jan turned up with her compact Samsung camera to capture the moment. Her words were…… “Can’t you smile?”
Who wants to smile when they have squeezed themself through the water tank hatch and contorted their arthritic and aged body to fit such a confined and peculiar shaped void.
The first thing I did was to vacuum it clean and then use an old towel to wipe down all the internal surfaces. Rather than bring more grit and dirty back into the tank I elected to remove my shoes and work in my socks. So there I was squatting and crushed inside the tank, attempting to minimise the amount of paint getting onto the exposed flesh……. and I get asked to smile!
No….. I don’t have wind….. The paint fumes started to send me on my 3rd trip! 
After painting all the joins and the underside of the deck I Ironed out the screaming muscles and managed to extricate myself back through the TINY hatch opening. Then, by reaching down into the tank and using a small paint roller, the three sides and base were given their first coat of tank black paint.
Only one more coat of paint to go…………. and I’m really looking forward to it! 
Actually, I’m feeling rather queasy after breathing the fumes. I can see how easy it would be for someone to be overcome by the fumes if the tank was larger or they painted at a slower pace.
Next time the tank requires repainting it will be Jan’s turn to go down. (LOL)
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