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Monday 18 March 2024

Walk the Walk from PJ Molloys, Dunfermline on Friday

THERE’ some guitar pendants needing made to fulfil online merch orders. I manage to get the flask packed and mould ready before my first Zoom guitar session of the day.

I have a load of huge video files from the weekend’s shows converting on the computer in the background while I run my first Zoom guitar session…then I go back to the office and pour the metal for the pendants.

The video continues to process in the background while I join a Help Musicians’ Zoom seminar on music PR.

Then it’s back to those for lunch and a trip to the doc’s in the village to see what might be wrong with my left shoulder. Ive been having a lot of pain for the last month or more and, if anything, it’s getting worse rather than better. Time to get it checked out.

Robert, the ‘nurse practioner’ (whatever that fuck that is) gives my shoulder the once over and pushes and pulls my arm in various directions. Looks like I have a rotator cuff injury πŸ™

I’m prescribed anti-inflammatory gel which I pick up at the chemist before walking home.

I get home just in time for my late afternoon guitar student arriving. Once we’re done I head to the studio and start editing some of the video…I’m keen to get a couple of songs done to spin into my Wildcats’ livestream on Facebook later on.

I have another Zoom guitar session with little time before the livestream but I manage to get everything ready in time…

Sunday 17 March 2024

WE ALL have a long lie. I’m aching all over and absolutely burst when I wake up.

A shower helps a little and we have a leisurely ‘brunch’ chatting and chilling for an hour or two.

I get a hard drive sorted to give Martyn to dump all the video footage form last night, Trevor and Emma hit the road…and Margaret and I go to get the rest of the gear from the hall.

Later on I go to pick up the hard drive from Martyn and top for a coffee and blether.

Back home I start getting some of the video files onto my system and tidy up the studio in readiness for tomorrow’s various guitar sessions.

Saturday 16 March 2024

For the finale I asked Trevor up to join me on Loch Lomond Home… (Pic: Jamie Houston)

I’M up early to take the first car load of gear to the hall and catch up with Martyn who’s putting in a load of cameras to film the show.

When I get back home everyone’s up and Margaret’s busy getting breakfast sorted.

I get the rest of the PA and lighting stuff in the car and along to the hall. I’ll get the main stuff rigged then Trevor will bring Margaret and Emma along in an hour or so. No point in them hanging about while I get angry with the PA set up!

And indeed I do get frustrated as the mixers refuses to connect with either phone or iPad. I end up having to totally reset the mixer which sorts the connection issue…but means everything has to be set up again from scratch.

While I get the rest of the setup done, the others sort the tables, chairs, merch and other stuff.

After I get soundchecked Margret and Emma go back to the house to get some dinner ready and I soundcheck Trevor then finish rigging and setting the lights. Martyn comes in to finish camera setup.

Trevor and I are about to head back to the house when Margaret and Emma rock up with our dinner! There’s only half an hour ’til doors open and they already ate…so had the brainwave to bring dinner to us πŸ™‚

I have to go back to the house to get changed and pick ups few more things tho’…and when I get back folks have started arriving!

Trevor kicks off at 8pm for an hour’s set. he plays a blinder and everyone loves him and his music πŸ™‚

We have pretty much a full house and there’s a great vibe. I kick off my set soon after 9pm and play for just over an hour then get Trevor up for the finale of Loch Lomond Home…then an enthusiastic encore sees us blast our way through Folsom Prison Blues….

We’re tidied up and home by midnight. Pizza, snacks, drinks and chat ’til 4am…

Friday 15 March 2024

We have a grand time at PJ’s Dunfermline……

EVERYONE’S still asleep when I get up and prep for my guitar student who arrives bang on time.

After the lesson I hit the office and get a few things done then it’s ‘breakfast’ time.

Trevor and Emma go for a walk and I finish restringing guitars for tonight’s show then we get all the gear packed and head for Dunfermline.

PJ Molloy’s is a great venue. Soundman Neil is waiting for us and soon joined by gig rep Derry.

Soundchecks are all done and merch set up with enough time for us to go out and grab a chippy for dinner.

The gig goes well for both of us and although it’s not a huge crowd, we have a grand time.

We’re back home lochside before midnight and enjoy some pizza, drinks and chat before bed. Big show tomorrow (Saturday)

Thursday 14 March 2024

A prototype mini guitar pin with wooden inlay….on sale here!

OFF to the school first thing…Margaret’s going to get some shopping so drive and drops me in Balloch.

I have good morning and we’re back home before lunchtime.

We’re not long back when the team from a production company in Glasgow arrive. They did some filming for a pitch to TV a couple of years ago…the timing wasn’t right so they’re giving it another go and wanna shoot some updated bits and bobs for a sizzle reel. Good to see them – and nice to know that their idea hasn’t been shelved. Fingers crossed for success this time.

Trevor and Emma are coming later tonight and I have a lot to get done. The guitar pins and pendants need finished…some for an order bound for the USA and the rest destined for the merch table at the two upcoming shows. Trevor is my special guest in Dunfermline tomorrow (Friday) and the local village hall on Saturday.

There’s also gig listing s postcards to be printed and set lists to be prepared.

In the studio I reset the mixer and start trying to configure the remote iPad app so things go smoothly during wet up at the hall on.Saturday

In between times I have a Zoom meeting with my pal Kevin about his recent single release and the next one….

Then it’s back to the mixer set up and configuration…and back to the house for dinner.

Trevor and Emma won’t be here ’till about midnight…before they get here we have a video call with our pals in Spain who re setting up a wee tour for me over there in October πŸ™‚

Wednesday 13 March 2024

AFTER breakfast I hit the office to get the guitar pins and pendants sanded. The ‘regular guitars need filled with coloured epoxy – the resonator guitars just need polished.

While the epoxy is curing I print out some dye sub sheets to heat press onto tote bags for merch. The dye sub printer is playing up, though, and keeps losing its wifi connection. I among to find a suitable cable to hardwire it to the computer and get the printouts I need.

At the same time I start printing a batch of postcards with upcoming gig dates for distribution at this weekend’s shows.

I took a punt and ordered a Roland SPD::ONE stomp pad from Amazon. The ‘kick’ version isn’t available anywhere so I had to settle for the ‘electro’ model. The sounds aren’t really what I’m after but there’s a user preset that allows the user to loads in a.wav file of their own.. Also, if it’s shit, it’s easier to return to Amazon.

Anyway, it arrived with the post earlier and after a few minutes setting up and loading in my own sound I give it a whirl. Seems to work pretty good. Is it a keeper? Dunno yet…we’ll see how it does on this weekend’s shows.

Margaret needs to get familiar with the third party mixer app on the iPad…Behringer’s own hasn’t been updated and doesn’t work anymore. I have a bit of a hassle getting the iPad speaking to the mixer…then the mixer view is all fucked up.

I need to get the next stage of the merch production out the way and put on the pork belly for dinner. While things are cooking I get one of the guitars re-strung and watch mixing station video tutorial…

Tuesday 12 March 2024

Carnitas….

MARGARET’s off to Doune early to babysit…Freya and Aaron are both off school sick πŸ™

There’s an order in for five acoustic guitar pins. I also need some more of them and the resonator guitar pins for the merch table at this week’s shows so I get busy casting.

A break for lunch then it’s back on the merch until may 4pm guitar student arrives.

After the lesson I get out for an hour’s paddle. The loch is calm but misty and make for a surreal experience.

Back home I get another stage off the guitar pin production process done then embark on dinner – carnitas. After getting the pork in the Instant Pot with all the other ingredients for the main part I make avocado sauce, salsa and tortilla dough.

It’s 10,.30pm but the time it’s all easy but well worth the wait. Then it’s chill time and a film about Chess Records – Cadillac Records – on Amazon Prime.

Monday 11 March 2024

An acoustic version of Walk the Walk from my Wildcats’ Facebook livestream

I TRY and fire through as much of today’s to-do list as possible before my first Zoom guitar student of the day.

After the lesson I go back to the office and start filming the guitar pin and pendant production process…folsk have been asking how I make them. With luck I might even have the video ready to spin into tonight’s Wildcats’ Facebook livestream.

After lunch I spend some time making a set list for this week’s shows in Dunfermline and Buchanan then have another Zoom session with a guitar student. We’ve moved his time from 7pm to 2pm which might make things less chaotic in the run up to my weekly livestream.

I get a little more filming of the pin and pendant production process before my afternoon guitar student arrives. For an eight year old she’s making great progress πŸ™‚

It’s a bit of a race against time, but I get the ‘production’ video finished – well, a draft version – and all my stuff for the livestream sorted just in time…

Sunday 10 March 2024

Prototype of Conic Hill pin design…

AFTER breakfast I spend some time finishing off a couple of merch projects including a prototype of the Conic Hill pin.

Catriona, Will and the kids rock up and we go for a wee walk taking Aaron’s new electric quad bike.

We have soup and a coffee then they all head off and I get some work done in the studio.

I make sous vide chicken and pepper sauce which we enjoy on front of the telly watching Bill and Dorothy’s livestream from Florida.

Saturday 9 March 2024

I GET a fair amount of work done while we sit in bed watching Saturday Kitchen and drink coffee.

After ‘brunch’ we decide to try and tackle the big tidy up outside.

First task is to clear out the woodshed and cut up the pallets and other random big bits of wood that have just been shoved in there and talking up more then their fair share of space.

While I’m clearing the woodshed, Margaret starts on the garden shed which is in a similar mess…that’ll let me get the various power saws out to deal with the wood.

First, a circular saw then a mitre saw to cut down the pallets and other oversized bits of wood.

Next the log splitter and mitre saw for some of the logs we have waiting to be cut. Still hard work, but sure beats doing by hand!

There’s still a few logs and all the old decking to be done when it starts to get too dark and starts raining.

I make an experimental beef stir fry which Margaret reckons is the best I’ve done then our neighbours Jess and Drake come in for a few drinks.

Friday 8 March 2024

Cold outside…but never too cold to make pizza for dinner!

I PUT the guitar pins on sale in the West Highland Way Gifts‘ online store…and spread it round the WHW socials too. Double dunt.

Today’s the day my pal Kevin’s single is out. I’ve been helping him with various promo and strategic stuff. Hope it does good. There’s a few loose ends I need to tie up.

I send an email out to my mail list to let folks know about the new guitar pins…and tag on details fo next week’s Scottish shows.

There’s a lot of techie gremlins today. First, buy Facebook ad account has been suspended. Apparently my invoice wasn’t;t able to be paid.

No recent changes to my cards or other payment methods so not sure what the issue is. I try to sort it out in the Meta business manager and fight with it for a good couple of hours before I finally get it sorted…and my ads for next Friday’s (15 March) show in Dunfermline start running again.

No sooner than I have that sorted than an email comes in from someone wanting to but a guitar pin…I go to find the link freom my website to find the site is down. In fact, all my websites are down. F’sakes.

I get on to the hosting company who apologies for the outage…the sites are back up and running but he time I Finsih my ‘chat’ with support.

Tired of fighting with everything I parcel up a Merch order, take it to the post box and go for a walk in the woods as darkness falls.

Back home, I tinker in the studio for a while then it’s back to the house to get the pizza oven fired up and prep for dinner…

Thursday 7 March 2024

I finish off a wee run of new ‘acoustic guitar’ pins….now available in my online store

OFF to Balloch for my weekly Thursday morning session with some of the kids. We have a productive morning and two kids in particular are showing a lot of promise πŸ™‚

A visit to the supermarket then home for lunch.

In the office I carry on with my new guitar pin prototypes then hit the studio where I do edit some video for my pal Kevin’s new single release tomorrow (Friday). I also prep a new landing page for his website which’ll go live at midnight.

Back in the office I finish the first batch of guitar pins and a pendant then it’s time for dinner…and for the first time in ages, we sit and watch a film… Poms. Margaret’s choice πŸ˜‰

Wednesday 6 March 2024

Great to catch our pals the Bonnevilles at McChuill’s on the first night of their UK tour…

I GET most of the day’s admin, emails and social media posting etc out the way by the time the postie drops off a wee router I ordered from. Amazon.

The router – if it works – is for the Behringer X-Air mixer. I’m not sure how these mixers are still selling as Behringer haven’t updated the control app in years and it now doesn’t work It’s only a third party developer’s app – Mixing Station – that has saved these X-Air mixers from becoming useless bricks.

And wheel the X-Air has built-in wifi connectivity, it’s flaky, especially in a crowded wifi zone so it really needs an external router. I’d been using an old BT Homehub but it isn’t ideal for a too many reasons to go into here. I found a small, USB-powered – and most importantly cheap – router from GL.iNet on Amazon. If it’s no use it can go back.

I get it rigged up with the mixer in the studio and it works a treat. Between that and the Mixing Station app I think we’re sorted. Still, I have my eye on one of the new Allen & heath digital mixers πŸ˜‰

After lunch I design some prototype ‘regular’ guitar pins and pendants. Keen to add to my range and a regular kinda guitar might have a wider appeal. I do some test castings before it’s time to head into Glasgow. Shopping then off to see our pals the Bonnevilles at McChiuill’s.

We hit Costco where we also have ‘dinner’..then Tesco…then the gig. A grand night πŸ™‚

Tuesday 5 March 2024

Another promo video for the upcoming Dunfermline show...

FIRST job is to finish editing a video of Meet me in the City from the recent show at The Cluny, Newcastle. I’ll keep it under wraps until it’s been shown in next Monday’s (11 March) Wildcats Facebook livestream.

My video ads for the Dunfermline show have been running for an over a week and the stats indicate it’s been shown to some folks more than once. That means I should probably change ‘the creative’ to freshen things up.

I identify some recent video clips, add titles and edit up square, vertical and widescreen (see above) and update the creative in my ads.

In between times there’s visit from a late afternoon guitar student.

After a chat with my pal Blair who’s organising a Parkinsons UK fundraiser (18 May) I set up a ticket link on his behalf and start posters and socials artwork

Suddenly it’s after seven and I need to start prep for dinner…Mikey’s here and Betty’s coming…Asian salmon and cold soba noodles…

Monday 4 March 2024

I MANAGE to get through quite a lot of my to-do list before my first Zoom guitar student of the day.

There’s a little more work and stuff to do before I go public with my Loch Lomond Business Directory website and I want to try and get a few folks to add advance listings…not just so it’s got some content, but also to test the system.

There’s some poster at to be done for the May show in Kirkcaldy then I prep for another Zoom guitar session – earlier than usual as I have a meeting tonight. No livestream tonight either.

After the Zoom lesson I have an in-person student arriving.

Once done, I get out for a wee walk, stopping in at Betty’s to take some photos of her electricity meters.

We head to the village hall for a community hydro scheme info meeting – grant applications opened on Friday and local groups have a couple of months to submit their ideas and applications.

Sunday 3 March 2024

Amazing calm evening for a paddle…

FEELING pretty rubbish today…aching all over and the lurgy really seems to have got me!

When I finally drag myself out of bed and have breakfast I try and pull myself together, head outside and stack the wood I cut yesterday in the woodshed…then start splitting some more.

Fiona rolls up late afternoon and we go for a paddle. It’s a lovely calm evening and nice to get out on the water. Glad I pushed myself to do it.

In the studio I do a little more work on the local business directory website I’ve been pulling together. Very much still a work in progress, but I can maybe start inviting folks to add their info over the next few days then ‘go public’.

Mikey rolls up in time for (a late) dinner…he’s back on a local job tomorrow….

Saturday 2 March 2024

I get through a fair bit of wood before I’m rained off!

WE have a long lie drinking coffee and watching Saturday Kitchen in bed…I deal with all my emails and socials at the same time.

I’d planned to go for a paddle but the wind’s picked up so I postponed ’til tomorrow and finish off the packaging for the big batch of wedding fridge magnets instead. Good to have them done and ready for collection.

Next job is to tackle some of the wood that needs split and chopped. I get through a fair bit of it before the rain calls a halt to my efforts. Maybe no bad thing as I really need to make space and deal with some of the stuff in the wood shed before I do any more. Maybe tomorrow πŸ˜‰

I spend a little time messing in the studio then we have dinner and go along to Betty’s where we enjoy a few drinks and a blether with Betty and her pal Liz.

Friday 1 March 2024

A LUCKY glance out the kitchen window reminds me I have a guitar student coming later this morning.

She usually takes her dogs for a walk after her lesson, but it’s a nice day and it looks like she’s come early doors to take the dogs out first.

My pal Kevin’s new single Manos Arriba is out next Friday (8 March) and I’d suggested making it available to folks on his email list in advance via Bandcamp. So priority today is to overhaul his Bandcamp page, add a clickable image map to the header and get the new single uploaded and profiled.

Once done I get an email out to his mailing list.

Some more finishing and packing prep to be done for the big batch of wedding fridge magnets then email from t-shirt guru Kenny tells em my merch order is ready for pickup.

With no planned trips into Glasgow we decide to make a detour and pick them up then go straight to our pals in Helensburgh. The timing works out just right.

We have a grand night and my abstinence from the bevvy (over a year now!) means I can drive home.

.

Thursday 29 February 2024

Loch Lomond Home…a bit off a curve-ball for my encore at The Muse, Brecon….

OFF to the school first thing. After a good session I stop off at Aldi on the way home to pick up some alcohol-free Joker IPA…my current favourite and a bargain at Β£1.39 for a ‘proper’ sized can! There’s some other stuff we need too.

There’s still some work to be done on the packaging for the batch of wedding fridge magnets someone has ordered for their wedding guests so I run some ideas past the client.

I spend most of the afternoon creating content and posting for both my upcoming shows and also West Highland Way Gifts’ stuff which I’ve been neglecting a bit lately. I also post the v idea of Loch Lomond Home form the Brecon show a couple weeks ago – the full ‘widescreen’ video plus vertical edits for Tiktok and Facebook/Instagram reels.

The lighter evenings mean I can head out for a walk up the lochside even though it’s after 5pm.

Back in the studio I do some video editing for a pal. When I go back to the house Betty’s arrived and dinner is nearly ready….

Wednesday 28 February 2024

NORMALLY my Wednesday morning guitar student comes into the house for her lesson, but Mikey’s working on the downpipes and the place is a mess, so we decamp to the studio.

I get a batch of t-shirts ordered then, after lunch, spend the rest of the day getting my news release about Kevin’s forthcoming single off to various press and online journalist contacts.

For dinner I have a stab at making mushroom stroganoff. Turns out really good – only improvement might be to use wholegrain mustard instead of Dijon…I don’t have any wholegrain.

We enjoy it while watching a slightly off-kilter film called Freelance which, to me anyway, is almost a spoof. Then bed…early start to go to the school tomorrow (Thursday).

Tuesday 27 February 2024

MY pal Kevin’s coming to do through some promo stuff for his upcoming single. I also wanna film some green screen stuff for social content over coming weeks.

I have a mad dash to r studio to tidy up and set up the space before he arrives.

We spend a few hours ticking some things off the to-do list and we get one rough video footage in the bag.

The afternoon is spent on admin stuff in the office and getting a couple of merch orders packed up and postage applied – Margaert’s of to a meeting in Stirling so can drop them off at a post office.

Back in the house I do some prep for pulled pork tacos – Margaret’ll pick up a sandwich and get some shopping in Stirling after her meeting. I spend some time on the local business/skill directory idea then when Mikey gets back we have our tacos….

Monday 26 February 2024

Close to the Edge live at The Muse, Brecon for Mid-Wales Rhythm & Blues Club

ALARM goes off at 6.30am to get the oven open and ready for the sourdough.

By 8am the sourdough is out the oven and I’m open way out for a paddle…it’s a lovely morning and I wanna do a couple of livestream updates from the water.

Back home I have a shower, breakfast and hit the studio in time for my first Zoom guitar student of the day.

After the session I get busy with another video edit to spin into tonight’s Wildcats’ livestream on Facebook and deal with some other admin that’s come in.

At lunchtime I prep the beef short ribs and get the smoker going…then the ribs are on and smoking’.

My afternoon guitar student arrives with her mum and we have a good wee session then I’m back in the studio finishing the video edit and prepping for tonight’s livestream.

One more Zoom lesson then a quick dash to get the ribs off the smoker and into a ‘faux cambro’ before the Wildcats’ livestream

Sunday 25 February 2024

I HAVE another batch of paperweight stands to get done after breakfast then I hit the studio. Lots to catch up on today.

In the studio I get busy editing a video from the wee run of live shows then have a Zoom meeting with my pal Kevin and his sidekick Nick top discuss some other stuff around the release fo his upcoming single.

My concentration on the video edit is awful and I screw it up a few times – the lurgy definitely seems to have got the better of me. The Zoom meeting, thankfully, is more focussed.

I’m also working on an idea for a local business and skills directory which is turning out a little more complicated than I expected. Watch this space!

I eventually get a decent edit done of the video I started and re-did a few times earlier. When I get back to the house Mikey’s arrived and Margaret’s got dinner ready….

Saturday 24 February 2024

7am…time to wake up papa!

THE kids wake me up at 7am jumping all over me. It’s fun!

We have to get them sorted and ready to go to the Peak in Stirling for Freya’s swimming lesson. Margaret takes Freya into get changed while Arran and I head up to the viewing balcony to watch.

After the lesson we drop into McDonalds to see ninna Joyce and have breakfast. I nip too Sainsbury’s to get some supplies.

Catriona and Will aren’t gonna be back from Glasgow until later but I have a photo job in Balmaha and head for home. Catriona’ll bring Margaret home later.

I get a few things done before heading out to take the photos then spend the remainder of the afternoon and evening sorting out the resulting images and getting them off to the client. Quite happy with the results.

It’s after 10pm but the time I’ve done the pizzas – caramelised onion, chestnut mushroom, thyme and mozzarella….

Friday 23 February 2024

MY Friday morning guitar student arrives with her two dogs. They’re impeccably behaved as usual and lie happily throughout the lesson.

We’re off to Doune later to babysit overnight and I want to have Will’s paperweight stands finished. In between times I get another job on the go – wooden fridge magnets for guests at a wedding coming up in Indiana – and take a quick break for lunch.

I among to get the stands ready before we head off…and also finish a batch of pizza dough using the poolish I prepared yesterday.

Joyce is looking after the kids when we arrive and I spend some time playing games with them. The it’s Margaret’s turn and I get busy with some online and social media stuff for the community hydro society.

After dinner I do a bit of work on a news release for my pal Kevin then off to bed. An early night…before what will no doubt be an early rise!

Thursday 22 February 2024

OFF to the school in Balloch first thing. The session goes well and some of the kids are really getting into what we’re doing πŸ™‚

I head home via Aldi where I pick up some of the bargain – and very good – Joker Alcohol Free IPA and some other bits and bobs.

After lunch I get stuck into the paperweight stands for Will. He needs 50 small and 50 large of a slightly re-modelled new design. As well as cutting and engraving I need to heat form the acrylic into the right shape which is fiddly and time-consuming.

In the studio I have a couple off things to get done and then it’s time to go along to Betty’s for dinner….

Wednesday 21 February 2024

AFTER my regular Wednesday morning, first-thing guitar student I hit the office to create some artwork for a potential order of fridge magnets for wedding guests.

I knock up a design, engrave a test and email it off.

There’s some merch top prepare and send out and a batch of acrylic has arrived that needs to be cut into more manageable sheet sizes.

Mikey’s checking out our downpipes drainage to see if he can help sort out the front garden flooding then we have some lunch.

In have some stuff to do in the studio and then go for a quick walk, doing a couple of livestream updates as I go.

Mikey heads back to Dundee and I sort some Facebook ads to help promote the upcoming Dunfermline show (15 March). Next job is photographing the HK PA system I wanna try and sell.

Then it’s back to the house for dinner before putting the PA up on Facebook marketplace. See it here. I don’t bother with Reverb listings as I don’t want to have to ship the PA anywhere…and all the stuff I sold recently has sold via Facebook rather than on Reverb.

Tuesday 20 February 2024

Walk the Walk – live at The Cluny, Newcastle

I GET a bunch of stuff done in the studio then call GuitarGuitar – there’s a PA system I’ve got my eye on as a potential replacement for our old HK system. It’s a good price but there’s no point jumping out the frying pan into the fire, so we need to try it out.

Kyle is helpful and suggests we go into the store where we can give a tryout in the PA room. I pack a guitar and my Quad Cortex and we make an unplanned trip into town.

In-store Kyle sets the system up and it seems pretty goo. Good enough for me to put down a refundable deposit while we consider…and look at ways of selling – or maybe trading in – the HK system.

We pick up some shopping and get back home in time for my late afternoon guitar student arriving.

After the lesson I go back to the house and get the fire lit then Mikey drives back form his job. I go back to the studio to do some more work, shut up shop then make green curry.

Monday 19 February 2024

‘Widescreen’ version of the promo video for the upcoming Dunfermline show.

STRAIGHT into the studio where I start gathering together video footage from last week’s shows…there’s iPhone video from a couple of songs from each show as well as four micro SD cards with video of each full show.

I need to find the GoPro footage corresponding to the iPhone clips. so there’s a bit of trawling to extfdcat the bits I want.

Before my 11am Zoom guitar student I nip down to the village and put a poster up on the big oak tree that (for the time being) serves as the village notice board. I also put posters in the village shop and coffee shop.

In the middle of my Zoom session a pal calls wanting to borrow our log splitter. Once the sessions done I wheel it out and have it waiting for him. I don’t have time for a coffee or to hang out much as I’m hosting a party of visitors from Malawi and Rwanda at the community hydro scheme and wanna get some pix too.

Next stop is the mobile bank in the village and then back home in time for a young guitar student arriving with her mum.

After the lesson I go back to the studio and manage to get one song’s-worth of video edited before a session with my regular Monday evening Zoom guitar student. Then it’s straight into my Wildcats’ livestream on Facebook.

Mikey’s back in time for dinner then bit more work…

Sunday 18 February 2024

I update the landing page on my website to remote the two upcoming Scottish shows...

LOTS of jobs on my list today. After a late breakfast I go over the fence towards the hill to retrieve the ‘greenhouse’…actually a tubular plastic frame with poly tunnel polythene…the polythene is off the frame and tangled in trees. The frame is kinda jammed amongst some low branches.

Next job is to cut back some of the overgrown trees and bushes. This has been a bit of an ongoing task and I’m making slow progress as the chainsaw battery doesn’t want to last very long.

While the chainsaw battery’s recharging I get out for a wee walk then carry on my ‘trimming’.

In the studio I work on video promos in various formats for the two upcoming Scottish shows and post some reels on my socials. I also edit up a quick reel of the backdrop falling down behind me in Oxford.

Mikey’s coming to stay another few nights and is want to be here in time for dinner but seems he hasn’t even left Dundee by the time he said he;d be here! I make dinner for Margaret and I and leave some aside to be reheated when he gets here.

Saturday 17 February 2024

Nice to get out for a paddle despite being gubbed …and the lanyard/beard tangle!

UP EARLY to get breakfast before Fiona comes to go for a paddle. Wind is forecast for later hence going out early.

We have a good paddle. I’ve still got a touch of lurgy – not, thankfully, as bad as Margaret who’s coughing her guts up and feeling awful –but I enjoy he paddle. Fiona comes in for a coffee and a hot cross bun then goes on her way. I fall asleep for an hour!

I spend some time in the studio messing with guitar ideas potentially destined for use on a new song then someone comes to buy one of the items I had put up for sale on Facebook. Turns out we have a lot of friends in common and we natter for an hour before I get back to the studio.

I get a bit wrapped up in stuff and don’t realise the time. IT;s after 9pm when I go back to the house and make some avocado sauce, tomato and red onion salsa and a batch of tortillas for tacos with leftover beef, butternut squash and ancho chilli…

Friday 16 February 2024

I SPEND the morning in the office setting up an online ‘media room’ for Kevin McDermott’s new website. Quite pleased with the way it’s coming together.

After lunch I get Margaret to drive men to the village where I take posters for the Memorial Hall show round various places and walk back home putting them up on noticeboards as I go.

Back home I start prepping for tonight’s beef, butternut squash and ancho chilli. Betty’s coming for dinner.

While it’s bubbling away I get some more work done in the studio…then back to the house for food, chat and a grand night.

Thursday 15 February 2024

FREYA has us up early…just as well, ‘cos I’ve a busy day.

Straight off there’s a curve-ball when my (this!) website is randomly going offline and not allowing blog posts.

I have a dig about and cant see anything untoward so start a ‘live chat’ with the hosting company. I get a pretty quick response and the person at the other end identifies a couple of easy-fix issues – one of which is the website is going to a proxy that’s then re-directed to the correct IP address. Problem is the proxy has expired and was a hangover from a virus issue sorted out a year ago! I change the DNS record. Hopefully all will be ‘normal’ now.

The posters for next month’s Memorial Hall show need sorted out – outdoor posters laminated and as distribution list made up. Hopefully find time tomorrow to get them all out.

My pal Kevin arrives early afternoon – we have a lot of things to go through to prepare for his upcoming single release and subsequent ‘activities’. The website I’ve put together needs some stuff added in too. You can see it here.

While Kevin and I have been busy Fiona’s dropped by with her puppy Nova to see Freya. Once Kevin and I are finished business Mikey heads back to Dundee and drops Freya back at Catriona and WIll’s in Doune.

Wednesday 14 February 2024

UP early – lots of work to get busy with.

First up, I need to edit some teaser videos for my pal Kevin’s forthcoming single.

Once they’re done I do some more work on his website then look through our project plan to see what’s needing prioritised before we have a Zoom call to discuss.

There’s a fair bit of work to be done and I spend the rest of the day on it, taking a short break when Will drops Freya off – she’s staying with us tonight.

I also have a long call about our community hydro scheme website which, as a director, I’m tasked with looking after

Mikey’s been working on our neighbours roof and is staying over too.

It’s 9pm by the time I get back to the house and start the Taiwanese pork belly for dinner. Freya’s only just getting ready for bed and is only asleep a few minutes before dinner is ready!

Tuesday 13 February 2024

WE’RE both feeling a bit crap and achy. Must be ‘end-of-touritis’!

After breakfast with Dan and Liza we hit the road. Need to be back home in time for a session with one of my Zoom guitars students this evening…and it’d be good to have time to stop and pick up some shopping in Glasgow.

We share the drive and – after stopping for said shopping – roll up home just after 7pm. A quick unload and I manage to be ready for my Zoom session at 7.30pm.

Back in the house I make some tortillas and we have pulled pork tacos. By this time it’s nearly 11pm…I have some online orders to pack and print postage labels the bedtime. 1am before I know it…

Monday 12 February 2024

ANGUS – last night’s promoter – has come to take us for breakfast. Dai and Lisa join us and we eat and blether before it’s time to pack the car and hit the road.

Not far to go today, just an hour-and-a-bit’s drive to Bridgend.
We stop for some lunch on the way then drop in to se Auntie Glo an Uncle Cliff.

We spend a couple fo hours catching up then back today and Lisa’s where we’re staying tonight.

We have fantastic night, lovely dinner and a relatively early night so we can get an early getaway in the morning.

Sunday 11 February 2024

The Muse, Brecon – great night with Mid-Wales Rhythm & Blues Club…

WE have a lazy morning drinking coffee, eating croissants and getting some work done before checking out the Premier Inn.

A service station stop for sandwiches en route to Brecon where we arrive in time to check into our hotel before heading round the corner to The Muse to land in for tonight’s show.

Angus and the team from Mid-Wales Rhythm & Blues Club are ready for us. The Muse is a fantastic venue and the soundguy, Ian, is cool and make soundcheck easy.

Margaret’s cousin Dai and his partner Lisa are here for the gig and staying int he same hotel…we see them for a blether while we wait on our dinner. A wee bit Fawlty Towers when we’re told there’s no chicken so all the chicken dishes β€˜are off. We both opt for steak pie t be told…’sorry, no pies left’.

We’re pushed for time as doors open at the venue at 7pm and it’s a sold out show, so we need to be back to manage the merch table. We’re told food takes a maximum of 20 minutes and end up ordering sausage and mash. It take 45-minutes to arrive.

As it is, we’re only a few minutes late getting back to the venue.

Openers Candy Mountain & Mr D. (Aled and Dilwyn) put on a great show.

The it’s my turn and I have a blast…with Aled and Dilwyn joining me for a song at the end of my set before my encore of Loch Lomond Home.

The bar’s shut when we get back to the hotel so Dai and Lisa come to our room and we chat for a few hours before turning in.

Great opening set from Candy Mountain & Mr. D (Aled and Dilwyn)
With some of the fantastic folks behind Mid-Wales Rhythm & Blues Club πŸ™‚

Saturday 10 February 2024

Fun at Port Mahon, Oxford – but no pix prior to the backdrop falling down!

DESPITE a 2am bedtime we’re up early – we need to get on the road and Rodge and Jan are off to Harrogate.

We chat over breakfast then hit the road to Oxford stopping at a services en route for a sandwich.

We’re staying a few miles north of Oxford which makes sense for tomorrow’s trip to mid-Wales and we check into our Premier Inn just after 3pm…time for a shower and chill before we head into Oxford to load in and soundcheck at Port Mahon.

The venue is a good sized upstairs room above a pub. We get the back drop and my gear unpacked then soundndman Logan gets me sound checked.

Doors open at 7.30pm and stage time is 8pm. It’s not a huge crowd, but fine for the room and – apart from four drunk folks who get asked to leave – a very appreciative one.

I play two 45-minute sets…there’s a comedy moment when the backdrop falls down towards the end of my first set…then we hang out and chat before clearing up and loading out.

We didn’t have time for any dinner and find a kebab van not he way back to the hotel. 1am kebab fest!

Friday 9 February 2024

Great wee venue and crowd at Barnoldswick…

BREAKFAST at the Ramada is good. Then I get some work done before we check out and head back to The Cluny to pick up the gear and say cheerio.

Next stop is a bank. I desperately need to pay some money to cover a bunch of direct debits coming off today.

Finally we hit the road south, stopping in Darlington for some bits and bobs.

We roll into Barnoldswick – which some say is in Lancashire, and some say is Yorkshire – an drive past the venue twice before we finally spot the place. It’s very cool place and reminds me a lot of the old Bein Inn near Perth. Intimate gig space, loads of music memorabilia and great stuff.

Soundman Matt is ace as is doorman Stuart and bar staff Abigail and Sam. There’s some nice sandwiches and other goodies in the green room and we chill after soundcheck then go to say hello to our pals Jan and Rodgebefore doors open.

I play two 45 minutes to an incredibly enthusiastic audience and have a brilliant time. That’s tow magic shows under our belt this trip πŸ™‚

We go back to Rodge and Jan’s and have some grub and chat for a few hours before bed….

Thursday 8 February 2024

Great start to this wee run of shows at The Cluny..

I HAVE a guitar student coming first thing – once she’s finished I head to the studio and pack the gear. We hope to be on the road soon after midday.

We share the drive to Newcastle. I do the second shift and drive through some really crap weather between Carlisle and Newcastle.

First stop is the Ramada in Gateshead where promoter Julian has booked us in then we make our way tot he venue where Steven and sandman Thomas are waiting for us.

Soundcheck goes great then we head through to the bar to eat while support band Country Irregulars soundcheck. Liking the sound of them already πŸ™‚

Our pals Dave and Julie from The Music Cable Company have come down from Fife for the show and join us for a drink closely followed by Sue and Stevo.

Just before doors open we head back to the venue. We’d been a little concerned about numbers, but turns out to be a great crowd. Openers Country Irregulars play a belter and I have a great time playing then chatting round the merch table.

Openers Country Irregulars play a belter πŸ™‚

Wednesday 7 February 2024

I finish off a bunch of guitar pins for the merch table…

AFTER a session with one of my regular guitar students in the studio I hit the office and finish off some leather hat patches so Margaret can start getting the sewn onto beanies and caps.

Next, the guitar pins need finished so I can get the fixings on the back with enough time to cure properly..then snaps onto leather bracelets.

After lunch I go out for a walk and stop in to help Betty with some stuff. I carry on up the lochside then back to see FIona and drop off a dog tag I made for her new puppy, Nova. What a beautiful wee thing she is πŸ™‚

In the studio I start organising gear for the trip south and get batteries on charge before running through some of my set list. Quite excited about this run of shows.

After dinner I bother with Mikey while I do a little work on a website for a pal then turn in sometime after midnight….

Tuesday 6 February 2024

I GET straight onto merch production – more guitar earrings, leather cap patches, music note and guitar pendants….

In between times I make up a set list for the upcoming shows then join a legal/touring online session with the Musicians’ Union (MU).

Then it’s back onto the merch and time for a quick walk up the lochside before my late afternoon guitar student arrives.

I have to do a lot of the metal finishing outside – the hand sanding and polishing creates too much dust in the office. It’s bloody freezing but I get a lot of stuff finished…just a couple guitar pins to finish tomorrow…and some leather bracelets needing studs.

Monday 5 February 2024

Tennessee Stud – the closing cover from this week;’s Wildcats’ livestream

MIKEY’s working on a ceiling in a neighbour’s house, Margaret’s got a meeting in Stirling and I kick off the day with a session with a Zoom guitar student.

After the lesson I hit the office. I have a list of merch needing made up for the upcoming shows. I also make up a generic set list for the Newcastle, Barnoldswick, Oxford and Brecon shows.

After lunch I mess around with the ‘new’ song idea I’ve been farting about with for a long time now. At last I feel I’m going somewhere with it. Takes time πŸ˜‰

After a session with my regular Monday evening guitar student I get straight into a clusterfuck-free livestream…then back to the house for dinner.

Sunday 4 February 2024

A name change… ‘rig rundown’ becomes ‘gear rundown’….find out why…

AFTER breakfast I weight the items I wanna try and sell online – Damage Control Liquid Blues pedal, Line6 wireless guitar system and a Focusrite audio interface, All have bee lying around the studio for years and are surplus to requirements and taking up space. Plus we’re skint!

After weighing them and working out postage I get them listed on Reverb and also on Facebook Marketplace.

A message from a knowledgable pal gives me a heads up that Premier Guitar apparently has trademarked the term ‘rig rundown’ and relentlessly chases down anyone using the term! It seems odd to me that a phrase containing general/common words can be trademarked but I appreciate the tip-off and change the name to ‘gear rundown’. That means I should really change the intro screen too. The edit is quick and easy, but the whole video has to be re-processed and uploaded to Youtube and Facebook for scheduled release on Tuesday – after I’ve previewed it during tomorrow’s (Monday) livestream into my Wildcats Facebook group.

And now the I have over 1000 Youtube subscribers I can add chapter markers to the uploaded video πŸ™‚

Mikey arrives – he’s staying a couple of days while working on some local jobs – and I some sourdough then let it autolyse and spend some time working on a new song idea.

Saturday 3 February 2024

MY efforts to get some more Youtube subscribers via social posts has paid off and we’ve easily smashed the 1000 subscriber threshold that allows me to add chapter markers to my uploaded videos πŸ™‚

But, I realised I left something out of the rig rundown video. After breakfast I hit the studio, film and edit a short section then edit it into the main rig rundown video.

Trying to tidy the studio a little a few weeks ago I found some stuff that I could probably sell…a Damage Control Liquid Blues pedal, a Focusrite USB audio interface and a Line6 Relay G10 guitar wireless system. They’ve been sitting about ever since so I decide to take some photo and get them listed for sale online.

We’re a bit skint too, so I also put some test pressing/commercial vinyl bundles up for sale in the online store.

All that takes up the day then we make our way to Ross Priory further down the lochside for our pal Corinne’s 60th birthday party.

Friday 2 February 2024

MARGARET’S off to Edinburgh to meet Les for a hairdo and lunch…I have a guitar student coming.

I also have a haircut in the village after the guitar lesson. Margaret;s got the car, the buses don’t co-incide time-wise and I won’t have time to walk after the lesson. I could cycle, but it’s crap weather and I don’t wanna go to the hairdresser with helmet hair! Sandy calls to say Margaret had mentioned it and he can give me a lift πŸ™‚

Sandy also offered to come and give me a run home but I politely decline knowing that I could do with the exercise even if it is pishing rain.

I enjoy the walk and listen to another few chapters of Atomic Habits (worth a look!).

When I get home I make a pizza bread pulled pork sandwich then a wood delivery arrives. It’s still pouring so I decide to get it all into the woodshed before it gets soaked. Ooofft.

Lots of online stuff to be done and, after lighting the fire, I elect to do it from the laptop in the house. I nip outside to start production of a few bits of merch for next week’s shows.

I’d like to add chapter markers to the rig rundown video I’m posting on YouTube to go live next week…but realise you need over 1000 subscribers to access that kind of functionality. I’m not hat far off that number of subscribers so do few social media posts asking folks to subscribe so I can enhance future video posts.

It’s blowing a hooley again when I venture outside to fire ups eh pizza oven for tonight’s BBQ pulled pork pizzas. I brave the elements tho’ and we enjoy pizza and a film…

Thursday 1 February 2024

Finally get the ‘rig rundown’ video finished – I’ll show it in the Wildcats’ livestream on Monday then make it ‘public’ on my Youtube channel.

OFF to the school in Balloch first thing. I have a good session with the kids and let them know I’m not around next week ‘cos of the gigs down south.

After lunch I hit the studio and finish off the ‘rig rundown’ video. I’ll wait ’til after Monday’s Wildcats livestream on Facebook then make it public on YouTube,..although YOU can see it above πŸ˜‰

The doctor calls. We have a dilemma with our annual travel insurance policy which is up for renewal. My diverticular disease has to be declared but the question ‘have you been hospitalised with the condition’…mmm…not an easy one. My hospital visits are always caused by non-stop, ongoing vomitting…at some point during my admission my bloods and resulting scans indicate a diverticularitis flare up..which somehow always makes it’s way onto be discharge papers as beaming a presenting cause of admission. Funny, then, how every doctor, specialist or consultant has always fiercely denied any connection between the vomitting and divertularitis flare ups! I have never had any presenting symptoms of diverticularitis when going to the hospital…just the vomiting and delirium.

I need the doc’s advice on how to answer. Unfortunately lately he says the records are the records and most likely the insurers will take them to be gospel…ah well, worth an ask…I do manage to persuade him to refer me for an ultrasound to see if we can get to the bottom of the vomitting thing. HE reckons the CT scans etc would have shown any gall bladder issues, but a few folks including a radiologist fan who’s followed my hospitalisations on Facebook have told me that a ultrasound could show up issues missed by the fancier CT scans….

Margaret speaks to the insurer who seems to understand the situation and, after consulting the powers that be, gives a much more favourable quote. Phew!

After all that run through the release and promotion plan put together for a pal and message him to see how the ‘tasks’ are going. After a bit more work it’s time to wander along to Betty’s for dinner…

Wednesday 31 January 2024

A still from the upcoming ‘rig rundown’ video…

AFTER my morning guitar student has left I hit the studio.

First job of the day is to speak to journalists and radio folks in and around Oxford to try and get some exposure for the upcoming show at Port Mahon (10 February).

I also phone round the BBC stations in the upcoming gig areas to see if I can set up some interviews and/or acoustic sessions.

Next job is filming some more stuff for the ‘rig rundown’ video I’ve been working on. There’s some b-roll and cutaways to shoot then I start putting together a rough edit.

Mikey’s arrives just as I’m heading off to the village to pick up a prescription, he’s finishing off a job at our neighbours’ place but first Margaret;s going up to Rowardennan with him to see another potential job.

Back home I do some more editing and get the majority of the production done, I have a couple more sequences to drop in and then title and end sequences….

Tuesday 30 January 2024

Good to get out for another paddle..the calm before the storm!

UP at a decent time for breakfast and to get ready for a paddle…Fiona’s coming up so we can go out before it gets too windy.

Despite the cold we have a grand paddle and get back just before the wind really picks up. Coffee and hot cross buns while we warm up.

In the studio I get on with the press/media stuff for the upcoming shows and speak to a few journalists and media contacts then get busy with all the video rushes form yesterday’s ‘rig rundown’ filming,. There’s a load of stuff to trawl through!

Monday 29 January 2024

Soul of a Man from my Wildcats’ livestream…turns out an appropriate choice!

UP early to get my sourdough in the oven…then prepare for a paddle. It’s been three weeks since I’ve been on the loch. Plus. it gets me out the house when the sourdough come out the oven and has to cool for an hour before I’m ‘allowed’ to eat it!

The loch’s flat calm and Ii do. livestream to promote the upcoming shows. I’m not out long so I have time for a shower and breakfast before my first Zoom guitar student of the day.

After the session do some other online promo and get some news releases written for the upcoming shows before heading back to the house to try and fix a downpipe and have lunch.

Back in the studio I have another bash at filming for a ‘rig rundown’ before an afternoon guitar student arrives.

I manage to get a little more filming done before another Zoom guitar session then my weekly livestream into the Wildcats’ Facebook group. In between times I hear that I;ve been nominated in two categories of the UK Blues Awards – acoustic act of the year and traditional blues artist of the year. If I make the shortlist to he finals of either category there’s be a public vote….

Margaret’s got dinner ready when I get back to the house then we head along for a dink with Betty and her family to celebrate her birthday.

Sunday 28 January 2024

AS USUAL the kids are through to wake us up just after 7am…Margaret makes them some breakfast then they come back through not jump all over papa!

I have to finish making some packaging stickers for Manson Glass – Catriona’ll take them back for Will.

I’m in the studio when Maggi and Joel drop by to chat over some local stuff. When they leave and I go back to the house Catriona and the kids are getting ready to leave.

In the studio I decide to make a ‘rig rundown’ video – a video showing what I use instrument and gear-wise on the road.

Takes me a while to get set up and everything in place…then I spend a while filming until the camera tells me the memory’s full. And that’s when I realise that everything’s been recorded – including audio – in slow . I could probably salvage it, but it’d take a lot of messing around and likely never be quite right…I abandon ship and go back to the house to make some mushroom risotto.

Saturday 27 January 2024

A LAZY morning watching Saturday Kitchen and drinking coffee while dealing with emails and social media.

Mikey’s finishing off a job for neighbours and comes back for a late breakfast break after which I get the smoker fired up and a pork butt on for tonight’s pulled pork tacos.

Catriona and the kids are coming and staying over and I had an idea to make the kids some personalised drinks coasters so head out to the office to get them done.

They arrive and we have a coffee before I head out to trim back more trees and bushes then, when the chainsaw battery runs dry I go for a walk up the lochside.

Mikey heads off and I get busy with some web server set up work for a pal.

When I go back to the house the kids are away to bed. The pork’s ready by about 8pm and goes in a faux cambro to stay warm while I make salsa and mix dough for the tortillas. its late when we eat but well worth the wait πŸ™‚

Friday 26 January 2024

MIEKY’S up early to start a job at our neighbours – we’re up and had breakfast intake for a new guitar student.,

She brings her two dogs who behave impeccably and as a use player, picks things up pretty quick. She’s showing promise already!

IU have community hydro society board meeting right after and when I;m done Fiona and Margaret are trying to unblock one of our downpipes drains with various roads, a pressure washer and other weird-looking instruments of torture. I leave them to ita

After a little work int he studio I pack a guitar for a TV recording session later and head off into Glasgow to get some shopping. The onto the TV studio in Dumbarton where I record an interview with presenter Paul Murdock for future airing.

Another stop to pick up stuff on the way home then into the studio to get some bits and bobs done before I make dinner.

Thursday 25 January 2024

OFF to the school early doors and have a great session with the kids…including one new guy who’s a natural!

Some shopping on the way home then a bit of a tidy up in the garden sorting some of the more superficial wind damage.

After lunch Mikey arrives to do a plastering job for a neighbour. Margaret got him to pick up a new light fitting for our bedroom – an LED strip to replace the ugly and temperamental flourescent fitting. I manage to replace and rewire without fucking it up πŸ™‚

It’s Burns’ day which means one of my Burns’ songs needs live-streamed and posted round my socials…then it’s back to work on some stuff in the studio until Margaret buzzes me to ask what time, if at all, I’m making dinner!

My job tonight – carnitas πŸ™‚

Thursday 25 January 2024

I HAVE a guitar student at the house first thing. Once her lesson is done I hit the studio and get on with one more stuff.

Margaret comes to tell me she’s spoken to the park rangers and there’s some chopped up wood up for grabs. We go and get some and share the news with the community.

After lunch I’m back in the studio when our pal Neil pulls up..he’s brought us some cool gifts and comes in for a coffee and a blether. Nice to see him.

I’m working on some arrangement and top line melody stuff to go with some lyrics from the school sessions – I’m there tomorrow (Thursday) morning so keen to have something to get busy with.

One of the ideas to help my pal Kevin with his upcoming release is to sort his mailing list. he’s sent me over some info and engaged my services to make it happen. I get some work done before heading back to the house to get the fajitas on the go. Betty’s coming for dinner…

Tuesday 23 January 2024

A load of us get the road cleared of the three fallen trees….

AFTER a Zoom guitar session which was rescheduled for this morning after yesterday’s power cut I film some promo videos for the BluesAlive Festival in Czech in November.

I edit up vertical, square ands 16:9 versions and give Margaret a link to send off.

After lunch I start to try and sort out all the Facebook/Meta pixel issues – be good to have this sorted out so I can update the pixel info for the ads I have scheduled to go live on Facebook later today.

There’s a whole load of ad accounts, page identifications and pixel codes and data from a load of different places – including Eventbrite and Kickstarter. Seems ‘installing’ Facebook pixels via third party ‘helper’ apps causes a few issues, even though int he short term they are quick and easy solutions for the non-tech savvy.

Anyway, a lot of notes, cross-referencing and stuff gets things mostly sorted out and I’m able to add the pixel info the the scheduled ads.

I have a break in the process for an in-person lesson in the studio one of my young guitar students.

In the house I prepare. pork tenderloin for sous vide which takes a good three hours then we go and help clear the road int he village. Three trees have come down and it takes a dozen of us, four chainsaws and a truck well over an hour to get the road clear….

Monday 22 January 2024

Homesick & Blue from the Wildcats’ livestream

POWER’S still off when we wake up…and the strong winds have wreaked havoc outside.

The fruit cage is dubbed, glass table smashed and plastic table broken. The greenhouse is over the fence and stuck in trees, the pizza bench, oven and accessories have been blown over, all the outside covers blown off,…and there’s a few fence panels to boot. Fuck sake.

I still have some battery in my phone so I venture out to try and find a signal so I can let my 11am Zoom guitar student we’re gonna have to re-schedule.

After trying to tidy up a bit outside we try and get the fruit cage back into some sort of structure then I chop some wood and we get the fire lit. Then I sit and mess with some guitar/song ideas until the power comes back on at lunchtime.

I have a call with a pal I’m trying to help with some upcoming single and album releases. A lot of the ideas and plans I’ve already sent but they’ve either been too cryptic or gone astray in the email ether..

In the studio I get to work on a couple of ads for the upcoming shows. Facebook keeps telling me there’s no payment method on my account despite verifying several payment methods I’ve just added to the existing array of options. I’m also getting some crap about my pixel not being active or installed which is bollox.

Time moves on, though, and I need to get prepped for tonight’s Wildcats’ livestream before a session with one of my Zoom guitar students.

All goes to plan and I have a clusterfuck-free livestream. The second in two weeks!

Just some of the wind damage..canl;t quite get my head round how these thin poles and netting catch enough wind for this to happen….

Sunday 21 January 2024

HORRIBLE wet and grey outside….and another long lie to get some social posting and stuff done from the warmth of the bed.

Breakfast is more of a brunch than I get busy with redesigning the stitching holes for the leather bookmarks. They’re not bad, but could be better!

It’s a complicated task and I want to avoid having to start again from scratch, but I manage to get it done and the first ‘mark 2’ bookmark made. The improvements make Margaret’s life easier as she’s the one who does the stitching.

I venture outside to chop some wood. it’s so grim outside that once the fire’s lit I stay put and decide to work on upping my GarageBand game from the couch rather than going to the studio.

We have pretty lazy afternoon and evening…

Saturday 20 January 2024

WE STAY in bed for longer than usual…but as well as chasing and drinking coffee I get all me emails and an bunch of social media stuff done.

My social posts about the magnetic bookmarks have generated some sales and as well as making up the orders I make a sample in faux/vegan leather…and one in a different colour of leather.

After chopping wood and sticks I head to the studio with the aim of sorting some archive video for Monday’s Wildcats’ livestream. All the hard drives are full though, so I need to clear out some of the video projects and render files before I can get on with the main task.

In between times I mess with the banjo – haven’t picked it up in ages – and record a wee riff that might end up being developed into a song.

I’m keen to start utilising some of the music/songwriting apps on iPhone and iPad to develop lyric, coal and guitar riff ideas and mess about a bit. GarageBand is still the go to app and ‘Ive never really explored it properly. After dinner I spend some time messing and learning…

Friday 19 January 2024

As well as video promos for upcoming shows I make a wee fun clip of Never Going Back Again…

WE SLEEP in again…then I hit the studio.

Some more gig promo to be done for the February shows…and some posting of gig-specific promos too.

After the Mac in the studio updates I get on with some more work and make/edit a wee promo video for West Highland Way Gifts’ personalised leather bookmarks. It generates some orders!

I’v been messing around with Lindsay Buckingham’s Never Going Back Again – a highlight, for me, of Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours album. Dunno if I;ll ever try and sing/perform it, but I make a wee video of the guitar part for TikTok, reels and suchlike.

Back in the house I make some shredded Mexican beef in the instant pot and we have tacos for dinner…

Thursday 18 January 2024

OFF to the school in Balloch first thing for a morning. session. with some of the kids.

On the way home I stop off to pick up a few odd and ends of shopping then I get busy making personalised leather magnetic bookmark for a West Highland Way Gifts’ order.

I do some more tree trimming out the back until the chainsaw battery runs out then have lunch.

Later on when the battery’s charged up I go back out and do same…until it runs out again. All the major stuff’s done now…just a bit of s baller stuff to finish sometime over the next few days.

In the studio I edit some vertical and square format videos for a couple of the upcoming England shows…Barnoldswick and Oxford. Brecon is sold out and Newcastle looks good. They’ll be in. the main./general ad and promo video, but the Oxford show is only just booked and Barnoldswick is a little slow so I’ll do specific ads/video for them.

Wee take a wander along to see Betty before Donner then have veggie haggis, neeps and fatties when we get home πŸ™‚

Wednesday 17 January 2024

Smoked beef short rib tacos…salsa, manchego, avocado sauce and a wee squeeze of lime!

MY morning guitar student isn’t well so I hit the studio after breakfast.

First job of the day is to make some video promos for the upcoming series of England dates. After posting vertical and square versions on my social, I’ll use the content to create targetted ads.

It’s nice day and I’d like a quick paddle, but a wander down to the bay puts paid to that idea. The bay’s frozen over.

Betty’s coming for dinner tonight and I’m making smoked beef short rib tacos. I go back to the house to get the smoker fired up…but it’s frozen shut and it takes me half an hour with a heat gun to get it freed up!

Once the short ribs are on we have lunch then I venture out on another tree trimming session. More progress, but the chainsaw battery runs out before I’m done so looks like it’ll be another day or two before I’m done.

In lieu of a paddle I go a wander up the lochside. Back home I check progress in the smoker then finish off some video edits in the studio. While the videos are ‘processing’ I play some guitar. Still need to do individual show video/ads but that can wait.

Betty calls to say she’s not been well and won’t make it for dinner. That’s a shame…’cos the smoke beef shortrib tacos turn out great…and the homemade avocado sauce and salsa toppings set the beef off nicely.

After dinner I spend time on gig promo and some other admin stuff…

Tuesday 16 January 2024

IT’S bloody cold when I take out the rubbish and chop some wood before breakfast.

I have a fair bit of email, social media and other admin stuff to get through over the course of the morning.

Another trek over the fence to cut back some of the trees and other growth. I make pretty good progress…one more session should hopefully see the job done.

After lunch I head to the studio and mess with the guitar until my young guitar student arrives for his lesson.

There’s four England shows coming up in early February. I got a lot of the online listing stuff done last night but I need to make up Facebook cover art for my profile and page.

Once that’s done I’d done I start work on landing page for my website. Always a bit of a challenge putting something together that’ll work on desktop, tablet and phone screens.

After dinner I prep some beef short ribs to go in the smoker in the morning. Smoked short rib tacos for dinner tomorrow. Oh yes!

Monday 15 January 2024

Preachin’ Blues from this week’s Wildcats’ livestream

I SLEEP in and forget about my sourdough, so it’s later than usual going into the oven and I have to wait ’til after my first Zoom guitar student of the day before I have breakfast!

Back in the studio I start editing up video from the weekend so I can use it in tonight’s Wildcats’ livestream on Facebook.

After a late lunch I venture out to trim back some trees. It’s been a few years since I’ve done it and the regrowth been obscuring our view for the last coupla summers. Best to do the trimming now while there’s no leaves.

The chain comes off the chainsaw tho’ and I have guitar student arriving so I give up for the day.

After the guitar lesson I head back to the studio and prep for tonight’s Wildcats’ livestream and deal with a bunch of emails and other stuff.

Another Zoom student then into the livestreamm..the first in ages that hasn’t been peppered with technical (or other!) clusterfucks!

After dinner we sort out ticketing and stuff for an upcoming show in Oxford and I get it – and some other shows – listed online.

Sunday 14 January 2024

UP and down to breakfast at the hotel early(-ish!)...Seamus, our driver, is picking us up at 9.45am to take us to the airport.

Seamus also happens to be the director of Belfast Blues Festival and is keen to get me back to play the festival in June. Magic!

Although we flew into Belfast City airport, our return is from Belfast international. Go figure! Anyway, the place is quiet and we’re checked in and through security in no time. The guy at the scanner, though, is a grumpy cunt…and pretty rude. Given the ‘aggression or rudeness to our staff won’t be tolerated’ signs everywhere I find this pretty ironic and Margaret has to persuade me not to post/Tweet/whatever to share my thoughts!

We’re back in Glasgow and on our way to Costco early afternoon. It takes us lounger to get through the roadwork and diversion into St Rollox retail park than it did to get from Belfast to Glasgow!

We grab a late lunch in a crowded Costco, pick up some ore shopping in Tesco then head for home.

After unloading the car and putting the shopping away I chop some wood, get the fire on then head to the studio to dump video footage from the show onto the computer. While the video’s transferring I put away the gear from the trip and tidy up a little.

Back in the house I mix some sourdough dough then prepare black pepper tofu for dinner.

We watch our pal Bill’s monthly livestream from Florida while we eat.

Saturday 13 January 2024

Grand time at the Out to Lunch Festival in Belfast…

WE’RE a little later going down for breakfast than planned but still in good time.

A taxi ride to the BBC gets us there just after 10.30am and soon I’m getting set up and soundchecked. Some nice mics in that room!!!

The interview and session all goes well and the producer has a taxi waiting to whisk us to the venue for this afternoon’s Out to Lunch fest show.

The Deer’s Head Music Hall is a fantastic space with a great rig. Soundman Vic does a grand job with soundchecks then I head to the green room until showtime.

I have a grand time playing and chatting to folks after the show before getting the gear back to the hotel and having a drink with our pal Rachel.

Next stop, Common Market for tacos and quesadillas from Al Pastor (again!) – then on to Black Box to meet our pal Cara where we run into a bunch of other festival folks we know. Happy days πŸ™‚

Friday 12 January 2024

Good grub….and 0% Guinness on draught!

THE morning is spent getting everything ready and packed for tomorrow’s (Saturday) show in Belfast.

We leave the house at lunchtime and park up at Glasgow airport in good time to check in for our flight.

Festival driver Seamus is waiting at Belfast City airport and drives us to the Ramada hotel where we’re staying tonight and tomorrow.

We venture out for some dinner and stop at Common Market – a big converted warehouse with loads of street food options and bars.

We decide on Mexican and order quesadillas from Al Pastor and pick some drinks while we wait for our β€˜come and collect’ buzzer to, erm, buzz.

Zero percent Guinness on draught is magic….and the quesadillas an amazing!

We go for a wee wander then back to the hotel….big day tomorrow…

Thursday 11 January 2024

A nice walk up Craigie Fort on my way along the lochside as dusk approaches..

OFF to the school first thing for a session with some kids. Its goes well…then I stop to get some shopping on the way home.

On the way home I see work being done on the footpath between us and the next village. I grab the vcamera and go a walk to grab some photos.

It’s a nice day outside and I take the chance to tidy up some more stuff outside. The gazebo covers from the New Year garden show are still wet and cold and can’t be put away. I drape one over the rotary drier and another over the swing…if they dry a little I can move them into the office. Then there’s just two more to deal with.

In the studio I work on sounds and patches on the Quad Cortex. I’d seen some info on global input/output levels that are separate from individual patch inout and output. I go through them with the two guitars I’m taking to Belfast and adjust accordingly.

As dusk approaches it’s still lovely outside. Cold but nice. I take a wander up the lochside.

Next, my accounts…and tax return. I get focussed and finish it all up then submit my tax return. Phew! Not before time.

I do a little promo for my BBC Ulster interview and live session coming up on Saturday morning then back to the house for dinner…

Wednesday 10 January 2024

MY MORNING guitar student isn’t well so she won’t be ’til next week so I get on with the to-do list.

First up is passport renewal. There’s a festival booking in Romania in April and although my passport tis valid ’til December 2024, it was issued in March 2014 and will be ‘more than ten years past issue date’. by April which means no entry to Romania!

Thanks to technology and the wonders of the web I can renew pretty easily online – but I need to take a selfie in the studio. I get it all done and paid for then package up my old passport to send off in snail mail.

After lunch I take a walk along the road to the next village to grab some photos of pavement clearance for the community trust – and maybe the upcoming. local place plan. Margaret’s been on at the council to do something about the state of the path for years and work has finally started today.

When I get back Julie and Maggi are in discussing the place plan. I have a coffee and chuck in my tuppence-worth before heading to the studio to get some work done on my accounts,

There’s a knock on the studio door just after 6pm. It’s Joel – he’s come to check the dog (Rosie) was OK in Maggi’s car, but she (the dog, that is!) is in the house in front of the fire! We chat and mess with guitars in the studio then go house for a coffee.

After everyone’s gone I make some tortillas from scratch using the directions from Masa Tortillas in Bristol…I’ve order more fresh ones from them, but they’re not here yet and we’re having tacos tonight. My newly amended recipe is a lot better than past efforts πŸ™‚

Tuesday 9 January 2024

WE SLEEP in a bit. Dunno why, but we’ve both woken early the last few weeks and then fallen back to sleep for an embarrassingly long time!

Main job of the day is to check the set list for Saturday’s show in Belfast and rehearse – it’s a big, sold out show so I wanna make sure I’m on my game!

I have a guitar student this afternoon who’s moving form acoustic to electric guitar so I decide to try and set up an patch on the Quad Cortex that we can both plug in at the same time and even jam a little at the end of lessons.

After an inordinate amount of time trying to work out why I can’t get any input signal from the second guitar when a mic works fine..there’s no apparent settings to change from mic to line level for the input, so I imagine it’s detected automatically…I stop farting about and get busy with some other stuff.

As it turns out may student got an amp for Christmas and has brought it along. I spend most of the lesson showing him how to use it and what al; the various effects do. And how to adjust them.

Back in the studio a bit of online research reveals a ‘secret’ screen not he Quad Cortex accessed by a swipe down on the touch screen. I’ve generally been using Cortex Control on the computer to change settings and this doesn’t seem to be available via the desktop software. Not that I can see anyway.

A simple on-screen setting and I get everything working!

Margaret’s busy negotiating a couple of shows – one in Oxford next month and a festival in Romania in April….

Monday 8 January 2024

Back to the control room for this week’s Wildcats’ livestream...

STILL some tidying up to be done in the studio before my first Zoom guitar student of the day.

Once the lessons done I get back onto my accounts and manage to sort most of the stuff out ready for the dreaded tax return.

It’s time once again to re-jig the studio. The livestream setup in the live room was good…but kinda made it awkward to use the space for other stuff..and there’s only one livestream a week. So instead of re-instating things as they were for tonight’s Wildcats’ livestream I decide to go back to the old ‘control room’ setup.

That means a lot of setting up and prep.

I take a break when my young guitar student arrives with her mum then get back to it, with another break for a phone call with my pal Kevin. I also get the upcoming (March) local village hall gig online and start spreading the word.

Another Zoom guitar session then straight into the livestream which works reasonably well other than a camera dropout mid-stream.

Back int eh house we have dinner then watch all four episodes of the Post Office Horizon scandal dramatisation on the STV player.

Sunday 7 January 2024

Good to get out a wander with Martyn (and Orla!) and catch up…

THE KIDS have us up early (surprise) and I nip to the shop to get some rolls while Margaret sorts breakfast.

I’m not long finished when Martyn arrives with baby Orla and we head out for a couple hours’ walk.

When we get back Martyn heads off and I go to feed the ducks and another wee walk with Margaret and the kids.

I send some time in the studio editing more video then pay some fleeting attention to my accounts before Catriona arrives to pick up the kids.

Margaret and I are both goosed and have a nap in front of the fire then I get some more work done.

Saturday 6 January 2024

Some Johnny Cash from the garden concert….

IT’S a nice day – really cold and icy but the sun’s shining so after breakfast I do some tidying up in the garden while Margaret gets the Christmas decorations down.

I get the outside lights down and in to dry off before we put them away….the frost has made everything cold and wet!

In the studio I start putting together a set for next Saturday’s show in Belfast then Catriona rocks up with the kids. Maragert’s suggested we have them overnight so Catriona can have a long lie tomorrow (Sunday)!

The kids have some pizza then bed. Once they’re asleep I make some carnitas and we have dinner and an early night too.

Friday 5 January 2024

We set off in a pea souper!

UP EARLY to get some media calls in before I go for a paddle with Fiona.

Margaret has Maggi and Julie coming up to chat through ideas for the local place plan..I hit the studio and call the BBC in Belfast to see if I can get onto any of their Friday night or Saturday morning shows to play a few songs and promote the Out to Lunch festival show (which is sold out, but still no harm one extra exposure!).

When Fiona and I head out onto the loch there’s a layer of cloud/mist/whatever. It’s eerie, but very cool…eventually we get through it and the sun breaks through.

It’s a beautiful day and water is pretty flat. Although we’d only planned an hour or so’s paddle it’s so nice we decide to carry open across the loch to Luss. I call Margaret to see if she’d come and get us and she’s happy to do so.

We have a couple of rest stops the let out feet come back to life. The second is on Inchconanchan where we wander ups he hill in the hope of spotting some wallabies but to no avail.

At Luss we leave our board on the beach and wander up to the shop and grab some lunch while we wait for Margaret.

Back home I wash down my board, have a shower then have a nap not he couch in front off the fire. A bit of. skive, but it’s worth it.

I get back onto my emails and have a message from the BBC suggesting a session and interview on Saturday morning. Success πŸ™‚

It dawns on me that few musicians bother doing any press/media promo, especially if a show is already sold out…they don’t see the point. That amazes me – it’s not all about the fee…or getting folks through the door. Any newspaper, magazine, TV or radio stuff helps maintain raise profile in a. wider sense. And if there’s live playing involved – ie: radio or TV session – then there’s a good chance it’ll generate some income int he form of PRS royalties.

I know I’ve debated the role of traditional media recently and I stand by my views – BUT even if such exposure doesn’t have a direct or short-term benefit, it does provide content for socials, social proof and, as a good pal often says, at least “…dae sumthin’…”!

..and as the sun breaks through paddle across to Luss

Thursday 4 January 2024

THE morning is spent – reluctantly – working on my accounts which are horribly behind.

There’s also loads more video footage from Monday’s garden gig that needs the frame rate adjusted so I set that to churn away on the background while I get on with the accounts.

In between times I have a Zoom guitar session with one of my occasional students who drops in and out every so often., masters the topic in question then comes back for more. Works well for some folks.

Two upcoming gigs are now sold out! Belfast next Saturday (13 January) and The Muse in Brecon next month. That’s good, but I still need to do some ‘traditional’ (ie: newspapers and radio) PR for Belfast.

One of the longer-term effects of covid and lockdown is that many newspapers have shut down/merged with other titles…and many of them have laid off their staffers. My media contacts database is therefore as much use as a chocolate teapot. I start a it of research into what radio and papers are still worth contacting and who the relevant folks are.

Wednesday 3 January 2024

FREYA has us up early.

After breakfast Margaret takes Freya swimming and I get busy with some of the video from New Year’s Day.

The cameras were recording at different frame rates and I finally get my head round the fact that the audio pitch mismatch is not anything to do with audio sample rates, it’s the frame rate that’s causing the issue when the video clips are pulled onto a project timeline.

The workaround is simple if a little time consuming – covert the video from one of the sources outwith the Final Cut timeline. I use Compressor to convert the GoPro footage from 23.98fps to the 25fps frame rate of the master video from the main camera. It works!

Will comes to pick up Freya at 5pm then Maragret and I have a coffee and chill for a wee while. Then I finish up a couple of tracks from David and Fiona’s set and stick them on Dropbox for them to grab.

There’s still a load of cold ham in the fridge. In a bid to have something different for dinner I rustle up a ham fried rice which works out really good πŸ™‚

Tuesday 2 January 2024

DESPITE an early night we don’t wake up ’til midday! Still aching all over and feeling crap πŸ™

We have coffee in bed and a lazy few hours responding to comments and stuff on yesterday’s livestream.

It’s 3pm before we have breakfast then I finish the cleanup outside and start shifting stuff back to the studio.

Catriona brings Freya over – she’s staying the night – and we have a coffee. Catriona heads off, Margaret gives Freya some dinner and I try to get the studio tidied up and ready for an online lesson with one of my Zoom guitar students.

I also dump video from the camera that was live-streaming and start the GoPro footage download. The files are huge though and even after the guitar lesson I end up having to leave the computer churning away while I lock up the studio.

Monday 1 January 2024

New Year’s Day gig in the garden πŸ™‚

HAPPY New Year. No hangover for me…and up and out early doors to finish the smoker shelter roof, tidy the garden and start setting up for the garden concert.

Thankfully it’s nice weather and I;ve cleared up by midday. Margaret’s busy in the kitchen making soup and stoves for later and comes out to give me hand putting up the gazebos.

Next I start getting the PA and other gear over from the studio and set up.

Once we’re happy with the sound I move onto set up for the live-streaming –camera, lights, switchers, computer etc.

Finally we sort the seating and lights then Fiona and David arrive. They help finish getting the lights up then they soundcheck and we’re pretty much ready when folks start arriving just before 4pm.

I get the livestream underway then David and Fiona kick things off with a grand half-hour set. then it’s yours truly. It’s kinda nerve-wracking playing a load of covers that I’ve not played in years. My aim isn’t to ‘play’ the songs – more to give folks an idea of my influences and how I started playing guitar and performing…and how my style ‘evolved’.

All goes well and we have a good crowd. The livestream goes to plan too.

Once everyone’s away Fiona, David and his brother Stuart help clear up. They had off and I go indoors for dinner. Margaret’s got steak pie in the oven and we’re both starving.

I’m gubbed tho’…and asleep by 9pm!

Dave B & Fiona open the show

Sunday 31 January 2023

Post bowling meal at the Torbex Inn for Mikey’s 40th…

WE’RE off to celebrate Mikey’s 40th birthday…but before we go I need to try and get some more work done on the smoker shelter roof. Don’t wanna leave it all too tomorrow (Monday) – I’ll have enough to sort out!

I make progress then we head for the Hollywood Bowl in Stirling, stopping at Catriona’s to drop off Mikey’s birthday cake and balloons. We’ll go back there for coffee and cake after the bowling nd Mikey’s birthday meal.

We have two lanes at the bowling alley and everyone has great fun. Then, mid-afternoon, we have lunch at the Torbex Inn.

Back to Catriona’s for a couple of hours then we head home.

We watch our pal Bill’s livestream from Wisconsin – they’re normally in Florida, but at their son’s for New Year – bring in the bells, watch a bit of Jools Holland’s Hootenanny and head to bed.

Saturday 30 December 2023

Looks like a wise decision to postpone the garden concert and livestream ’til Monday…

WE WAKE up to snow which gets steadily heavier over the morning…and is a good few inches thick before it dies down.

There’s lots of roads closed too, so we definitely made the right decision postponing the garden concert and livestream for a couple of days ’til Monday (1 January – New Year’s Day).

No point even trying to getany proper work done outside on the shelter…so I clear some snow instead.

Fiona and David B come round and we work on some sounds and mixes for the garden show.

I’m feeling a bit crap – a combination of the trail end of the lurgy which is still hanging around a bit and aching form the last few days of DIY roofing! I settle in front of the fire, have dinner then we watch the latest Indiana Jones film….

Friday 29 December 2023

An extra pair of hands makes the roofing felt job a LOT easier!

AFTER checking the weather it looks like we might have to re-schedule tomorrow’s (Saturday) garden concert and livestream for a few days. I really don’t want to but…

It puts me in a bit of a stinker of a mood as virtually everything I’ve been busy with the last couple of weeks has been related to the garden show.

David B’s coming round in a bit to help me with roofing felt on the new smoker shelter roof, so we’ll have a blather about it and make a decision. Meantime, I get some other bits and bobs of the roof finished ready for our felting.

When David B arrives we have a coffee and – after speaking to Margaret, calling Fiona and checking weather/wind forecasts – we decide to re-schedule for Monday (1 January) – New Year’s Day.

It’s decent weather today, hence the felting job, and with a short lunch break we have it done before dark.

David heads off, Margaret arrives home with shopping and I spend the rest of the evening changing Facebook event and livestream info and trying to contact everyone to let them know the re-scheduled date.

Thursday 28 December 2023

WE HAVE a bit of a long lie…and once breakfast is done I venture outside to try and get some more work done on the smoker shelter roof.

Surprise, surprise it starts pishing rain and blowing a gale. Great. I really need to be able to move the tarp to get to the bits of work that need done. I head to the studio to get on with some other stuff until the weather improves a bit.

Back at the shelter, I manage to align and brace some stuff…then find the screws that I have are a few mm too short. Turns out the batons are all a few mm wider than specified. Fuck.

Into the car to Dumbarton to get screws and, of course, it’s shit weather again when I get back. By the time the wind and rain have eased off a little it’s dark, so I end up trying to do some work with a head torch before giving up and deciding an early start in the morning might be best.

In the studio I give up the mixer connection battle and instead concentrate on seeing up the Quad Cortex – it can take a few inputs and isn’t restricted to guitars. I plug in a mic and start building some scenes that include a vocal mic should push come to shove.

Wednesday 27 December 2023

WE have a bit of a lazy morning then Matty heads off.

I spend most of the day in the studio battling with the mixer connections to no avail. I’m convinced it’s something to do with ethernet and static IP addresses but I can’t figure it out.

There’s a couple of new song ideas I mess with for a while then run through some stuff I plan to play at Saturday’s garden concert – lots of influences/covers in my proposed set.

I take some time out to set up a livestream for the event too.

Tuesday 26 December 2023

Beautiful day for a paddle…but turned out a lot choppier than we expected!

TURNS out a nice day…and I’ve arran ged for Fiona and David to come up and go for a paddle.

Matty’s out for run when I get up, make breakfast and head out. It’s a nice morning, but it gets pretty choppy once we get out the bay and pretty scary at points out past the islands. Still good get out and a load of fun.

Fiona and David come in for a coffee and cake afterwards…Matty and Margaret join us, Lesley goes for a shower and Mikey sits by himself in a foul mood…no reason just, perhaps, some over indulgement last night πŸ˜‰

Margaret and Les make a fantastic mid-afternoon roast then Mikey takes himself off and Lesley leaves a wee while later.

Margaret, Matty and I chill the rest of the evening.

Monday 25 December 2024

Christmas dinner selfie…a fantastic day at Catriona and Will’s πŸ™‚

MERRY Christmas! Margaret and I exchange presents over coffee in bed then we get up and all have breakfast.

We gather up all the presents and make our way to Catriona and Will’s. They – along with the kids and Will’s mum Joyce – are all acting and excited. We have a great day and wonderful meal before I drive Margaret, Les, Matty and Mikey back to ours.

We settle down and watch Tetris then all head to bed.

Sunday 24 December 2023

OUR eleventh anniversary. Can’t believe how fast time passes…if I was to guess, I’d have said maybe five or six years.

Matty’s off into Glasgow for a haircut and we get about our day-to-day business.

The washing machine has given up then ghost and Margaret has a load of washed washing that needs spun before it can go outside into the tumble dryer. She takes it along to a neighbour for a spin.

I spend an inordinate amount. of time trying to sort out networking connections and stuff for the mixer for next Saturday’s garden concert. it’s frustrating to say the least.

My credit card has a stop on it…something to do with ‘suspicious activity’ while trying to buy a mixer software plugin for the iPad…for some reason the App Store threw out my card. That might also be why the accounting software isn’t getting a feed from the credit card account.

I manage to add a different card for the App store and get the p[lug in downloaded. Then I call the bank and get my credit card reinstated.

Two hurdles out the way, the connection nightmare comes up. Not getting any consistent link either using wifi or a hard-wired ethernet connection.

After a few hours of frustration I among to get the wifi method working.

By this time Lesley and Mikey have arrived and we settle down for an evening of chat, food and drink…

Saturday 23 December 2023

WE have a long lie.Still raining and blowing a hooley outside πŸ™

Our outside Christmas lights have broken again – the repaired USB plug is very fragile – and Maragrert picked up a new set in town yesterday. We venture outside with a ladder and I get the old ones down…and the new ones up. Lookin’ good.

It’s our 11th wedding anniversary tomorrow (Sunday) and I haven’t been anywhere to pick up a card for Margaret but I have an idea of how I would like to make one. I get busy in the relative privacy of the office!

Next job is to see if I can repair the USB plug on the lights we took down earlier. It’s a bit frustrating and fiddly but I get them working and they might be nice extra decor for the garden concert next Saturday (30 December).

In the studio I work on a set for the garden show – I’m planning a ‘no-slide’, ‘regular guitar set with a few influential covers. Lots of lyrics to try and re-learn!

Then I dip into my accounts. Not as much to do as I feared, but still need to get on top of things before the end of the year.

Matty arrives just after 8pm and I lock up the studio. We sit and blether for a while then I make pulled pork tacos…the tortillas from Masa Tortillas in Bristol are amazing!

Friday 22 December 2023

Grand evening at the local carols evening at the village hall…

AMAZED once again that the smoker room and tarp are still intact after more incredibly high winds.

Margaret’s off into Glasgow for lunch with Catriona and I have ‘stuff to do’ in prep for Christmas.

In the studio I spend some time working on hardwired connections between iPhone/iPad and there mixer which will, hopefully, help make set up and soundcheck for the 30 December garden concert a little easier.

There’s quite a lot of planning to do for the garden thing…then I head out for a walk up lochside just as darkness starts to fall. A couple of windy livestreams along the way then back too the studio.

We head along to the village hall early for the carols event…they need my projector and I’m on push button duty for the words and we need two get everything set up and make sure it’s working.

Wednesday 20 December 2023

Getting this new tarp on by myself in the wind was a challenge!

MARGARET’S off into town to get a load of shopping and I get busy making a ‘secret something’ in the office.

A courier delivers the new tarp for the smoker shelter roof…I need a dry day (or maybe even two) to get the adhesive and felt on and that ain’t happening anytime soon. The existing three-tarp improvisation was never gonna be anything but very temporary, so I start getting it down and set about putting the new one on. Int he wind. In monster wind.

It’s a huge challenge trying to get to on and secured on my tod, but after a few tree retrievals and other setbacks I finally get it done.

Duncan and Irene are coming tonight so I get seek prep done on the chicken enchiladas then Margaret comes home with a mo tbh; s-worth of shopping to put away.

We have a grand night with our pals..and when they leave just after midnight it’s windier than ever. I’m glad I got the one-piece tarp on and relatively secure.

Tuesday 19 December 2023

AN earlier than usual guitar student at the house then I get some work done.

Lots of admin-y kinda shit to catch up on…then we head into Glasgow. I’ve a meeting with musician pals Fraser Speirs and Dave Pringle and Margaret’s got some stuff to post and some makeup to take back tot he shop for a refund.

We’re back home just in time for my 4pm guitar student. We work On a Nirvana song – Smells lIke Teen Spirit – then once we’re done I get on with some prep work on remote mixer control for the upcoming garden show.

The X-Air app for controlling the stage box-style digital mixer has been flaky the last few times we used it and I can’t be arsed with the headache – I consider getting a small hardware mixer but eventually realise that spending money on something sonically inferior to that we already have is a bit nuts. nbBetter if I can fin either a more reliable remote…or a hard-wired way to control the mix.

Eventually I discover Mixing Station – a Β£5 app that’ll work on both iPhone and iPad and can be hard wired via a lightning to ethernet adaptor if push comes to shove. Let’s see if it’s a viable fix….

Monday 18 December 2023

New beams and roof boards on…too wet to get the felt down tho’…

AFTER my first Zoom guitar lesson of the day I head back to the house and get on with the smoker shelter roof.

It’s grey, wet and windy but I need to get the final two roof boards cut to size and nailed down.

That in itself isn’t too onerous, but trying to get some cover on the bare boards is a pain as there’s not much room to spare. Get there eventually and then it’s time for lunch.

Just as we sit down to eat we get a wood delivery. I guide the driver to dump the bag as close to the woodshed door as possible.

We get the wood stacked just in time for my afternoon guitar student arriving. once we’re done it’s way too dark to do anything outside. I can’t do any more work ont he roof as it needs to be dry when I get the felt down/

There’s no sign of decent weather for the foreseeable, so I get own Amazon and order a big tarp so we can keep everything reasonably watertight until the time is right.

We’re having garden concert on Saturday 30 December (4-6pm) and I suspect we’ll still have a temporary cover!

Another Zoom guitar lesson then straight into my weekly Wildcats’ livestream on Facebook.

After dinner I set up the garden concert as a private event on Facebook and start getting some invites out….

Sunday 17 December 2023

All aboard the Santa train….

FREYA has us awake around 7am…Aaron was up in the middle of the night and came through to us for a wee while before Margaret got him back to his own bed.

I manage a little work before we get the kids ready to head for the Santa train at Bo’ness. Catriona and Will are meeting us there.

En route we stop at James’ Coffee Bar – an airstream with a purpose built surround – for some breakfast. I go in to get a roll and sausage for Margaret, cake and drinks for the kids, a ‘posh porker’ bagel for myself and coffee. By coincidence Judy Murray’s in too!

We arrive at Bo’ness and Kinneil railway in plenty time to take the kids on a the miniature train and get them something in the cafe before Catriona and Will arrive then we jump on the Santa train. The kids love it all.

After a stop back in Doune to pick up our car we make for home and I get a bunch of work done….

A surprise to see Judy Murray when I stop into James’ coffee bar to get some breakfast.

Friday 15 December 2023

CRAP weather but I need to get at least some work done on the smoker shelter roof.

Now the old roof is off, I need to do a fair bit of measuring and working out as there some structural additions before I can start putting on the roof boards.

I’m in and out the house with bits of paper and a tape measure ’til I have it all worked out.

I get the first board on before the rain gets too much and I retire to the office. There’s one final ‘free plus postage’ badge order that attracted another few hundred quid’s-worth of merch – most of which I have had to make especially to fulfil the order.

Once everything’s finished and put together to my satisfaction I pack it all up and print the postage and other documents. It’s going overseas and there’s a lot of individual weighing and identification of customs codes.

We wander along to Betty’s for dinner and have a lovely evening. Back home I get some stuff ready for tomorrow morning’s Santa paddle at Linlithgow …although tthe wind forecast isn’t looking good. I’ll make a judgement call in the morning.

Thursday 14 December 2023

AN EARLY start to get to Doune for Freya’s primary 1 nativity play.

We find a parking spot and arrive in good time. The short play is fantastic and all the kids do great…the production and organisation is really good too thanks to the teachers efforts and attention ion to detail.

Next stop the post office then into Stirling to pick up an angle grinder. Although he cordless Dremel is going through the nails as I remove the old roof form the smoker shelter it’s a bit slow and laborious and the cut off wheels need replaced every couple of cuts.

Back home I get some admin and stuff done then tackle the rest off the roof. The angle grinder makes short work and the roof is off in a decent time. Thirty quid well spent. The rain’s on how tho’, so work is if put on hold and I get some merch made up in the office.

Wednesday 13 December 2023

I get out on the loch for a wee while…

MY guitar student arrives first thing..and just as she rolls up a delivery of materials for the new smoker shelter roof arrives. Typical!

Once the lesson is done I get busy with some orders for merch orders that have come in via the ‘free plus postage’ badge offer. I also need to get a bunch of personalised magnetic bookmarks finished that have been ordered via West Highland Way Gifts.

It’s a nice day and I postpone my planned paddle so I can get some work done trying to remove the old roof from the smoker shelter. Harder than I anticipated. The nails ain’t coming out! I resort to a Dremel and metal cut off discs but go through them at a rate of knots…then my battery runs out.

I decide to go for a paddle while it’s charging and do a couple of livestreams form the loch and film some footage that I might be able to edit into a wee video for (Looks like you’re) Walkin’ on Water.

Back home I have a quick shower and (a late) lunch then get back onto the shelter roof. I don’t get much done before dark and decide that an angle grinder might be quicker and easier…I can pick one up for about thirty quid tomorrow morning after we’ve been to see Freya in her primary one nativity play.

After dinner I print cChristmas card lists and labels and we manage to get the overseas cards done…probably too late for Christmas but hey, ho…the thought’s there!

Tuesday 12 December 2023

WE’RE up and en route to Glasgow first thing – off to a Musicians’ Union coffee morning at the Scottish Music Centre.

After a pleasant couple of hours caching up with folks we stop off to exchange some Christmas presents then drop off some vinyl at Love Music.

Next stop Buchanan Galleries – where Margaret promptly spends the vinyl cash πŸ™‚ – Costco for lunch, Waitrose for some extra shopping then home.

We ‘re back just in time for my guitar student then I get busy making up merch for online orders in the office and Betty stops by for a coffee.

After dinner I manage to re-solder the wires onto a USB plug for our outdoor lights and get them working then we get some work done before bed.

Monday 11 December 2023

Closing cover from this week’s Wildcats’ livestream – Mr Bojangles….

UP early to get sourdough in the oven. it’s not windy, but it’s dark, cold and wet out there and I’m still feeling a. it under the weather so I give going for an early morning. paddle a miss this week.

Margaret’s off to meet some pals for lunch and I hit the studio for my first Zoom guitar student.

The ‘free plus postage’ badge offer has worked well and there’s a load of orders…most of which include other merch items. Interesting how this always seems to work. Much better than last week’s free CD with vinyl offer.

I have some other merch to make up in the office then start working out what materials I need to replace the roof on the smoker/pizza oven/bar shelter. This has become urgent.

It’s not gonna be cheap either, but I bite the bullet and order the stuff I need.

After lunch I work on the merch orders, do some work on a web plan for a musician pal then put the Christmas lights up along the front of the house. When I plug ’em in tho’….nada. The wires have come adrift from the wee USB plug. I put it aside in the hope that I can maybe solder it back together when I have time. Not today.

After. alit prep for tonight’s Wildcats’ livestream on Facebook I haver a good session with another Zoom student the go into the livestream which goes pretty smoothly.

After dinner I pack more merch orders and print postage labels so we can drop ’em at the post office in Glasgow tomorrow morning.

Sunday 10 December 2023

I launch a ‘free plus postage’ badge offer…

UP early and off to meet Martyn for a walk. We take wee Orla but she cries non-stop so Louise comes to take her home.

A couple of hours and about 9k later we get back and I head home.

The lurgy seems to have resurfaced and as well as being soaked through, I’m subbed. I fall asleep for two hours then heat up an extra pizza.I made last night for a late lunch. Air fryer is perfect for reheating pizza!

After working on a web proposal/plan for a music pal I start prepping a big lump of pork shoulder. I reserve some for carnitas then cut up the rest separating it into lean cubes for a prior, butter bean and chorizo casserole and the fattier bits to be used to make Andouille sausage.

The casserole takes a good few hours ands is ready just in time for us watching our pal Billy’s monthly livestream from Florida. There’s enough left over for another couple of meals πŸ™‚

Saturday 9 December 2023

New package design for my signature strings from Newtone Strings…

UP EARLY, showered and car packed to take some of my West Highland Way Gifts‘ stuff – and a batch of newly baked brownies – along to Anna’s a couple of villages away. She’s having an open house/coffee and cake day with her Tropic stuff for sale and invited me to join her with my stuff πŸ™‚

We have a grand few hours chatting with each other and a small but steady stream of visitors..and we both sell some our stuff. Job done.

I’m home soon after 4pm. Catriona and the kids are still here…they’ve been icing Christmas cakes, been to feed the ducks and dropped in to see Betty. We hang out for a while and Margaret gives the kids their tea before they head off.

I get a little work done then fire up the Ooni for pizza…we watch a little telly then head to bed….

Friday 8 December 2023

Custom leather key fob for a pal’s birthday…

FIRST job of the day is to finish a custom leather keyfob – a gift for a pal. It’s his birthday today and I promised a key fob based on his favourite guitar – a cherry red Gibson ES335.

After doing a little work on a single release plan for another pal…then I make up a batch of pizza dough with the poolish I made yesterday. Dough will be ready for pizza tomorrow (Saturday) night πŸ™‚

The rest of the day is spent finishing of a few items for the for tomorrow…my pal Anna has invited me too take some West Highland Way Gifts’ stuff to her open house coffee morning/afternoon.

There’s an order in for some signed gig posters which I prepare and pack ready for the postie to pick up in the morning.

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