UP early (for us) – we need to be on the road by 8.30am latest…showers, breakfast, blog and stuff all need done before we leave.

The weather forecast was poor, but it’s a nice morning as we leave Inverness for the drive up to Scrabster for the Orkney ferry .

We make good time and grab some supplies in a supermarket in Thurso before driving the last two or three miles to Scrabster.

The ferry’s fairly quiet and Margaret has a sleep while I fix the expired SSL certificate on my web server before doing the same. We’re worn by an announcement that drivers should go to the car deck to get ready to disembark.

Our hotel is just a few hundred yards from the ferry terminal, but the car park is at the back, accessible via a half-mile network of narrow, hilly streets. We get there in the end and check into our room.

There’s a festival meet’n’greet in another hotel just a block away..and its my venue later on. We go to investigate and find engineer Adrian getting the room ready and setting up sound and light. We get the car and dump all my gear then head to the Northlight Gallery for a video interview with local newspaper editor Martin. We meet Martin and his colleague Fiona there and have a good chat and I play a couple of songs too.

Back at the Royal Hotel we join the meet’n’greet where catch up with old pals and make lots of new ones over a few beers and a buffet….then I get set for my show.

The show goes great and I chat with lots of folks at the merch table before packing up and loading out.

Back at our hotel we freshen up and hit the bar where Cherry Lee Mewis and her band are playing. A few drinks, lots of chat then….back to our room for some much-needed zzzzzzzzs…

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