I SPEND most of the morning in the studio working on guitar stuff and getting to know the wee Valeton GP-5 pedal that I plan to use as a backup to the Quad Cortex.

For just £50 on a Black Friday Amazon deal, the Valeton is an amazing bit of kit – a tiny multi-effects and IR (impulse response) loader…while it can’t compete with the £1500 Cortex, it’s surprisingly well-built and the sounds are serviceable. The downsides are having just one wee foot switch and noisy processing that means a noise gate is needed on virtually every patch.

In the office I do little more ‘finishing’ work on my cast pewter penguin then I get my gear ready to go for a paddle.

It’s a nice day but pretty cold and I decide to give my dry suit a whirl for the first time. Fiona and Neil rock up and we head out.

The dry suit is pretty good, but kinda bulky and restrictive – might get used to it.

Back home I have a shower then head down to the village to meet my fellow hydro society board members for a meal before our AGM.

The meeting goes smoothly and finishes just after 9pm – we drop by Betty’s to check her internet then home to chill before an early-ish night.