AFTER a Zoom guitar session I have a list of diverse things on the to-do list.
First job is to ‘self-tape’ an audition for an advertising campaign. I got an email from a casting agency to say I had been shortlisted and asking for an audition reel. I set up as best I can, get it filmed and submitted. We’ll see if it goes anywhere.
I make steamed hirata buns with caramelised pork, pickled cucumber and hoisin for lunch then get back to the studio to film a special birthday video that someone has requested.
Margaret has a local community trust emergency general meeting (EGM) this evening and need some help sorting a projector. I look out all the cables and get it all working then back to the studio. Next job is some ‘reminder’ videos to help canvas some votes in my bid to join the national park board.
I get something done but not convinced it’s right….I’ve run out of time ‘cos I need to go to this EGM so I’ll pick up on it in the morning.
THE KIDS wake us up early bringing me Fathers’ day cards from Catriona and Will…and themselves 🙂
After breakfast I go to the studio and do some more prep for tonight’s radio show on Rock.Scot
Fiona and Neil rock up just after 11am to go for a paddle. It;s a nice day and we head over to Port Bawn…they carry on and, being a bit tight for time, I make for home.
I sit in the garden with the kids then go back to do my final prep for tonight’s show.
Everything’s ready come showtime and it all seems to go fine. While clusterfucks are a feature of my livestreams, I’m not quite sure they’d be tolerated on the radio!
THE dough for my weekend rolls is ready just before my Saturday morning guitar student arrives.
After the lesson I do some final finishing on the audiopoint info panel – a bead of clear silicone round the front and back of the mounting gasket. Once it dried I’ll do the last bits.
I have a fair bit of stuff to do in the studio including prep for tomorrow’s radio show…then, when the silicone beading has dried, I go to the office and attach the mounting brackets and make a giant jubilee clip.
I’m just finished when Catriona and the kids arrive….I go down and fit the panel to the audiopoint. It fits perfectly 🙂
Back home I hang out with everyone then get a get a message from Betty saying she’s going to see her panel…I meet here there and take some pix then she comes up to the house for a drink in the garden.
Later on when the kids are in bed I make pizza – caramelised onion, mushroom and thyme – and we spend a nice hour or so outside.
MIKEY leaves just after breakfast and Margaret has a meeting about the local place plan.
I hit the office and realise that in my haste to get the mounting bracket things for the shoes of the audiopoint info panel done I forgot to add a notch so they’ll for flush with the main seal that will fit between the wooden panel and the metal body of the audiopoint. I go back to my Tinkercad designs, make the necessary changes then send them to print.
Meantime, I fix the main seal/gasket gasket in place on the panel then hit the studio.
I go through a load of music submissions to see if there’s anything suitable and interesting for Sunday’s radio show…I start some euro so I don’t have a last minute panic!
After a break to make some pizza dough for tomorrow (Saturday) I get busy making up a couple of ‘Dave Arcari’ mugs for a merch order. I’d run out of ‘regular’ mugs when the merch order came in and ordered more yesterday…they arrived earlier today, less than 24 hours here I ordered ‘em!
I press some tofu for dinner later then go back to the studio to work on some sounds.
It’s after ten when I get back to the house and make tofu in ginger, garlic and soy…it’s ready in time to watch the football. I’m not a football fan but despite the disappointing result, quite enjoy it.
PRIORITY job today is to design and print the mounting system for the wooden audio point info panel I've been working on.
We take the panel and the angle measurement tool I 3D printed tot eh audio point and measure up...then back home to design the mounts. I start with the one for the top and when I;m happy, send it to the 3D printer.
It's gonna take about three hours to print so we go for a swim then home for lunch. Still some printing time to go so I start designing the side mounts which have some fine angles to take into account. I'm using Tinkercad as it's very simple and easy to use on the iPad...it's not feature-rich but it's intuitive for a newbie like me. That, along with Nomad sculpt are my two go-to 3D design tools.
My 3D printing has been 99% functional problem solving or creative since I got the wee Bambu A1 Mini almost a year ago. A £140 marvel of technology. So far I've made replacement toilet seat 'pads', the gasket and (almost!) mounting system for the audio point info panel from soft TPU filament; clothes drier ground cover, replacement section for a broken garden table leg, various tools and masters for casting a penguin paperweight and some jewelry ideas from the regular PLA filament. The only pre-made 'nonsense' I've printed is a fidget thing to clear out the PLA when changing filament.
So in. less than a year I've made enough stuff to more than cover the cost of the printer, filament and stuff plus – more importantly – learned a fair bit about 3D design and sculpting...and had some fun.
Margaret goes off to host a localomplace plan drop-in session at the village hall – after my afternoon guitar student leaves I take a walk to the hall and hang out for the last hour or so of the event. Nice to see some folks and catch up.
Back home we have dinner then Mikey arrives – he's making an impromptu overnight stay...
WEDNESDAY…my new ‘sourdough day’…I’m awake and up early to get it in the oven so it’s baked and cooled in time for breakfast.
I’ve not allowed quite enough time for it to cool – best practice says an hour, so I adhere strictly to that advice – so I have to go to the studio for my guitar guitar student of the day before breakfast.
Worth the wait, though – then I get busy working out how I’m gonna measure up the audiopoint info panel so I can design and print some bracket kinda things to lock it in place.
My guitar is fixed and ready for collection so we go into Glasgow, stop at Jimmy Egypt’s and collect the guitar then go an get some shopping.
We’re not long back home when my afternoon guitar student arrives. After the lesson I join Margaret in the garden – she’s planting up some hanging baskets and I need to repot one of my tomatillo plants. The midges are out tho’!
Betty’s taking us for dinner and we have a lovely meal then go back to Passfoot for a nightcap.
I CAN’T understand it. In bed before midnight last night, no alcohol…and we sleep through the alarms and don’t wake until nearly 11am! Luckily nothing time-specific in the diary this morning.
In the office I meet and design a tool to help me measure the angle of bracket/s I need to make to mount the wooden audiopoint panel. I come up with something and send it to the 3D printer.
We take a drive to the village and go for a swim then back home for a late lunch.
Both Sandy and Betty drop by just as my afternoon guitar student arrives. They sit in the garden and I join them for a blether after the lesson.
I spend the rest of the afternoon and evening messing with some guitar ideas. I really need to get some new stuff written and recorded!
UP early to get the smoker fired up and a pork butt on – then I manage to get most of routine stuff out the way before an online session with a Zoom guitar student.
Next job is to upload a copy of last night’s radio show to my Mixcloud and post the playlists online.
The ballot papers for the National Park board elections arrive in the post – the trigger for me to post my canvassing videos round scripts Facebook groups. There’s another two very worthy candidates so I don’t hold out too much hope for success, but it’s worth a try. I do think I could make a difference.
Next job is editing up the last bit of live video from the FInland/Estonia tour – a video of See Me Laughing from Philly Joe’s in Tallinn which I want to spin into tonight’s Wildcats’ Facebook livestream. Once done I dig out an archive video clip to show too.
The pork butt is far from being ready – and when Betty dropped by for a coffee earlier and I invited her to join us for dinner later…with the caveat that it might be. Fruity late before we eat!
There’s time for a walk up the lochside before the livestream, after which I get back tot he start and we wait for the pork to reach 203F internal! It’s worth the wait tho’….
STILL quite a lot of prep for tonight’s radio show to do…once I feel I’ve got all my ducks in a row I get back to the house for some lunch.
It’s not a bad day outside so I get the cover on the wee Aldi greenhouse thing – it’s lasted well, much better than the more expensive ones from garden centres we had in the past.
Next job is the fruit cage round the blueberry bushes. The flowers have started to turn into berries and it won’t be long before the birds demolish everything so no time like the present.
The weather’s still good and I get out for a paddle and do a couple of livestreams from the loch to promote both tonight’s radio show and tomorrow’s (Monday) Wildcats’ livestream on Facebook.
Back home I feed be shower then hit the studio and get going with my show. The show finishes at 9pm – just in time to get back to the house for dinner and tune into Billy’s livestream.
THE KIDS are through jumping all over me long before the alarm goes off…not gonna sleep in this morning!
After breakfast I hit the studio to do some prep for tomorrow’s (Sunday) radio show and Maggi and Joel drop off their wee dog Rosie for Freya and Aaron to look after.
Margaret and the kids go a walk with the dog and I carry on with some work in the studio. When Maggi and Joel come back we all have a coffee and a catch up then we take the kids swimming. Been a while since we’ve been – Margaret rented our memberships last week. Good to be back albeit a bit busy. It is a Saturday I guess.
Catriona and Will come for the kids just after 6pm and we chat for a while.
I get a pork butt out the fridge and say some prep with my ‘Memphis dust’ rub ready for the smoker tomorrow.
Then back to the studio to do a little more work then fire up some charcoal for it grill – Margaret’s marinaded some chicken with some kinda weird mustard and mayo stuff…it turns out great!
NOT quite sure what happened, but we sleep through all the alarms…odd, ‘cos we weren’t even late last night.
I call guitar repairman Jimmy Egypt to see if my guitar’s ready for collect but the new sound has only just arrived, so it’ll be next week.
Looks like I need to go into Glasgow anyway to get some shopping and deal with some other stuff.
Things take a little longer than planned so it’s late afternoon before I’m home then Will arrives to drop off the kids for the night.
Once the kids are in bed I do a little prep for Sunday’s radio show then back home to roast some lamb I bought as a special dinner…Margaret and I met 21 years ago last week!
MARGARET’s off to a meeting t the park HQ and I have a bunch of video to edit into vertical clips for my socials/reels. There’s also a bunch of routine admin stuff needing done.
I’ve also realised that I need to keep on top of music submissions for my radio show otherwise the pile gets too much to handle.
In the office I start heatforming the paperweight stands for Manson Glass. A hundred of them. Fifty big and fifty small. I finished cutting the acrylic the other day and want to ave them ready for Will to collect when drops the kids off tomorrow (Friday).
The jig I designed and then 3D printed works a treat. It’s still time consuming, but every one turns out perfect and I don’t burn myself in the process.
I have them all done by the time my late afternoon guitar student arrives.
Once he’s through, I take the audiopoint info panel to the audiopoint to check sizes and mounting options. A build up of varnish is preventing it fitting the way I want, but some sanding should sort that easily enough. That might need some subsequent varnishing/protection tho’ which might take time.
UP EARLY to get the sourdough in the oven then off to the studio for a Zoom session with one of my weekly online guitar students.
I’m just finished when my in-person student arrives and we have a good session. Once she’s finished we have a late breakfast and I get busy editing some of my campaign videos for the upcoming national park board elections.
I think I have a lot to offer if I’m successful, but I don’t have high hopes given the other candidates’ profiles etc. Gotta give it a shot tho’.
I go out to film some more ‘background video’ to complete my content library. Can’t make up my mind if I should it shouldn’t do any social media ads…probably not – seems like bad form – but I may reconsider.
I do think I need to have more info available so make up a landing page to direct folks to if they wanna know more about me. Not many folks know my background and experience prior to being a full time musician! You can see it here.
Late afternoon my final guitar student arrives with her mum and stepdad. Sometimes these sessions are as much social as they are tutorial. Been a busy day 🙂
A NEW trustee on the local community trust comes up to go through some stuff with Margaret…and I need to get a photo and write a blurb to add them to the relevant page on the trust website.
Having got some ‘background’ video for my National Park board member campaign I need to film a piece to camera and decide to try an outdoor greenscreen rather than the studio. It takes me a while to get everything up but I get there and end up quite happy with the result.
Betty’s coming for dinner later and I have the bacon-wrapped pork loin to go on the smoker. It’s not a huge piece of meat so hopefully will be done in a few hours.
I nip out to get some more ‘background’ guitar then start some editing. Looks like it’s all gonna work OK so I make up a couple of versions in wide, square and vertical formats. I’ll get the rest done tomorrow ready to post when the ballot papers are sent out later in the week.
The first of my two guitar students arrives and we have a good session then I get out for a quick walk before the next arrives.
Once the lessons are all done the pool is ready – I put it in a faux cambro to rest and stay hot then get a little more work done in the studio before Betty arrives.
A BUSY day kicks off with an online session with one of my regular guitar students.
Next job is to share my radio show playlists and Mixcloud link on my socials etc then I hit the studio to work on my campaign for the National Park board – voting will start soon and I wanna be ahead of the curve.
After writing up my main blurb I think about how I might produce my campaign videos....mostly to go round the Facrbook groups in relevant areas. I may even pull together a wee ad 😉
I want to make different versions of the video, each 'located' in different areas. it's gonna be logistically easier to use green screen so I head off to Port of Menteith and Gartmore to get some background video. I don;t want bright sunshine...or rain...so there's a bit of doing about.
I don't get Drymen or Gartocharn footage 'cos the sun's out...and I can grab some local stuff anytime. I'm up against it a bit as the car's away for service tomorrow (Tuesday).
Back home I edit up the last of the videos from the Cottiers show a couple weeks ago ready to spin into tonight's livestream then nip out for a wander up the lochside.
Home in time to set up the livestream...then dinner...then I rub and wrap a pork loin in a bacon weave ready for the smoker tomorrow.
AFTER a bit of a long lie and late breakfast I go out to the office and start the finishing work on the audio point info panel I've been busy with for the past few weeks.
There's some clear acrylic sheets to be cut to size and paperweight stands to be made for Manson Glass plus a leather bracelet and airtrag holder to be finished.
Once I've caught up with all that I go to the studio and spend some time doing all the final prep for tonight's Dave Arcari's Deep Blues show on rock.scot. Not only do I have to decide what I'm gonna play and make sure I've got it on the station's playout system, there's a lot of sifting through new music submitted for consideration for airplay. A fair amount of work goes into what is 'just' a two-hour show once a week!
Before the show I have time to start pulling together the last couple ion bits of video footage from the Cottiers show the week before last. There's two songs'-worth I'm hoping to edit up to spin into tomorrow night's (Monday) Wildcats' livestream on Facebook.
After the radio show I upload the entire gig to my Mixcloud and sort out the playlist ready for posting round my socials and the Dave Arcaris' Deep Blues Facebook page in the morning.
WE HAVE (an extremely!) long lie…albeit checking emails, socials and discussing stuff over coffee.
Since starting my Dave Arcari’s Deep Blues show on Rock.Scot a month or so ago I’ve started getting lots of music submissions. A lot of the music is good but doesn’t fit the profile for my show so I have to give everything a listen, even if it is just momentary.
I spend some time in the studio going through submissions and pulling some tracks into my library malign some notes as I go.
Margaret moves me to say Betty’s dropped by for a coffee so I join them in the garden then get back to the studio for a while before a late lunch.
After lesson with a young guitar student I the Margaret to run me to the village to pick a prescription and I walk the four-and-a-half miles home. It’s nice enough weather and I enjoy the walk.
Back home I hit the studio and play some guitar. My arms have (almost!) recovered from yesterday’s Air Ropes session so I go through the second session. The session itself isn’t too gruelling but I know from yesterday the pain comes later!
Super impressed with how quick and easy (less than a minute!) it is to put up the Nakie hammock.
AFTER breakfast Margaret takes the car to the garage for an MoT. I hit the office and do some work on the audiopoint info board. Starting to look good now, but full a few more coats of varnish and other finishing stuff to be done.
In the studio I do a little prep gathering tracks for Sunday’s radio show then play some guitar and set up some audio patches for a lesson later on.
The doc calls for my ‘phone appointment’ following up on the fact that the gastro specialists have blown out his referal…it’s taken three weeks to get just this phone appointment (ridiculous, but that’s another story!). He’s at a loss as to what do do…he’ll try another referral and we may consider going private. Overall, though, I’m not sure anything (or a reason) to find so maybe just save to accept the vomitting thing and move on. No point in searching for something that isn’t there.
During the phone call a courier drops off the ‘air ropes’ I ordered online after months of deliberation. I get it app set up and give the first ‘workout’ a whirl. It’s quick but brutal and my arms feel like jelly afterwards!
Back to the studio to work on some sounds and wait for my late afternoon guitar student. He’s usually bang on time but doesn’t show…I message his mum who reminds me he’s away on a school trip this week. I’d messed up putting it in the diary. Doh.
It’s a nice evening and there’s a good breeze to keep the midges away so I take the opportunity to go out for a walk and take the Nakie hammock with me..not had a chance to try it yet and it’s a little too big for the hammock stand in the garden.
I wander through the woods and find a test spot. I have the hammock up in less than a minute and am amazed how comfy it is. Result! Not often a product you discover on social media is so good.
Back home I do some work designing a jig to keep form a batch of paperweight stand for Will (Manson Glass)…always end up burning bushes with the heat gun and fiddle-faddling to get the bends nice and symetrical, so maybe this will help. Not sure if the 3D printer filament I have will stand up to the heat, but worth a try…and if it works I’ll maybe try and find so,e more suitable filament.
Then it’s time to light some charcoal and fire up the grill for some smash burgers.
THE ALARM goes off at 6am to get my sourdough in the oven.While it’s baking I drink coffee and deal with emails, socials etc.
I have an online guitar session with one of my students at 9am then spend some time pulling together some new music to include on Sunday’s radio show.
After lunch we pick up Betty and head to Stirling. Betty has an appointment with the audiologist then we go to the cinema via Nandos…Betty’s son-in-law Joe (Andrew L Jones) is production designer and we’re all keen to see his work on The Mandalorian and Grogu.
I’m not big on Star Wars or any sci-fi kinda films but this is really good. Really good.
We all endure the film then pick up some shopping and stop in for a snack with Betty before home time.
ONCE the routine stuff’s out the way I jump in the car and take my signature National guitar in to Jimmy Egypt in Glasgow for repair.
It seems the broken pickup delivery switch isn’t just cosmetic – when I plugged in for soundcheck at Cottiers last week the output was intermittent at best.
On the way home I pick up some shopping and am back by lunchime.
There’s a load of old design shirts in odd sizes in the merch store and I decide to shift them with a ‘free-plus-postage’ offer. I set it all up and spread the word first to folks in my Wildcats’ Facebook group then my mail list.
Late afternoon I go out for a walk in the woods and when I get back have a coffee with Betty and Margaret before shutting up shop in the office and studio and getting on with making dinner.
BLUDDY hell – June already. Doesn’t seem like to when you see the weather!
After some work on playlists and posts relating to last night’s radio show I get the whole show up on my Mixcloud then it’s time for a universe session with one of my guitar students.
I do some more sanding on the audiopoint info panel. It looks like it may have worked so I spend a while filling the rest of the engraving with a mixture of clear-drying wood glue and black mica powder. Can;I help wondering if I might’ve been better using resin…not sure how it may react with the varnish tho’. Maybe I’ll do some experimenting one the future if I have time.
In the studio I start editing video form also week’s show at Cottiers in Glasgow. I wanna have a couple of songs done to spin into tonight’s Wildcats’ livestream on Facebook and post on my socials later in the week. These will be the first videos with the Klos full-carbon travel guitar.
Once the rain eases off I take a walk up the lochside, getting back just in time to set up the livestream and get going.
There’s some show idents to sort out then I nip back to the house for a coffee with Margaret and Betty,
In the office I sand back the engraving on the ongoing auditorium info panel project. Looks like it ‘might’ work…no open to do too much though as I have a lot more prep to do before my radio show goes live at 7pm.
Later on we meet Betty, Seonaidh and Michelle for some dinner at the local pub and have a grand catch up.
THE ALARM goes at 6am to get the dough made for my rolls. Once it’s one he go I make a coffee and deal with my socials.
I have an early meeting with a local pal who’s asked me if can use one of my drones to survey a few acres of gorse oin the grounds of his house. Conditions are good and I get the job done despite I the midges. When I get home the dough for the rolls is ready so I divide it up, shape it and stick it in the oven.
Alas, I only have a few minutes form the beginnings and end of the drone flight. No Iidea what’s happened to the main part.
I have a 20 minutes or so before my young guitar student arrives so I dash back and re-do the video, making sure I have it in the bag this time.
After the guitar lesson we have breakfast then I check out the audiopoint info panel in the office. The layers of varnish are definitely building up in the engraving and making it less legible. I hum and haw then decide to mix some black mica powder with clear-drying wood glue and overfill some of the engraving. Once it’s cured (tomorrow) I’ll sand it back and hope it’s worked. If not, the thing could be ruined and put me right back to the start.
We’re off to see our pal John. Goldie playing in Gullane this evening. It’s show for Vintage, Rare & Retro Guitars who’ve booked me to play their next show at Gullane Village Hall at the end of August.
We leave early so we can drop into Costco in Edinburgh en route.
There’s a few folks we know at the show…we have a grand night and roll back home by 1am…
FRIST job is to try and deconstruct the old charcoal grill. Easier said than done – and not made any easier by the drizzle and abundance of midges.
I drag it under the smoker shelter and spend a good hour freeing up corroded nuts and bolts in girly inaccessible place while getting bitten by the wee flying bastards. All the bits are added to the pile to go to the dump later.
Next job is some work on the wooden audiopoint info panel. I lightly sand it and add yet another layer of varnish. I’m getting a little concerned as the engraving is starting to become marred a little by the build up of layers of varnish. Mmmm…I’ll see how it looks tomorrow.
There’s radio playlists to be submitters to the IBBA (Independent Blues Broadcasters’ Association) – I’d sent my playlists from Dave Arcari’s’ Deep Blues, but the IBBA chart is about albums/EPs rather than singles so I need to add in the albums from all my May shows.
I do a little prep for Sunday’s radio show and post round some appropriate groups to let folks know about the show and that if they have any suitable music for consideration to pass on some links for me to check out. I’m keen to support some of the lesser known and/or new artists on the show.
Then it’s time to go to the dump. We had to make the ‘appointment’ on Tuesday and this evening is the first available slot. A piece of nonsense, really, this ‘booking’ system seems to in a hangover from COVID…and every time we’ve been there’s no-one else there! Dave fucking thing with the doctor’s too!!
While I wouldn’t ever condone dumping, I can see that it happens out of pure frustration.
Margaret’s off to Sara’s at the boatyard for a “ladies’ night” so I’m left to my own devices for dinner and stuff. I play guitar for an hour or so then make a big plate of gnocchi.
NO long lie after last night’s show – I manage to get the gear unpacked and video downloading before my early minting guitar student arrives.
I’d promised to restring Dawn’s guitar so our session lasts a wee bit longer than usual.
Last night’s promoter asked if we have any photos from the show. I have some I took of Charlie, but Margaret only got video of yours truly so I grab a couple of still from the video footage.
In the office I don’t the audiopoint info panel another coat of varnish. It takes 24 hours to dry/cure and I think I’m gonna have to sand it between coats. I suspect it’ll need a good few coats to help make it weatherproof.
I also remember that Will added for a batch of stickers for his paperweight boxes. Luckily I have some of the thin black/gold acrylic in the store so I get busy. Over time and experimentation I’ve found the best method is to cut on the CO2 laser then batch fill and engrave on the diode. Easily the fastest, easiest and best result.
It’s another nice day outside and I manage a walk up the lochside before one of my young guitar students rolls up. We have a good session then I get back to the start and we prep dinner for Betty coming.
Cottiers, Glasgow – amazing venue, great crowd, grand night out 🙂
MARGARET has an optician appointment first thing. I drop her off and go to Costco to pick up some shopping and stuff.
We’re back home by lunchtime. I pack the car and stuff and we make our way back into Glasgow and park up at Cottiers in the west end.Our pal Charlie’s already there and engineer Ben wastes no time in getting us both soundchecked.
There’s time for the three of us to have dinner and a catch up before doors open..this is the last date of Charlie’s European/UK tour before he goes back to the USA…but he flies back from the Netherlands and has to drive south after the show to get a ferry tomorrow and drop off his rental car. Oooffft.
The venue is pretty full when I take to the stage and play a 40-or-so-minute set…then Charlie plays a spellbinding set. Everything goes well and we all have a grand time 🙂
Amazing weather for a change…and time to get out for a paddle 🙂
CRACKING day outside. After breakfast I g out and see if I can dismantle the big old cross trainer that’s been sitting under the smoker shelter completely unused for two or three years. I’s kinda big to take to the dump in one piece.
There’s some engraving to be done on the wooden info panel for the audiopoint. Hoping to get a better contrast than my first efforts. I sanded down the reverse of the first one I made and trying to see if I can do better.
It’s nearly lunchtime before I get out for a paddle. The loch’s choppy in places, but it’s still a lovely day and I have
I have a late afternoon guitar student. Once he’s through, I get out to the office and make a couple of brass resonator guitar pins…we need to replenish the merch for tomorrow’s (Wednesday’s) show in Glasgow.
In the studio I make us a set list for tomorrow's show and run through the songs.
Once done I restring the guitars I’ll be using and get some of the other stuff ready….
AFTER breakfast and my first guitar student of the day I investigate Mixcloud as a possible way of archiving my radio show and providing a ‘listen again’ separate from rock.scot which hasn’t yet got that feature.
I manage to set up an account and upload my archive copies of the first three episodes. Check it out here.
The sun’s out and it’s not due to rain over the next day or two so I take the opportunity to get the rest of the weedkiller down then venture to the studio with the striker and cut back some of the grass that’s sprouted out front.
Vintage, Rare & Retro Guitars has announced my show at Gullane Village Hall near Edinburgh and knocked up some poster art. I get eh gig listed on my website and other online listings aggregators and sites, set up a. Facebook event and spread the word.
My afternoon guitar student arrives with her mum and we have a grand session of music and chat then I head back to the studio to prep for tonight’s Wildcats’ livestream on Facebook.
I get some video edited to spin into the livestream then I have a live interview on Monster Radio out of Lanzarote. An hour. Then a frantic rush to finish livestream prep before I go live at 8pm.
NICE DAY outside but I need to get into the studio and finish prepping my radio show for tonight.
I take a wee break and cut the grass and then sit in the sunshine and play some guitar. Still haven't decided what I'm gonna play at Cottier's in Glasgow on Wednesday night.
Margaret is sitting indoors with Mikey trying to sort out his accounts and stuff.
By the time I'm all prepped for my Dave Arcari's Deep Blues show on Rock.Scot – 7pm-9pm UK time – there's not much time for a walk, but I manage out for a wee while before my show.
AFTER breakfast I get the two brass orders all finished off and packaged up. One of the packs has to go to the USA and the other is being picked up later today. Phew.
There’s a wee bit of tidying up and stuff to be done outside Then I hit the studio and start some work on tomorrow’s radio show.
Mikey arrives late-afternoon and Margaret helps him with some of his account and paperwork while I carry on in the studio.
John and Vicky roll up to collect the brass and we have a coffee and blether for w while…then I go back to the studio.
Another late dinner by the time I get the charcoal lit for smashburgers….
NOW I’VE got all the signatures and stuff I need for my board nomination for Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park (LLTNP) I check over all the forms and get everything printed out.
The stuff needs to be delivered by hand to the returning officer at Stirling Council so we take a trip into Stirling to do that.
Margaret needs to exchange some paint and we also wanna go and check out what the current situation with the PCP agreement on our car which we’ve now had for three years.
Looks like we need to sit tight for the final year of the PCP thing…I’m ready to go electric with our next car/vehicle and rather like the new Kia PV5. None to be seen here tho’…might need a trip to Glasgow to check one out properly.
Back home I carry on with the brass golf markers and Buchanan church pins etc for Clan Buchanan. Need them all finished for tomorrow.
We’re so busy with stuff that I don’t get the pizza oven on ‘til nearly 11pm..so a late dinner for us…!
AN EARLY start – first up is an 8.30am haircut before heading into Glasgow for an eye test at the optician.
I have time to pick up some shopping and venue have a coffee and muffin before the optician and I’m on my way back home before 11am and drop in and see some local folks along the way.
Back home I continue the brass golf ball marker I production – I need to have them finished ASAP so I can get the Clan Buchanan pins started and finished by Saturday lunchtime.
After lunch I give the audiopoint info panel it’s first coat of varnish so Betty can see progress later on tonight then I get to work on some stuff in the studio.
I nip back to the house to make some wild garlic pasta dough – and a batch of pizza dough for the weekend – then back to the studio.
Betty comes along for dinner – just a plate of wild garlic pasta with cherry tomatoes – and we have a nice night catching up.
I’M on a mission to get the brass golf ball markers finished and figure if I go full pelt I can have them done by close of play tomorrow (Thursday). That’s a good couple of days ahead of schedule.
Just as well though – I’ve been asked to make a batch of brass pin for the Clan Buchanan before their USA visitors leave on Sunday morning. It’s gonna be tight, but I think I can get it done.
Processing each brass item takes time which allows me into the studio to work on some new guitar ideas and then after lunch I head up the lochside to get another signature on my nomination form for the National Park board. I’m not too hopeful of being voted on but it’s worth a try – our area needs a say!
Back home I do some work in advance for Sunday’s Dave Arcari’s Deep Blues radio show and get some more guitar stuff done in between monitoring and changing the brass stuff on the office.
MARGARET’S off early to meet Les and get her hair done in Edinburgh – I have a load of things on my to-do list.
First up, I need to get the brass golf ball markers on the go…the jig I set embossing last night isn;t gonna work which is a bit of a pain as I’d hoped to be able to set up four at a time so’s not to have to go and reset every four hour or so. I can’t get the laser to do layers on each in order – it wants to do one at a time then move on…by which time the focus is out. It also doesn’t let me double check the alignment on any of the engravings after the first one.
Ah well, one at a time it has to be.
I experiment with some infill for engraved text on the wooden audio point info panel, but it’s not gonna work very well so it may have to stay ‘raw’.
In the studio I play some guitar and run through some songs I might play at next week’s – Wednesday 27 May – show with my pal Charlie Parr at Cottiers in Glasgow. Unsure what set length I’m playing here my uncertainties about what I’ll play.
Margaret gets back and has some shopping but she’s run a little late (!!) and has to rush straight off to a local community trust meeting. One oof my guitar students arrives right behind her…for some reason I’d not put him in the diary and get caught a little off guard. All goes fine tho’… 🙂
I’D HOPED to get out for a paddle after my morning Zoom session with a guitar student. No such luck – the calm day predicted has unsurprisingly ended up windy and the loch is a bit on the choppy side. Ah well.
Instead, I do a little more work on the audiopoint info board. The engraving is OK, but I’d prefer it to be higher contrast. I think I’m gonna have to try and inlay the lettering with mica powder. I seal up a test engrave with shellac and order some clear-drying wood glue to mix with the mica powder. We’ll try it out when the glue arrives tomorrow and see if it’s likely to work.
There’s some prep to do for a guitar student coming later today and a courier drops off some raw brass I need for a special job.
Next, I get some video clips ready to spin into this evening’s Wildcats’ livestream on Facebook then get to play guitar for a wee while before my guitar student and her mum rock up.
I have time for a quick wander through the woods before the 8pm livestream, All goes to plan and I’m back in the house by 9pm.
I continue work on the info panel for the audiopoint
WE HAVE A bit of a long lie then I hit the studio to do some more prep for tonight’s radio show – the second Dave Arcari’s Deep Blues on Rock.Scot.
It’s not hard, but it is pretty time-consuming deciding what tracks to play and getting everything organised to fit the time slots etc.
In the office I get a bot more work done on the info panel for the local audiopoint. Bit of jittery pokery needed to work out how I can do the engraving as the panel is at least four times bigger than the capacity of my laser…I split the artwork/design into four sections and do each separately.
Before my radio show I make a batch of pasta using some of the wild garlic purée I made yesterday…then it’s showtime…
UP AT 6am to get the dough for my weekend rolls made…then back to bed for an hour before I get up again and make coffee.
I have a young guitar student coming – by herself this time as her wee brother has a birthday party…the lesson goes better as she is attentive and keen. Her wee brother has, let’s say, a shorter attention span and can be a bit of a distraction during the normal ‘two at once’ lessons.
We go along to the village hall for a fundraising community lunch. Having only just had breakfast we stick to coffee and hang out for a while chatting with folks. Margaret has to go to the village for some stuff and I walk back, picking a load of wild garlic along the way.
Back home I do some test engraving on wood offcuts from the audiopoint sign then wash and sort the wild garlic before making some wild garlic purée which I’ll use in pasta dough.
We wander down to our pal Sara’s at the boatyard for dinner where Betty joins us and we have another grand evening.
FIRST job of the day is to get tonight’s brisket onto the smoker – then some web stuff for my pal Kevin who’s new single is out today.
Then it’s straight onto a community hydro society meeting which goes well.
I tend the brisket through the afternoon taking some time out to dot between the studio and office to prep for Sunday's radio show and do little bits and bobs on the audiopoint sign.. I’m printing a soft TPU gasket to ensure a snug fit wee it coms to integrating the panel with the actual audiopoint…my 3D printer’s too small so it’s printing I section and each one is taking about four hours!
I’m considering a nomination for the Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park board and go through the nomination pack and do some research. Everyone I’ve mentioned it to thinks it’s a good idea. Mmmm….
The brisket has reached 203 degrees internal and is ready to come off the smoker and rest in the faux cambro just as Duncan and Irene arrive…Betty follows shortly and we have a grand night of grub and chat.
NOT a bad day outside so once I’ve got the usual admin and socials stuff done I go out and tackle the wood that’s as delivered yesterday (to the wrong address!) for the audiopoint signage.
The slab isn’t exactly as ordered but some creative cutting should sort that out. Means I only have once ‘spare’ instead of two.
As usual with these projects there’s a fair bit of improvisation – partly due to lack of ‘the proper tools’ and partly down to my lack of experience.
There’s a fair bit of measuring and to-ing and fro-ing to the audiopoint but I eventually get all the rough cuts done. There’s a fair amount of ‘finishing’ to be done and I need to design and 3D print some kind of gasket so it fits snugly round the audiopoint unit.
No time to dothat now, though – I need to prep a brisket for the smoker for tomorrow (Friday) and then fo to Braehead for a rock.scot team meeting. The meet up is worthwhile and I’m home for dinner by 10pm….
UP EARLY to get my sourdough in the oven and let it cool while I run a session with one of my online guitar students.
After breakfast Margaret gets on with some gig booking then goes outside to tackle the build of the new grill – I’m busy in the studio gathering some tracks for upcoming radio shows and doing an inventory check on my guitar string stock. Wanna try some slightly heavier strings on the new Klos carbon fiber guitar.
I also mess with a new song idea 🙂
Margaret's away to Doune to pick up the grandkids from school so I pick up on the grill build. As is often he way with these things, every bit that could be seperate is, meaning a zillion pieces to put together. Assembly nightmare!
It takes me about three hours to get the thing finished albeit with breaks to make some dough for burger buns and ball up some mince for tonight’s smash burgers. They won’t be done on the new grill tho’, ‘cos it needs seasoned…the electric grill with a griddle plate will have to suffice.
It’s 7pm by the time I get out for a walk up the lochside.The midges are out in force but it’s a lovely evening….
MAIN job today is to check the stereo mix for the vocal links on my radio show. On Sunday my voice only came out of the left channel….the techies got on the case and messaged me a fix. I try it…and it works 🙂
I also need to pull more tracks into the play out system for future shows.
Once done I go back to the house and decide to go and get some shopping in Glasgow. First stop is Costco where I spot a charcoal grill we’ve had our eye on.
Our current grill is over 15 years old and seen better days. It wasn’t particularly great to start with.
After a bit of research we found a Masterbuilt charcoal grill we liked – but at £450 it was way out our budget. I noticed Costco had it for £349 so we thought we’d save up and get one. Today, though, I see it in-store at Costco for under £300. Fuck it, credit card to the rescue. We’re not gonna find a better deal.
After getting the rest of the shopping I spend inordinately amounts of time in three traffic jams as I head home…ooooft.
A FEW admin things to get out the way before a Zoom session with one of my online guitar students.
I also sort my playlist for my debut show on Rock.Scot radio last night and post it on the show Facebook page and around my socials. I also need to fix a typo in some of my ‘how to listen’ graphics.
There’s an invoice in form the hospital in Helsinki. Six-hundred-and-fifty euros. Fuck. Margaret looks out our UK Global Health Insurance Cards and I send a scan of mine in the hope that it will cover – or at least reduce – the bill.
After lunch I go through all the grant applications submitted to the community hydro society and add my scores and comments before our board meeting later in the week.
I decide to use a 2020 video session with Charlie Parr in my Wildcats’ livestream later – my next live show is with Charlie at Cottier’s in Glasgow (Wednesday 27 May). The original video is way too long at over an hour so I try and edit out as much as possible and split it into two sections. Still a bit long,but hey ho.
There’s time for a wander up the lochside where I do a ‘promo’ livestream for the main event later on. Weirdly Facebook lets me livestream from my page onto the Wildcats’ group…but said livestream isn’t visbile in the group! Had this problem last week, then a test the other day was OK…and now the problem’s back. I go live into the group form my personal profile and all works fine. I make a note to remember to do same later!
NO LONG lie today – we’re up early to get over to Kilmaronock Old Kirk for the annual plant sale – we have a space at the market for West Highland Way Gifts. And Love-Balmaha and even my music stuff.
The sun’s shining as we put up the gazebo and set the table with stuff. It’s a wee bit windy, though, which is a wee bit challenging, We’re good to go when gates open and have a nice few hours chatting to folks and catching up with some pals.
As with all these kind of events sales are minimal, but it’s more about the social side for me.
Once we’re done we stop off at the But & Ben in Croftamie for a late lunch then get home and unpack everything.
I do a but of promo on my socials for my debut Dave Arcari’s Deep Blues show on Rock.scot and also send a message to my email list. All goes well with the show – although there are a couple of techie things to be ironed out – like my mic/voice only comign through on one – the left – channel. Not an issue for most folks – but for those listening on headphones/earbuds it’s not ideal Hopefully sorted for next week’s show.
A bit windier than I expect when I get out for a paddle
I’M ONLY just finished breakfast when my six and eight year old brother and sister guitar students arrive for their double-header lesson.
The six year old is really too young – although interested, he is very easily distracted and is kinda holding his very able big sister back a bit. I think I’m gonna have to suggest separate lessons.
I’m frazzled by the end of the lesson but need to get into the studio and finish stuff for tonight’s debut Dave Arcari’s Deep Blues radio show on rock.scot.
Once I’ve everything sorted I go out for a paddle. A bit windier than forecast but it’s still fun.
Back home I have a nap then get stuff ready for tomorrow’s (Sunday) plant sale at Kilmaronock Old Kirk
Suddenly the day is done and we wander along to Betty’s for dinner with her and some of her pals.
A FEW fairly big tasks in diary for today…but the main thing is to prep and set up my debut Dave Arcari’s Deep Blues radio show for rock.scot. It’ll go out Sunday at 7pm UK time.
Pulling together the music I wanna feature is more time-consuming than I expect – and planning the show and timings is quite involved as I have to get my head round the tech and systems.
I take a break for lunch and a courier rocks up with the new guitar – a Klos full-carbon travel guitar. The box is tiny. And lightweight. The guitar builds up quickly and easily and sounds amazing for such a small instrument.I’m keen to plug on and see how it sounds amplified but I need to get some more work out the way first.
Back in the studio I gather some info I need to assess grant applications for the community hydro scheme then I get back to the radio stuff. I set up a Facebook page for the show then post about it – and my upcoming debut – round my existing socials. Be good to have a decent audience to kick things off.
Eventually I get a chance to plug the new guitar in. Sounds great…first impressions are that I’m really pleased with it 🙂
UP EARLY to get my sourdough in the proven…my routine shifted from Monday to Wednesday (overnight oats for breakfast on a Monday and Tuesday now!) but I was too busy to get he dough ready on Tuesday this week.
There’s some prep to do for a couple of guitar students coming later on and I need to order some raw brass for a run of golf ball markers I prototyped yesterday.
In the studio there’s some kinda connection problems between bots of gear which turns into a nightmare to sort out then it’s time for lunch before a doctor’s appointment and voting.
I’m hope in time for the first of my back-to-back guitar students and once they’re all done I go back to the house. The phone rings and it’s the guy from Klos Guitars in Utah…they’re trying to sort out the duty/tax issue but don’t; want me to have to wait any longer for the guitar. They’re suggesting I pay the fees and they will refund me. That sounds good to me.
I call DHL and update them, pay the duty/tax and they say, hopefully, the guitar will be out for delivery tomorrow (Friday).
QUITE a nice day so after breakfast I sit outside and get some work done.
First up, the background image on my website landing page has mysteriously disappeared. I replaced it then set about fixing the menu links for the merch store which have got messed up at some point over the last month or two.
While I’m doing that I run a few batches of ‘Dave Arcari’ bottle opener keyrings. Since I 3D printed a jig to do ten at a time it’s made the process much faster (and easier!).
Next job is to design a prototype brass golf ball marker for a charity event. Takes me a while to create a suitable depth map based on the event’s logo then I get the brass prototype underway.
A message comes in from my pal Diana – she’s in the area with her grandson and wonders if we’re around for a quick visit. We sit in the garden and have a blether over coffee then she and wee Charlie head off.
I go for a walk up the lochside and find the midges are out. In force. Looking like this might be a crazy midge season!
VICKY’S already left on the next stage of the West Highland Way when I get up and out the shower.
John’s up by the time I’ve opened up the studio and office and we chat for a while before he heads off.
I decide to tackle he info point sign I’m making for Betty nd get everything set up outside. Disaster strikes, though – the guide I’m using for the router works itself loose as I’m cutting the circle and the result is a mess.
I haven’t gone right through the wood as I was planning on two or three passes to complete the cut so I turn the wood over and try again. Same thing happens. Game’s a bogey and I’ve ruined the nice piece of wood I sourced for the project 🙁
After my afternoon guitar student leaves we jump in the car and go to see Catriona and the kids – it’s Freya’s eighth birthday today. We hang out a while then head back home.
There’s an order for a ‘blues comes in many colours’ mug so I get it sublimated, packed and ready to go while Margaret sorts dinner. I also manage to get the big hydroponics all set up for some basil and coriander 🙂
MAIN task today is to sort out the taxes on the guitar coming from Klos in the USA. I got a message from DHL on Saturday saying I had to pay. Various duties etc and as far as I’m aware they were all paid up front.
There’s no answer form DHL in Glasgow and I can;t work out if it’s because they’re shut for the bank holiday or just can’t be arsed answering.
After a mid-morning session with one of my online guitar students I get the pork belly on the smoker then get back on the DHL thing. There’s no messages saying they’re shut today and the website suggests the place is open so I some lunch then drive into Cambuslang….only to find it’s fucking shut. Ah well.
When I get back our pals Vicky and John have arrived. Vicky’s walking the West Highland Way and John is driving her ‘support vehicle’. I say hello then hit the studio to edit up some video and prep for tonight’s Wildcats’ livestream on Facebook.
There’s something odd happening with the Wildcats’ group tho’ – the ‘I’ll be live later’ livestream I do doesn’t appear on the group page…and when in go live for the main livestream at 8pm it’s not appearing anywhere either – the only way to see it is to click on my account avatar. Weird.
Back at the house the pork has turned out good and we have a grand evening of food, drink and chat.
UP and breakfasted at a decent time – Martyn’s coming up this morning to go for a walk and catch up.
We have a good walk and blether – nice to see him – then he heads off and I get busy with some video editing.
I also finish off the replacement stoppers/numbers for our toilet seat. The soft TPU filament for the 3D printer has worked 🙂
We have visitors coming to stay tomorrow (Monday) and I’m doing pork belly in the smoker. The two slabs I took out the freezer yesterday have defrosted so I trim and score them, add a rub and put tem in the fridge ready to go on in the morning.
After a little more video editing in the studio I go back to the house for dinner and we watch our pal Billy’s livestream from Florida.
NOT sure why, but I decide to try and rejig the studio desk space so I can sit properly and get my knees under the desk.
I mess with a few options and get sorted then go back to the house and start to prototype replacement ‘bumpers’ for the toilet seat. The existing rubber ones have started to perish and look a bit shabby…and are a bit of a magnet for dirt etc. Margaret had looked online and couldn’t find replacements so I ordered some soft TPU filament for the 3D printer to try and make replacements myself.
The soft TPU filament is rubber-like and notoriously difficult to print with. My first design doesn’t come out great so I make some changes both to my design and the printer settings and get it sorted 🙂
In the studio I finish sorting out the video footage from Finland and Estonia then finish of some bit for my pal Kevin.
WE ENJOY watching the squirrels while we have breakfast then one of my young guitar students arrives.
It’s a nice day and the wind is light so I head out onto the loch for a paddle and go to Port Bawn at the far end of Inchcallioch. It’s quite aside from a couple of lassies who’ve also paddled from the village. I get some video with the Hoverair Aqua and make way back to dry land.
After a late lunch in the garden I have a shower then Matty rolls up. He’s staying over tonight.
In the studio I gather some bits of video footage from the FInland and Estonia trip ready for editing over the weekend.
AFTER breakfast I check the rotary drier ground spike/mount I concreted in yesterday. It’s good. I take some measurements and start designing a cover to 3D print.
The first version isn’t quite right so I make some improvements to the design and print up another. Success.
I don’t want to venture far as I’m waiting on the doc calling to discuss the mystery vomitting etc and I want Margaret to be on the call too…she always has lots of questions!
There’s a load of onions that need transplanted from seed trays so I get that done then remove the chilli and micro tomato plants from the hydroponic system and plant them out. They’re well established but the hydroponic unit needs a good clean out and I need to get the tomatillos going.I clean the unit out, remove the pump and fit an air stone but realise I don’t have the right baskets and sponges.
I order more then look out the old, smaller hydroponic kit and plant the tomatillo seeds.
In the studio I do some video work for my pal Kevin then play guitar for a while before going back to the house and marinading the duck and ginger for our brouchette de canard for grilling later.
UP IN time to get some work done before a 9am online guitar lesson. Feels like I’m getting back into my ‘normal’ routine!
Then it’s straight onto a local hydro society board meeting which takes me up to lunchtime.
I have some personalized trekking flasks to finish off and an order for a custom magnetic leather bookmarks to make up. There’s also some euros to be sent off to the foreign exchange place and some set lists to be submitted to the overseas collection societies before a coupla venues will accept invoices for my shows.
It’s a nice day so I take the opportunity to get some weed killer down but run out before I get to the front of the house. Refill ordered.
Next job it to dig out the ground spike/base for our rotary drier. It’s been in for about ten years, but the guy that put it in didn;t dig deep enough and it stood a good six inched above the gravel meaning folks were constantly tripping over it. Also, more recently, the grandkids have taken to filling it with stones and other shit, so the drier doesn’t go into the bae far enough and is a bit wobbly.
Of course anything involving digging around here is a nightmare as the topsoil is only a few inches before you hit rock, boulders and stuff. Plus the ground spike has been concreted in a huge lump.
Takes me a good coupla hours with a heavy ground breaking bar and hole digger – always annoys me that I need to make a 18-inch diameter hole for four-inch ground spike/base/post etc. Anyway, I get a suitable hole dug, empty out the socket of stones and stuff and postcrete it in. I’ll design and 3D print a cap to keep stones etc out, especially now it’s flush with the gravel.
In the studio I record some more idents for my upcoming show on Rock.Scot radio and upload some tracks to my library.
AFTER a nice long lie we have some breakfast then I start clearing out some of the archived posts and images on website. A job that’s become long overdue.
I get the bus into the village where I’m given a clean bill of health form the dentist and hygienist then walk the four miles home.
There’s some merch orders to be packed up and an order of five custom flasks to be made up for a group of Australian walks doing the West Highland Way next week.
Betty’s invited us for dinner and we have a lovely evening.
WE’RE up early to get out the hotel and return the rental car to Hertz at the airport…then on to check in for the first leg of our journey home. Tallinn to Helsinki.
Once through security we have some breakfast then at the gate I have a shot in a massage chair then a complimentary ice cream before we board.
There’s time for lunch in Helsinki airport and then on to the flight to Edinburgh where we land just after 5pm. Bus to the car parking place then a stop at the supermarket for some supplies en route home. Phew!
Great to catch up with our pals Martin, Andres, Siret and Marilyn in Tartu fo other merch too
WE’RE not as sore and tired as I expected after our night on the floor in the junk room – but we need to get on the road ASAP.
After saying cheerio we head for Tartu arriving late morning and stopping on the edge of town for a sleep…then McDonalds.
We arrive at Salong at 5pm for load in and Andres arrives a the same time. Booker/owner Ants has us set up in no time and I get a chance to chill and chat with Andres before more pals Martin and Marilyn arrive.
There’s a really crowd in. I’m very pleasantly surprised as this show as a late booking. I have a grand time playing and we sell out of vinyl and shift a fair bit of other merch too. That’s gonna make life easier for packing for the plane!
Margaret’s driving us to Tallinn right after the show and we give our pal Martin a lift – he’s off to the USA and flies out a few hours before us.
It’s late when we check into the airport hotel but Margaret is keen we sort all the packing out so there’s no rush in the morning….
AFTER a decent breakfast at the hotel I sit out on our room’s balcony and get some work done before we hit the road.
Not too long ago drive to Torva and we’ve not arranged to be at our ‘accommodation’ ‘til 3pm. We have lunch at a nice wee coffee shop in the centre of town then find the place we’re staying.
The guy there seems nice enough. There’s a load of folks sitting round the kitchen table drinking beer and we’re shown upstairs to our room. Uh-oh – it’s the ‘junk room’ with a skinny mattress on the floor covered in a random selection of kids’ blankets and stuff. Fuck. Too late to say “sorry, we’re gonna drive somewhere and find a hotel”.
We sit with our ‘host’ and various pals/family members. Seems they’re all involved with Pubi Juudas in some way….but none of them are coming to the show. It’s all a little weird.
The venue is great..and it’s a nice surprise that our pal Al is in Cry Baby – the other act on the bill. Venue owner Elton and sound guy Kevin are cool too and there’s a lovely spread of food and stuff backstage.
It’s a fairly quiet gig audience-wise but there’s a decent enough bunch of folks who’ve travelled to see me and we do well on merch.
We’re back at our accommodation just before 2am and luckily everyone seems to have gone to bed. Unsure if the blankets and stuff on the floor are clean we sleep in our clothes, hoodies pulled up and off to sleep….
WE’RE PACKED up and out the apartment soon after 11am and go to get a taxi to the airport to collect our rental car.
Getting an Uber in the largely pedestrianised old town turns out to be tricky and we have to wander around trailing our bags and stuff to find somewhere we can get a pickup.
Eventually we get sorted and pick up a car from Hertz at the airport. Margaret’s not happy with the first one they give us so goes back for an upgrade and a more suitable vehicle.
There’s a couple of hours to drive to Voru and we stop en route for coffee and cake.
Show promoter Lauri meets us at the very swanky hotel where he’s booked us the best suite. We sort our stuff then load in at the venue.
After soundcheck we’re sent to what turns out to be the best restaurant in town for a great meal then we go back to a packed, sold out venue and get ready for the show.
I have a grand time playing two 45-minute or so sets, the crowd is awesome and we have a great evening 🙂
WE HAVE a chilled morning then take a 20-minute walk to the theatre to meet our pal Krista. She is theatre manager and producer there and we catch up over coffee.
It’s a nice day and we walk back via the supermarket then get the gear along to Philly Joe’s which is only five minutes’ walk form our apart-hotel.
Soundman Kristian is on hand and takes great care over my sound. Eva and Martha look after us very well and hen we chill in the green room.
I’m a little worried about numbers but no need to – the place is pretty full and it’s nice to see some familiar faces.
I have a grand time playing and the audience is amazing. After the show we get packed up and Krista and Martin help us back to our place and come in for drink. Fantastic evening and start to the Estonia section of the tour.
Krista and Martin help us back with the gear after the show
WE have to be out the apartment-hotel at 11am. Margaret did all the packing and sorting last night so there’s no panic.
After breakfast we go to the foyer and arrange a taxi to take us to the ferry port where we chill for an hour or so after checking in.
It’s a smooth, two-hour Baltic crossing to Tallinn where we fend off a pushy unofficial taxi driver. Another comes along and says he’s ‘official’ but turns out he’s not. He’s a nice guy and very helpful but nearly 50 euros for what I suspect is a 15-20 euro leaves a sour taste. We have too much stuff and are too tired to argue.
Our apartment is three floors up and there’s no lift. We bump onto a Scottish guy at the entrance who’s having problems unlocking his key safe – perhaps a result of too much to drink – and help him out then get to our place and chill for a while.
It’s after 7pm when we venture out into the old to find some dinner. The place we’d planned to go has a pretty poor and over-pried menu so we wander around a while and find a reasonably priced sports. Bar ≠ and unlikely place for a decent meal but we decided to give it a try.
We both order fillet steak at under 20 euro a pop. Expectations are low, but it turns out to be one the best and most enjoyable steaks I’ve ever had, regardless of cost.
Next stop is a 24-hour supermarket for some breakfast supplies then we pop into a rock/metal bar Bar Bar…a new location for the place – I played a show for them in another location pre-covid…and the owner, Mad, had previously promoted a show for me at a venue called Rockstars (sadly no longer there) which was one of my best and favourite shows ever!
We walk into the place and are immediately greeted like royalty! Mad isn’t around, but the other folks remember us!
Lunch and a great afternoon out in Helsinki with our pals Maiju and Miika
WE wake early then fall back to sleep. Suddenly it’s nearly midday! Our body clocks are pretty messed up.
A late breakfast, showers and we’re good to go – and meet our pals Maiju and Miika who are waiting for us outside the hotel.
We take a short walk to a place called Deli Beri in the city centre where Maiju treats us all to lunch then we sit, drink coffee and chat all afternoon. It’s really nice to catch up.
After saying cheerio Margaret and I have a wee wander about, pick up one stuff for dinner later and head back to our hotel were we’re happy to have a chilled evening. We’re off to Estonia tomorrow.
ANOTHER ‘recovery’ morning in the apartment in Lahti then we start gathering our stuff up.
There’s no strict time schedule today as we only need to get the train to Helsinki. We’re ready too go early afternoon and luckily the station is less than ten minutes walk form the apartment.
After an hour-long train ride we get into Helsinki’s and go to find our hotel. We’re here two nights.
We need to do some washing and the hotel has a laundry…but I only have the pair of jeans I’m wearing. And they need a wash so we take a walk to the shops and I find a pair of lightweight black baggies that I can use.
Our hotel room has a kitchen area so we pick up some stuff for dinner and when we get back Margaret takes all our stuff to the laundry.
ANOTHER long lie after a late one….and then I fix some bust strings on the Acoustasonic.
Tonight’s show isn’t far away but Ismo comes to pick us up at 3pm to take us to the house for a late lunch before we head to Pensuo.
It’s nice to see Suvi and the kids…and Ismo gets the grill going and cooks up a storm.
We have a lovely few hours then Ismo takes us to Pensuo where we load in to the Juke Joint…a kinda private venue run by the local ‘blues mafia’ 🙂
It’s an extra gig - a filler sorted by the mafia blues fans - and we’re not expecting much. We’ll, however wrong could we be - great people, great place and probably my favourite show of the tour so far!
First song, first video in Sastemala and these two walk right in front of Margaret to snap a selfie!
OUR body clocks are kinda messed up with the hospital carry on and the late nights…and I’m buggered when I wake up even though it’s nearly midday!
After my now routine wander to the shop for breakfast stuff we catch up on stuff and then go a walk to the town centre. I forgot to bring an emergency jack-to-jack guitar cable in case my radio pack gives up…and it could also be handy if I need to connect my stomp box if a venue doesn’t;t have a spare DI box. We pick one up at the music store.
Ismo picks us up at 4pm for the 2-½-hour drive to Sastemala where venue owner Hannu greets us. We load in, set up and soundcheck then take out stuff to the dressing room before being sent to a nearby restaurant for a fantastic meal.
Ismo and I both have fun playing but it’s nearly 1am but he time we’re loaded out. I manage to stay awake and talk to Ismo the whole drive back…quite a drive after a show!
Ismo joins me for a song at the end of my set in Hammenlinna
ANOTHER long lie – well, more like a long sleep – dunno when I’m gonna start feeling like I’m getting back to full strength.
A wander too the shop and some breakfast then I get busy with some of the emails and social media stuff that’s been neglected a bit over the last few days. There’s also some video do download form the wee camera and phone from last night’s show.
Tonight Ismo and I play in Hammenlinna which is just over an hour’s drive from Lahti. Ismo pick us up and we hit the road.
After we get set up we’re given a fabulous meal. I tackle it carefully and enjoy what I eat. Most importantly, it stays down!
The place is pretty packed when Ismo takes the stage then there’s a short break before yours truly. Agin, I’m burst when I finish my set but it was still fun and everyone has a grand time.
It’s around 2am when Ismo drops us off…and I’m, ready for bed.
One of a bunch of images taken in Lahti by our pal Leif
WE SLEEP ‘til midday then I go out to find a shop and get some yoghurt and stuff for ‘breakfast’.
Tonight’s show is in town here in Lahti and Ismo’s not picking us up ‘til 6pm so we spend the entire day chilling, sleeping and trying to recuperate. I’m returning to eating slowly and carefully and have even downloaded a ‘slow down your eating’ hypnosis thing to try and re-educate myself not to eat so quickly. I always manage to slow down after the sickness bouts, but the change is short-lived. This time I want to try and make a permanent change to my fast eating habit.
It’s an easy load in at Virasto and the sound engineer, Atti, is on the ball – the venue staff are great too. Just me tonight, so I have to play two 45-minute sets which I can hopefully manage through.
There’s quite a few folks we know in or the show and all goes grand – although I am struggling physically toward the end of each set.
Ismo drops us back at the apartment and we go straight to crash.
Despite the multiple issues of the last day or two I make it to Tampere!
I’M AWAKE a few times during the night – I think it’s when the nurses come to change my drips etc. The vomitting and pain has gone. The opiate injection seems to have done a good job!
AT 7am a doctor comes to check me out and tells me I can be discharged. They call me a cab and I’m taken to the apart-hotel in Tikkurila – about 10k out of Helsinki. Margaret meets me at the door and we make a plan.
A late checkout of 1pm lets us get the train into Helsinki airport and collect the guitars, gear, bags etc from Finnair. Easy peasy – the staff have been amazing throughout.
We’re back in Tikkurila by 10am, set an alarm for just after midday and go to sleep.
At 1.30pm we jump on a train to Tampere and I doze most of the 2-½ our journey. Once there it’s a ten minute walk to Paapan Kapakka. We load in and have space to chill while we wait for Ismo.
After soundcheck we go to a local pizza place. Margaret and Ismo eat – I have a glass of coke. I effectively haven’t eaten anything since Sunday morning. Hope I can get through the show!
As it turns out the show goes well…a marathon stint for both Ismo and I who alternate half-hour sets for the duration.
We’re loaded out by 1am and then Ismo drives an hour-and-a-half to Lahti and drops us at the apartment in the centre of town.
MIRACULOUSLY feeling a lot better when I wake up. Phew. I don’t feel much like eating but mange some fruit and overnight oats.
Then it’s straight to the studio to prep and pack the gear. All stuff that would have normally been done yesterday…along with a rehearsal of some songs at least.
There’s a bunch of other stuff to catch up on while Margaret finishes off some of the other packing then we hit the road to the airport.
We are good time and I pick a salad while Margaret has a more adventurous meal before we wait at the gate. I start to feel a bit ‘not right’ before we board but there’s no way I’m giving up now.
Come take off, though, I can’t hold it anymore and fill a number of spew bags…Margaret buzzes and attendant who brings more and moves us to the vacant back row on the plane. Things go from bad to worse and it’s a pretty traumatic two-and-a-half hours.
I was aware of an announcement from the flight deck asking if there’s a doctor on board. Turns out there is and the flight staff are amazing. I get checked over, an injection in my arse and an ambulance is arranged to meet us at the plane. Fuck sake.
I’ve lost it a bit when we land but seems fire and rescue got me off the plane where border patrol, police and medics met us before were transferred to an ambulance on the tarmac. I’m hooked up to various machines, given IV fentanyl and we’re sped off to the hospital.
The fentanyl didn’t seem to work much. But there’s no waiting around at the hospital. Transferred to a bed, drips, bloods, doctor all within (I think) half an hour. Margaret has our hand luggage – Finnair is taking care of the guitars and checked bags – and the staff organised a cab to take her to our hotel. I think it’s around 1am.
Shortly after the nurse comes back with more IV anti-nausea and gives me an injection of some kind of opioid – half an hour later I’ve drifted off.
FIRST job of the day it to make up set lists for the Finland and Estonia dates.
Next on the list Is a bunch of stuff for my pal Kevin in prep for his new single which lands on 15 May – with being away the next fortnight I wanna make sure we have our ducks in a row.
In the office there’s a bunch of guitar pins to be finished off for the merch case. Cutting it fine time-wise but they’ll be ready just in time!
We go to the local pub for dinner with Betty and have a lovely evening until...I get that feeling…the pre-cursor to the mystery vomitting thing. I excuse myself and head home, closely followed by Margaret.
We debate if I should use the injections I have and decide there’s nothing to lose. I jab myself but fifteen minutes later I’m being sick. I can give myself another injection in an hour if I’m not better. I have the second injection. Doesn’t help. And so it begins…this is not good timing,
MAIN job for today is to try a test cut of the audio point info board using a router and circle guide on a piece of scrap wood.
Not s straightforward, of course, as it should be. First, the bit of chipboard needs cut to side and the clamps I need are nowhere to be seen in the ‘recently tidied’ shed. It’s great Margaret tidies the shed every so often…the problem is the things that need to be access quickly sometimes end up out of sight requiring the shed to be blurry emptied to find them. Also, things that go together like the jigsaw, its accessory tools and blades are separated and ‘tidied’ giving rise to the same problem.
It takes an hour to find the stuff I need and 30 seconds to make the cut.
Cutting the circular hole with the router is easier than I excepted but there’s some irregularities in the geometry of the audio point that I need to accommodate and that’s not quite some straightforward meaning I have to re-think my design idea. I get there eventually. The real info board is gonna have to wait tho’.
I’d hoped for a walk. But I have some urgent video and web stuff to do for my pal Kevin…then new promo videos with an additional show need to be edited up for the Estonia section of the tour.
Suddenly it’s after 9pm and Margaret’s calling me for dinner….
AFTER breakfast with Fred we sit and chat a while then I drive her back home.
There’s some bits and bobs of shopping to pick up on the way back. After a late lunch and getting my emails, socials, this blog and stuff done I’m feeling a bit under the weather.
I had sore throat last night and now I’m all blocked up, sneezing and fading fast so I take a nap on the couch. For four hours!
As a result I get next to no work done. Ah well, there’s always tomorrow…
STILL not feeling right but there’s brass guitar pins to be made. My first attempt at using the brass jig I made fails. Not because of the jig but because of a stupid setup mistake that I don’t spot until the job’s nearly finished running.
I make amends then start again and things look a bit better.
In the afternoon Margaret goes to get some shopping in Glasgow and bring my cousin Fred back for the night. She had to give up driving because of eyesight issues a few years ago.
I have a young guitar student at the studio where we have a good session and I even have time for a quick walk and some fresh air before tidying the house a bit and setting the dinner table before Margaret and Fred get here.
FEELING a lot better this morning and even want to eat something. Overnight oats and fruit it is.
Margaret takes Matty and the kids for a swim and I reluctantly get on with my accounts and tax return.
They all have lunch out and I hang out a little with the kids when they come back. Matty takes them back to Catriona’s late afternoon and we have the place to ourselves for the first time since Friday.
In the studio I get my tax return submitted. Phew. Good to get that out the way.
Next job it to start making a jig for embossing brass guitar pins. This is a fiddly and time-consuming job, but if I manage to pull it off it’ll save loads of time in the future.
MARGARET’S turn to be sick now…but by morning she’s feeling a little better. I’m not feeling 100% but get up and do some work.
I decide to go for a swim and see if that perks me up a bit. It does and I feel fine after…until I get home.
Hoping I’m not gonna get sick but stomach cramps, aching all over and a temperature don’t feel too promising.I go for a lie down. Then it’s the skits. Uh-oh. Luckily the vomitting doesn’t follow but I’m in no shape for a guitar student coming later….I get Maragret to message my student apologizing and saying I’ll be in touch to re-arrange asap.Probably a good idea to cancel tomorrow morning’s lesson too – my student has an operation scheduled soon and is probably better staying away from a house full of sickness bugs even if I am feeling better in the morning.
I sleep,doze, toss and turn. Matty’s still here and we’ve got the kids comign again for the night…but I’m ‘oot the game’…
THE KIDS have us awake early. When I go to the toilet there’s a hell of a mess everywhere…I ask the kids if they’ve been unwell? Nope. After Freya being sick yesterday afternoon seems it was Matty’s turn to be sick during the night.
Catriona and Will arrive just after 9am to pick up the kids and everyone goes back to bed except me. I have some breakfast then embark on my accounts. It’s my financial year end and I wanna be ready for all the ‘making tax digital’ changes coming…so best I get my stuff in order and my 2025/6 tax return submitted ASAP.
Margaret’s heating up some soup for lunch when I get back to the house. No sign of Matty who’s holed up in the spare room. Apparently feeling a lot better but knackered.
I get back to my accounts and make some progress then go out a walk up the lochside and do some promos for tonight’s Wildcats’ livestream on Facebook.
Back home I pack up some merch that have come in over the weekend then hit the studio and prepare for tonight’s livestream.
EASTER Sunday…and I’m up at 6am to get the smoker on for the pork belly. Once everything’s sorted I go back to bed and set a timer to go check the wood pellets and give the three slabs of pork belly a spritz with apple cider vinegar – an hourly exercise to help the bark form and keep things humid in the smoker.
A message form Catriona tells us she and Will haven;t been well overnight so won’t be coming – Matty’s on his way down form Dundee and will pick the kids up ‘en route and if she’s feeling better Catriona will come and pick them up later.
After breakfast I make a Carolina-style vinegar BBQ sauce and tend the pork while making another ‘fossil’ for the kids to find during their Easter egg hunt.
Mattey arrives with the kids early afternoon and despite the rain we have a fun time with the egg hunt and take Aaron to the bay…Freya’s not keen to come and when we get back we find out why. She’s been sick.Projectile vomitted all over the bed in the spare room. Margaret strips everything and gets the washing machine on then we have smoked pork belly, coleslaw and potato salad for lunch.
Mikey and Les leave late afternoon and we chill with Matty and the kids. Catriona’s not coming for the kids so they’re staying over – Margaret gets them ready for bed and I make some pasta for dinner then we watch Bill and Dorothy's livestream.
AFTER breakfast Margaret heads off to the village and I prep three big slabs of pork belly for tomorrow. I cut and trim as necessary, score the fat cap, slather in mustard then add a rub – my mix of freshly cracked black pepper, sea salt and garlic granules.
Then it goes in the fridge to be retrieved at 6am tomorrow (Sunday) morning when I fire up the smoker. We're having a family day with an Eater egg hunt for the kids and aim to eat around 4pm. The pork belly generally takes a little over eight hours and is best to let rest for an hour, so if all goes to plan it'll work out.
Margaret's not long back when Les rolls up – she's staying tonight, as is Mikey – both go home after the family day tomorrow (Sunday)...everyone else is coming just for the day but we'll have Matty 'til Wednesday.
I'm doing grilled flank steak tonight so make up my marinade which'll go in a ziplock bag with the steak – but not 'til an hour or so before grilling. Over-marinading can make the meat mushy.
We have a chilled afternoon and I take some time out to make some 'fossils' – deep embossing trilobites and ammonites in bits of broken slate – for the kids to find along with the chocolate eggs tomorrow.
It's 9pm by the time I light the charcoal. Mikey's still not arrived by the time we eat so we have dinner and I keep some back for Mikey when he gets here.
LOTS on ‘the list’ for today but the imminent arrival of Storm Dave has thrown up an opportunity to make some online content. Time is of the essence.
After breakfast I hit the studio and make up a quick video to post round my socials. Quick? Well, as usual I mess around with it for a while so it takes longer than it should!
There’s a lull in the rain so I start digging a hole for another fence post in the front garden. Rocks and roots – as well as general inaccessibility to the spot where I want the post makes it kinda difficult and I’m not sure the hole’s deep enough for the postcrete to hold the post. We’ll see.
Try as I might I can’t find the decking screws I thought I had in the shed. There’s a builder supplies place between here and Balloch so I drive over and grab a box of big fuck-off screws.
Of course the rain’s back on when I get home so next phase/s of fence repair gonna have to wait!
Great to get a paddle - and the aqua drone seems to work pretty good
THERE’S some good fortune that early this morning isn’t windy and the sun’s out – it means not only do I get out for a paddle but I get to test the HOVERAir Aqua drone that arrived yesterday after nearly a year’s wait.
I backed the aqua project on Indiegogo when it was launched and shipping was scheduled for October-December. Needless to say things fell behind and shipping only just started in the last couple of weeks. Now it’s here.
The drone seems to work pretty well but I don’t have time to check when I get back – a quick shower and breakfast before my pal Kevin arrives. We chat over a few coffees and come up with a plan for the release of his next single, Tell Me. Coming 15 May.
Kevin heads off early afternoon and I check out the drone video from earlier and edit some clips together with some talking head I recorded on my phone. Still haven’t worked out how to record audio with the drone footage.
Next job is to repair the front garden fence. I’ve already marked where the new posts need to go so it’s a case of digging the holes, breaking through rock and postcrete-ing them in. Luckily Margaret’s back with the shopping and can hold the post in place while I screw some temporary supports in before postcrete-ing.
CANNAE believe it’s April already. The last few months seem to have gone by in a flash.
Seems Wednesday is my new sourdough day, so up early to get it in the oven, baked and cooled ready for breakfast before my 9am online guitar session.
Then I have a couple of show indents to record for my upcoming radio show on Rock.scot ready for launch at the end of the month.
We find time to go for a swim then a late lunch before my double-header kids arrive for their joint guitar lesson.
There’s quite a few things on my to-do list. I start by emailing the FInland and Estonia folks on my email list with info on the upcoming shows. Next, similar targeted messages via Bandsintown then I make up vertical, square and wide promo videos for both Estonia and Finland.
I post the vertical ones as reels round my socials and prep the rest for social ad campaigns then head back to the house to prepare dinner. Betty’s coming along for dinner.
UP AND organised early to get the daily admin, socials and email sorted before my pal Tom arrives to go over the play out system for the new radio show launching at the end of April.
We have a coffee and catch up then hit the studio.It’s good to get an in-depth understanding of the web-based play out system so I can get properly familiar with everything before my first show. We also do some screen and video recording – not just as an aide memoire for myself, but also for some of the other presenters.
It’s mid-afternoon by the time we finish up then I see if I can edit up some of the video resources. There’s some frame rate and sync issues, but I manage to sort the majority of it out and make a start.
I don’t feel much like it, but I make myself go a walk up the lochside. Despite my tiredness I enjoy the walk and get back in time for a visit from tom to chat over some community trust stuff with Margaret. Nice to see him briefly before I go back to the video editing….
WE’RE all up at a reasonable time as I wanna have some time to work on guitar stuff with Davie.
He’s been a long time online slide guitar student – and also came to the residential workshop last year – but we’ve been doing a coupla things that are best worked on in person.
After spending some time int he studio we go back to te house, have a coffee then he and Jane hit the road.
I have some stuff to get done before a 3pm double-lesson online with a new student in Spain.
The online session goes well then I get a start editing some video to spin into tonight’s WIldcats’ livestream on Facebook. I’ve left it all a bit late but I get there and the livestream goes fine 🙂
The rain stops long enough to take Jane and Davie a walk up the lochside.
AFTER breakfast I get the smoker going for tonight’s pork belly. Our pal’s Davie and Jane are coming for the night.
I also make a batch of Japanese BBQ sauce – we’ll have the pork belly win rice bowls with green beans as Jane is celiac and can’t eat gluten/wheat. Making the sauce I realise that there’s soy sauce in it which has wheat extract, so after the main batch I make a smaller amount of the same but using liquid aminos instead of soy sauce.
Mid-afternoon we’re all tidied and ready when they arrive. We chat over tea and coffee while the wind and rain howl outside. Later on the rain stops and things brighten enough to take our guests a wader up the lochside. It’s still really windy tho’!
Back home we chat and stuff until the pork is ready then I prepare dinner.
We have a grand night of food, drinks and chat – Davie is one of my long-time online guitar students (they’re based down in the borders) and Jane’s into a lot of outdoor stuff so there’s plenty to talk about.
UP EARLY to go to a climate action network meeting in Killearn. Margaret’s going in her role as secretary of the local community trust – I’m going as a director for the local community hydro scheme.
There’s a few folks I know there and we have a an interesting and informative morning with a brunch break mid-morning.
Back home we have another breakfast masquerading as lunch then I take a walk to Betty’s with a mock up of the audio point info panel I’ve been working on.
When I get back Catriona and the kids have arrived and we hag out for a couple of hours.
I have a new oline guitar student in Spain to book in for in a double session – I set it up on Zoom and fire off the meeting link. And my invoice.
I have a short nap on the couch then mix up some mince, peppers and a multitude of other ingredients (including ground coffee and baking powder!) to make tonight’s Dubai tacos – an unusual thing that I can only describe as a weird taco-cum-smashburger. They turn out great!
MARGARET’S off to dermatology appointment and, after breakfast, I have some West Highland Way Gifts’ merch to send out.
We have pals coming to stay on Sunday and I’m gonna smoke some pork belly…there’s a whole pork belly in the fridge outside which I cut into manageable slabs, trim up and put a couple of bits aside for Sunday. I vacuum pack the other slabs and put them in the freezer.
In studio I carry on trying to develop a fingerpicking guitar tune I’ve been putting together.
There’s a bit of video to be filmed – just worth my phone – and I realise that my lav mics are all mini jack or lightning connectors, not USB-C as on my new phone. Dammit. I don’t have any money and I can’t justify spending a fortune so after a bit of research and to-it ad fro-ing between possibilities take a punt on an old version of DJI’s wireless mic mini.
I finish off some draft artwork for an info panel to fit around the local audio point and make a mini mockup/model of how it could look.
The it’s time to go to Helensburgh for dinner qt our pals Alastair and Karen. Normally we stay over but we have n early event tomorrow (Saturday) and I’m aff the drink so we’re home soon after midnight having had a grand evening catching up over a lovely meal.
A LOT more social media and email stuff this morning..and some West Highland Way Gifts’ orders.
There’s an email in with a potential show booking – Margaret follows up and it looks like there’s be a nice Scottish show end of August. Watch this space!
We drive to the village for a swim and get back home in time for a late lunch.
I have a couple fo in person guitar students in the afternoon. Both go good then Margaret has a local community trust meeting…I chill and play some guitar 🙂
UP EARLY to get the sourdough in the oven then a morning of guitar lessons – first an online session then in-person – before I get busy with some merch production.
There’s a bunch of one-off ‘comes in many colours’ brass guitar pendants – while there’s a few of them, each has a unique colour pattern in the hexagonal inlays. It’s a fiddly job and takes a lot of time and attention.
We head into Glasgow late afternoon for a publishing event at the Scottish Music Centre then pick up some shopping and head for home.
WE’RE UP early (again!) – Margaret’s off to Edinburgh to meet Les and get her hair done…and I have an 8am start for my ‘speeding awareness’ course via Zoom. It’s three hours long and there’s a bunch of other folks on the session…some interesting stuff but the ‘tutor’ is trying to hard to be a comedy act and starts to get on my tits a bit.
Anyway, once done I get busy with emails and the routine stuff then get an Etsy merch order packed and in the post. There’s a few other merch items I need to finish off too.
After lunch I venture out for a wander through the wood. Crap weather and not long before it starts pishing rain.
I’m back in good time for a guitar student arrives then I prepare the magret duck breasts and marinade the meat for tonight’s brouchettes, Betty’s coming for dinner.
Having been premiered to the Wildcats’ last nights the Soul of a Man video goes live on Facebook, YouTube at 6pm. Hopefully it’ll get some traction. My evening guitar student arrives just before 6pm so I guess I’ll have to wait ‘til later to find out.
Once done I get the grill and charcoal prepped outside, set the table and sort some other dinner stuff.
It’s 7.45pm when Margaret gets back – she’s also picked up a load of shopping in Edinburgh which we get put away before Betty arrives.
MARGARET has an early appointment with the audiologist so I’m up at a decent time and manage to get some work done before an online session with one of my guitar students.
An Etsy order came in for a pewter guitar pin that I don’t have in stock which means I need to get busy casting and stuff. I make an extra while I’m at it and get them all sanded and finished ready for an epoxy inlay.
After lunch I prep the epoxy then set some pins on the back of the wee guitar so I can get it I the post tomorrow (Tuesday). Next, some video stuff for my pal Duncan then my afternoon guitar students arrives.
I SPEND the morning in the office working on a stone engraved with a fossil. The end result is poor – I think the stone/rock isn’t the right type. I’ll look for some alternatives next time I take a walk up the lochside.
We’re running short on brass guitar pendants and pins so I start a wee production line to run while we go off to Doune to see Catriona – it’s her birthday today (46!) and we have a gift to drop off.
Leaving the office I almost stand on a toad. It’s that time of year when we get loads of frogs and toads 🙂
We spend a nice couple of hours out int he garden with everyone at Catriona’s then go into Stirling to pick up some shopping.
A surprise visit to Betty to play a couple of her favourite songs
AFTER spending most of the morning dealing with emails and socials while drinking coffee in bed. I was up early to get some dough ready for rolls and I onto the oven…but it’s good to let them cool a bit before breakfast.
I get the brisket I rubbed yesterday out the fridge one onto the smoker. Only a small piece of meat so shouldn’t take more than eight hours.
Margaret is on a mission to tidy the shed and some of the garden stuff…I hit the studio to finish editing the Soul of a Man video we shot on Thursday, nipping back to the garden to spritz the brisket every hour or so. I can monitor pit and meat temperatures on my phone so I don’t have to babysit the smoker.
Once the video work is done I leave the final files to render and go for a walk through the woods.
When I get back the video is done. I take it to show Margaret the results of her filming and check the brisket. It’s reached 165 farenheit so time to wrap then back in the smoker ‘til it reaches 203 degrees internal.
A bunch of folks, including our pal Jeanetta, are going to Betty’s for dinner tonight. Jeanetta contacted me last week to see if I could drop by for a surprise visit after dinner and play a couple of songs for Betty after dinner. Probably around 9pm.
The brisket reaches temperature round 8.30pm and should ideally rest for at least an hour…I get a message from Jeanetta saying they’ve finished eating and ready for my surprise visit. Margaret and I grab a guitar and banjo and wander along.
I’m a little worried as if feels a bit weird and I’m not exactly ‘the singing telegram’ but all goes to plan and we have a grand hour or so with a couple of tunes and a drink with the party 🙂
The brisket is well and truly rested by the time we get home and we enjoy it worth some BBQ I made earlier, veg and mash.
THERE’S some promo to be done for the upcoming Finland and Estonia shows then I try and work out why the video footage we filmed yesterday is out of sync with the main audio track.
Looks like something's been automatically ‘conformed’ during import to the FInal Cut project so I clear everything out and start again. Sorted.
The gimbal – a DJI RS4 Mini – wasn’t playing ball yesterday so spend some time re-balancing and updating firmware etc. I think I can rescue some of the footage tho’ and add various trackers and stuff to some of the clips to try and make the shots more consistent.
It’s another nice day and I take advantage by taking a wander up the lochside then get some pizza dough out the freezer to defrost for tonight.
There’s a letter in from Cumbria police following up my speeding notice. Caught doing 47mph in a temporary 40mph zone on the motorway at 1.30am on the way back form the Huddersfield show a few weeks ago. There’s an option to book (and pay for!) a speed awareness course rather than a £100 fine and three points. I do some online research and find I can attend he course online and the cheapest place is Hartlepool at £83. I book onto Tuesday’s three-hour course. Ah well, saved £17 and the points.
Back in the studio, the trackers and other adjustments have done their processing and I spend the next few hours trying to pull together a rough edit of Soul of a Man. It’s gonna need a considerable amount of ‘styling’ and colour grading, but it might turn out usable. At worst it’ll let us see if my ‘break all the rules’ approach of a long shot cut with extreme close-ups might work.
Eventually I get back to the house and fire up the pizza oven. The pizzas ain’t my best effort tho’ – partly, I think down to the last batch of dough I made which was a departure from my usual approaches.
WE HAVE an extremely long lie…apart from sleeping through all our alarm, we make coffee and I deal with all my emails and socials before we get up.
It’s a nice day and I suggest we try out some filming for a video idea I have. Margaret always agrees with some trepidation – she’s not very confident with the camera or gimbal and I can be a bit impatient. Don’t mean to be but sometimes I can’t contain myself!
First I need to spread the word about the Glasgow show with my pal Charlie Parr at the end of May. I repost the promoter’s post announcing the show (despite the fact that he’s billed me as Dave ‘Acari’….grrrr….!!!) and get something out to my mail list.
Rather than use the location I have in kind we decide to use the wooded area behind the studio and spend a few hours trying to get some footage in the can.
There’s not time to do much with the footage before it’s time to head off to Gartmore for dinner with our pals Duncan and Irene where have a grand evening catching up.
SOURDOUGH today so I’m up early to get the oven on. I’m baked, cooled and breakfasted before my first guitar student of the day – a 9am online session.
Dawn, my regular Wednesday morning student, arrives just as I’m finishing the online session and we spooned some times working on varying rhythm/strum patterns with a song.
There’s a few bits and bobs to sort out in the studio then I manage to get out for a paddle…first time in five or six weeks. It’s been windy and choppy every day for ages. I do a wee livestream while I’m out on the water.
Back home a shower and a late lunch before my afternoon kiddies arrive for their lesson. I’m puggled afterwards – despite feeling fine earlier, I’ve started to feel very again and have a nap.
A Messenger note comes in asking if I’m available to open a show for our pal Charlie Parr at Cottiers in Glasgow at the end of May. Of course! Charlies been a great pal for more than 15 years and we’ve played loads a shows together in the USA and Ireland…he’s always been championing for me to be on the bill at his Scottish shows but somewhere along the line – maybe promoter, agent or tour manager – has been bombed. He’s insisted this time and it’s happening 🙂
We should be able to announce the show tomorrow (Thursday) afternoon….
WE NEED some shopping and I have a photo that I created for Betty that needs printed…I send it to Asda’s Max Spielmann photo service, make up a shopping list and off we go into town.
I’m still full of lurgy and sleep while Margaret drives then wander round Asda ina bit of dwam.
In the studio I mess more with tabbing out guitar stuff using the MIDI pickup. Still a bit of a mess, but promising.
I have a guitar student at the house late afternoon then I have a nap, go back to the studio and get some more stuff done before we wander along to Betty’s for dinner.
MY USUAL Monday routine of getting sourdough in the oven is deviated as we’re having overnight oats today and tomorrow…so the bread baking will be on Wednesday this week.
I manage to get a fair bit of work done before an 11am session with an online guitar student. There’s some computer updates and stuff to run so once I get them set up I head off to the village for a swim.
After lunch I spend some time in the studio working on ways to tab out guitar music with a MIDI pickup then do some more video editing – vertical versions of the stuff I plan to spin into tonight's Wildcats’ livestream for reels later in the week and, while I have time, another song ready for next week.
The livestream goes smoothly with none of the technical issues that plagues last week’s episode then it’s back to he house for dinner.
RIGHT on form the kids have us awake early…I’m feeling like the lurgy hasn’t just not gone away, but is back 🙁
Matty goes out for a run and we have breakfast – he gets back just as Catriona arrives to pick up the kids. We all hang out for a while then everyone goes their separate ways.
I finish off a wee pewter heart pendant I started making for Margaret ages ago then hit the studio and edit up some video from Aldershot and Brighton ready for tomorrow (Monday) night’s Wildcats’ livestream.
