UP EARLY for a local pal to pick up some stuff I’ve been making for them – and also to check some prototypes for a bulk order of keyrings (40!) they’ve asked me to make.
I get busy in the office and start the keyrings production and a few other things at the same time.
Apart from a break for lunch I’m busy all day on the keyrings and a variety of other merch projects. I’m needing some supplies to finish the job so get them ordered up.
We have dinner while watching Bill and Dorothy’s livestream from Florida then chill for a while before bed.
Beluga Lagoon – my highlight of Hoolie at the Hydro
MARGARET’S got a hangover and I’m aching all over when we wake up…a message from our pal David says he’s coming to fit our replacement cooker hood so we have a mad panic to get up, showered and dressed.
It’s great to have the cooker hood sorted…never really appreciated it – especially the lights – until it broke down.
We’re off to Hoolie at the Hydro this evening – a tribute to The Big Yin (Billy Connolly) featuring Elephant Sessions, Manran, Beluga Lagoon and Trail West. Fiona’s organised a six-seater to get us home, so we jump on a bus to Balloch then the train into Glasgow.
We have some grub and a drink int he SECC then nip over to the Hydro where we meet Sheldon and Grace before FIona and her pal Ann arrive.
It’s a grand night, although standing for five-plus hours means we have sore feet…the finale tribute to Connolly has some cool guests including Ralph McTell – a pal of the Big Yin for 50-odd years – plays Streets of London, Claire Grogan struggles with a song that really doesn’t suit her voice and Elaine C Smith whose talent is on another level.
We get our taxi at 11.15pm and get home through torrential rain just after midnight.
MARGARET’S off to Edinburgh early doors – I get up and make some sourdough concoction for some rolls.
Our usual supermarket rolls are full of preservatives and the sourdough ones I Iike are pretty expensive. I make sourdough bread every week so surely rolls should be straightforward?
The mix is a little more complicated and seems to need regular attention throughout the day.
Next job is getting the Christmas tree, decorations, lights and stuff down form the attic. I rummage through the box’s and find the outside lights, grab a ladder and get them up.
There’s some merch to make in the office and some protoype Keyrings to be made up for an upcoming bulk order.
Before I know it it’s getting dark so I nip out for a short walk then spend some time in the office trying to organize the data from my email lists. Mailchimp is costing me a fortune so I’m keen to find a cheaper (or even free!) alternative,
Great night with Duncan McCrone band at the Black Bull in Gartmore – I’m there on 14 January!
WE’RE up early to get to Doune in time for Aaron’s primary one school nativity. It’s a great wee production – the school always pulls off good stuff for the kids.
We stop into Catriona and Will’s after so I can pick up some stuff Will’s asked if I can engrave then home via the post office.
In the office I run some tests on the wood and send Will some pix then do a test engrave on an olive wood and resin coaster. It turns out nice so I stick it on the community WhatsApp and manage to generate some orders…so I need to order more blanks!
Before I know it it’s almost time for my 4.30pm guitar student who shows up with his dad bang on time.
We have an early dinner then head off to Gartmore for our pal Duncan’s gig at the Black Bull – it’s the second in a series of monthly winter shows – I play the next on on Wednesday 14 January…
I SLEEP through my alarm then have a panic to get sorted in time for my 9am online guitar student.
Dawn arrives for her lesson just as I’m finishing up with the online session and we have a good hour or so playing guitar and blathering. The lesson’s meant to be ½-hour but coffee and chat always make it a little longer.
I prep the smoker and get some ribs on to take along to Betty’s for dinner later – she’s got the large so we thought we’d take her some grub.
I’ve just got them on when Izzi drops by to pickup some Love Balmaha merch and has a coffee and chat.
After lunch I work on some recordings in the studio, make some cornbread and look after the ribs on the smoker u til my evening guitar student Jamie arrives. Then it’s time to go along to Betty’s – the smoker’s been running a bit hot and the ribs aren’t my best effort but we have a grand evening nonetheless.
WHILE my day late sourdough cools I jump in the shower and then get some work done. For some reason this feels like a Wednesday!
After the breakfast I drive to the surgery for a blood test – had to make a case for my request despite having been sent to he prostate clinic a few years back and put on various meds on a permanent basis. There’s been no follow up or monitoring of things and given my prostate issues, my age and the fact that my dad had his prostate out (can’t remember why) you’d have thought I might be classed as ‘at risk’ and worthy of a PSA blood test or some kind of check.
Back home I pack up some merch – some for collection and some to be dropped off at a post office later.
Before we head into Glasgow for an event later on I call a couple of record stores that stock my music to see what they need replenished and arrange to pop in with stock, including the new Still Friends album.
We manage to get to a spotty office, drop off some personal bits and bobs and stock into Blitzkreig and Love Music with a little time to spare before we have to be at the Blythswood Hotel for a Christmas event we’ve been invited to.
We have a grand evening and I’m happy to be in driving duties and manage to dodge all the fallen trees and storm-related carnage on the way home.
NO SOURDOUGH baking this morning ‘cos I didn’t have time to sort it all yesterday. I get the starter out the fridge to make up the dough later for tomorrow (Tuesday) morning.
After my mid-morning session with a Zoom guitar student I wander along to Betty’s to drop some stuff off and stop by another neighbour to deliver a couple Love Balmaha tote bags…when I get home I add the Love Balmaha tea towels to the website too.
My afternoon guitar student is sick so I take advantage of the time and remaining daylight to take a walk up the lochside.
When I get back Fiona’s dropped by – I join her and Margaret for coffee and cake.
I finish my sourdough mix and se tit aside then hit the studio to prep for this evenings Wildcats’ livestream on Facebook. All goes to plan!
Anne and Peter Johnson switch on the CHristmas tree lights at the village hall
I SPEND the morning sorting out a Christmas music playlist and sorting the PA for the lights switch-on and craft market at the village hall later on.
There’s also a bunch of stuff needing finished for my table and all the stuff I need to be gathered up and packed….plus some photo gear for pix…and a gazebo to keep our local celebrities dry for the switch-on.
We get to the hall early afternoon and have everything set up and ready for the event kicking off at 4pm. The lights switch on is at 5pm and the event comes to a close at 7pm. Another successful event organised by Margaret and the other ELLCT trustees.
I discover it’s not easy getting pix of Christmas decorations!
MARGARET’S away early to meet Catriona and the kids and go to the panto in Edinburgh with Les.
I drag myself out of bed and go for a paddle up to Milarrochy doing a couple livestreams along the way. It’s the last decent weather for the next few days so I’m glad to get out.
A shower and late breakfast then I hit the office and make some Christmas tree hangers for my custom engraved baubles.
There’s other stuff to be made for tomorrow’s (Sunday) craft market at the lights switch-on.
I’m In the studio trying to take photos of the baubles and other stuff when Margaret gets home and makes a Thai tofu stir fry.
AFTER getting the routine tasks out the way I get busy with some promo for next year’s shows.
Margaret heads into town for some shopping and I hit the office. Loads of stuff to be made for `Sunday’s craft market at the Christmas lights switch on.
I realize that I don’t have the blanks I need for some custom orders so get online and order up a bunch of stuff then start trying to work out what I need – and don’t need – for Sunday.
In the studio I set up to take photos of some stuff to show on a video loop that I’ll either project on the wall behind my table or show on an iPad.
I’ve got the fire going when Margaret comes back from town and her local meeting on the way home. We put the shopping away then I have a nap for ten minutes.
I SLEEP through the alarm then have a panic getting my shit together for ann online songwriting session with Elaine.
We’re re-visiting a song idea we worked on a while back that slipped down the priority list for both of us.
After lunch I send an email out to my list with a 24-hour flash Christmas discount code then take a wander up the lochside.
Margaret’s got the fire on when I get home and once I get out my wet clothes I fall asleep on the couch for a wee while. I’m woken by the guys from the garage bringing the car back…£600-odd to get the front parking sensors sorted. A known VW fault. Mmmm…this has been a shite month for expenses – kitchen tap, cooker hood, car sensors….
In the office I make up some merch orders that have come in following my email out then do soem work on ideas for my table at Sunday’s Christmas light switch on and craft market.
AN EARLY start for an online guitar session followed by an in-person lesson.
The car’s still at the garage in Killlearn and I have a session with the kids at the school in Balloch. The bus times are pretty crap so I have over an hour to kill when I get to Balloch so I stop for a sandwich then wander up to the school.
By co-incidence there’s a merch order from someone who lives close to the school so once I’m through with the kids I drop it off then go for the bus home.
I’m puggled when I get home and have a nap on the couch then hit the office to get some work done before we go to Betty’s for dinner.
My 3D design and print mini pedalboard works out great 🙂
I WAKE up and check Margaret put the car key in the car for the folks from the garage could take out away early. She slept through her alarm – and it looks like they came, checked the car, tried our front door handle then went away. Why they didn’t ring the door bell or phone is a bit of a mystery!
Margaret calls the garage and arranges for us to take the car…we borrow Betty’s car, do the needful and are home by 10am.
After breakfast I get busy designing a wee pedalboard for the Valeton GP5 pedal and radio receiver using Shapr3D on the iPad. It’s a bit of a learning experience but I get there eventually and by lunchtime I have a 3D design to send to the printer. It’ll take about three hours to print.
In the studio I mess with some guitar ideas and get some poster artwork done for the March gigs down south
I get out a walk but don’t go far as the rain starts and it’s getting dark already.
The pedalboard has printed when I get back so I take it to the studio and start making up the connector cables and stuff. Some of its a bit fiddly but it all works and although no it a work of art, it’s functional and practical.
WHILE the sourdough cools I go out for a quick paddle. It’s cold and grey but there’s some light trying to get through the low blanket of cloud clinging to the water.
A quick shower then breakfast and I get on with the day. First up, a session with one of my online guitar students then I start editing some video footage for tonight’s livestream.
My afternoon student has called off – no bad thing, really, ‘cos I’ve got lots of stuff to be getting on with.
A courier drops off a the wee junction box I ordered online to let me power the wee Valeton GP5 pedal and a wireless receiver from a single USB power bank. It’s tiny and I’m skeptical it can work but, to my surprise, it all works a treat.
I do some rough sketches for some kinda wee mounting board to keep it all together. If I have time tomorrow I’ll knock up a 3D design and see if I can print something.
Then it’s back onto the video and prep for the Wildcats’ livestream on Facebook. All goes to plan and soon after 9pm I’m back in the house enjoying Margaret’s spaghetti carbonara.
WE’RE sitting in bed with a coffee when Catriona calls – we’re going to Doune later to look after the kids but she’s asking us to go now as they have to go out and are expecting a delivery. Major panic this end.
We ‘relieve’ Joyce from looking after the kids and hang out in the house for a while before taking them to the park in Stirling. It’s beautiful – but freezing cold – day.
Next stop McDonalds then back home in time for Catriona and WIll getting back from their shopping trip.
We’re back home by 7pm and I get some work done in the office before dinner, a film then bed….
Quite a sunset over the bay when I get back my walk…
A LONG lie, coffee and Saturday Kitchen…then we get up and start the day. Late.
I do a little work in the office then hit the studio and try recording a very rough version of the song Elaine and I have been collaborating on for the last week while.
It’s been fits and starts and I realise that I need to do something a bit different with the arrangement.
I go a walk up the lochside. The loch is calmer than I thought it would be and I coulda maybe gone for a paddle instead. Ah well, maybe tomorrow.
We head off to the village hall for the annual ‘mince and tatties’ ceilidh and have a grand evening although I get a big dose of heartburn…
WE SLEEP through the alarm and wake up (extremely!) late. Too embarrassing to say the time!
After the resulting brunch I finish off one of the test Christmas baubles and make some design decisions. I’d quite like to have some on show at the Christmas lights switch-on makers’ market.
I’m waiting on a wee splitter box to allow me to power the wee Valeton GP-P5 pedal and a wireless receiver from a USB power bank….I’ll design and 3D print a wee mini pedal board and the lot will hopefully serve as a backup in case the Quad Cortex goes down…or just as knockabout system.
Anyway, it was meant to come today but seems it’s still at the Evri hub. No fucking surprise there!
It’s a horrible wet, dreich day so I decide to stay put in the office and do some final finishing work on the penguin paperweight I cast a while back. It’s a little rough still but I have to make the best of it and if there’s a few wee flaws so be it.
I also need some brass stuff for the makers’ market…most of it is custom, though, so I try and work up designs for a brass coin and smaller pin featuring our local church – it’s been closed and there’s a community buyout project underway, so some folks might be attracted to it 😉
MY USUAL Wednesday morning student is coming today (Thursday) this week. We have a good session an and when she’s finished I get on with some stuff in the office.
In the studio I mess a little more with the latest version of the co-write song Elaine sent me.
While I like the challenge of doing something outwith my usual style I’m not sure I can do much with this other than add a guitar part…which kinda defeats the purpose.
I decide to try stripping it right back and rejigging the arrangement to fit closer to something I might do myself…but keep the main vibe of what Elaine’s done. Maybe this is what co-writing is all about – I dunno – never done it before!
In the office I work on some Christmas baubles – trying to get a decent photo engraved on ’em is proving a bit of a challenge but I think I may have cracked it but the time Betty arrives for dinner and Margaret calls me in.
AN online guitar session first thing then I get through the day’s admin chores.
A message comes in to say there’s no point in going to the school today as most of my class is off sick…and half the staff. Seems large is abound.
Instead I decide to make use of the time for a Costco visit. As well as some stuff for ourselves there’s a couple things for Betty…and I decide to pick up a new chair for the studio.
I’ve never had a decent chair – they’ve always had dodgy castors and bits coming loose and/or falling off.
I’m home in time for a late lunch then hit the studio to do some work on a co-write project that’s been stuttering on for longer than I care to think.
Sam comes to drop off a USB stick for the raw video and audio files from Eva’s audition filming then I take Betty’s stuff along before tackling the chair assembly in the studio.
I SPEND most of the morning in the studio working on guitar stuff and getting to know the wee Valeton GP-5 pedal that I plan to use as a backup to the Quad Cortex.
For just £50 on a Black Friday Amazon deal, the Valeton is an amazing bit of kit – a tiny multi-effects and IR (impulse response) loader…while it can’t compete with the £1500 Cortex, it’s surprisingly well-built and the sounds are serviceable. The downsides are having just one wee foot switch and noisy processing that means a noise gate is needed on virtually every patch.
In the office I do little more ‘finishing’ work on my cast pewter penguin then I get my gear ready to go for a paddle.
It’s a nice day but pretty cold and I decide to give my dry suit a whirl for the first time. Fiona and Neil rock up and we head out.
The dry suit is pretty good, but kinda bulky and restrictive – might get used to it.
Back home I have a shower then head down to the village to meet my fellow hydro society board members for a meal before our AGM.
The meeting goes smoothly and finishes just after 9pm – we drop by Betty’s to check her internet then home to chill before an early-ish night.
I spread the word about our local Christmas lights switch-on and craft market
MY SOURDOUGH comes out the oven a bit denser than usual…can’t see any reason. Not really a big deal tho’.
After a mid-morning online guitar session – extended due to techie issues at my end – I create some artwork and content for the local Christmas lights switch-on and craft market to share round the local socials and groups. I did some posters the other day.
After lunch I edit some video from Darlington to spin into tonight’s Wildcats’ Facebook livestream. See it here.
I try a ‘workout’ – a kinda tai chi thing – from an app I downloaded last week and accidentally subscribed to. It’s OK be it it’ll be a while to see if it actually offers any meaningful guidance. I’ll post it in here if it’s any good.
I spend some time in the office trying to refine my latest penguin casting until my afternoon guitar student arrives.
The it’s dark and I have to get everything ready for tonight’s livestream.
It goes OK but there’s something weird happening with the audio. Looks like I’m gonna have strip everything down and investigate 🙁
THE KIDS have us up early. Not too early, but still early!
I have a lot to catch up on in the studio and head across after breakfast to try and blitz my way through some stuff.
Catriona and the kids head off early afternoon and I spend some time on merch stuff in the office and also get another protoype penguin cast. It’s pretty rough so will be interesting to see how it is after some finishing work.
We have an early dinner then Margaret drives us into Glasgow – we’re off to Oran Mor to see Canadian band
Bywater Call. Tour manager Max from Teenage Head Music in Belgium has invited us as guests.
It’s great to see him and we enjoy the show. I’m still a bit puggled so happy that it’s a relative early show and finish.
FEELING a little better again when I wake up – still not full power but getting there!
After breakfast I hit the studio and start gathering gear to film and record audition videos for our pal’s daughter Eva. I get the village hall and load in and we spend a few hours filming stuff.
When I get back Catriona and the kids are at the house – Catriona and Margaret have been making Christmas cake with a FaceTime link to Les in Edinburgh.
In the studio I dump all the video then trawl through he footage to find the best bits and spend the next few hours editing the video clips until dinner’s ready.
I’M WOKEN by the nurses early – I think it’s around 6.30am but things are a bit hazy. I had a decent sleep although I’m kinda aware of having my drops and stuff changed a couple times during the night.
Breakfast is a couple of slices of dry toast. I could have cereal – which I don’t eat – and/or porridge…but I’m not keen on porridge at the best of times and don’t wanna risk the hospital version which I fear will have been stuck to the pan and probably have some kinda skin on the top. Boak.
On the upside, I’m still feeling reasonably OK…running about 75% I reckon and hope I’ll be OK to get out later. I’m helping a local pal out tomorrow by filming some auditions and I don’t want to let her down.
The consultant drops by on her rounds, has a chat and is happy for me to be discharged as soon as the current batch of IV meds and drips has finished.
More blood is taken and an another – routine, I believe – daily jag in my tummy to avoid any blood clots.
I call Margaret and let her know. It’s for the best that I stayed in another night so Margaret got a chance for a proper sleep after all the previous day and night’s drama and stress. I think this is probably worse for her than it is me.
I’ve just finished lunch – relatively palatable soup and sandwich plus a wee tub of ice cream (coulda been worse!) – when she arrives to get me.
Once again, all the treatment and care from the ambulance and hospital folks could not be better. Every single person was amazing…despite the current challenges and overwork they and their employer face.
We roll up home and I decide to take it easy and spend the afternoon in bed before we go along to Barbara’s for a wee get-together. I’m keen to go despite not really feeling like it and we have a nice evening…I stick to alcohol-free beer, take it easy on the food and we retire at a reasonable hour.
A STRESSFUL morning as the vomiting continues – Margaret goes away about 8am and gets a taxi back to Les’s – she’ll be back after they’ve had their hair done. No point in her hanging about here watching me vomit.
I get moved to another bay and although still not in a good way I’m a little less agitated.
Another ward mid-morning (I think) and managed to dose a little between bouts of nausea and vomiting.
Mid-afternoon the IV meds seem to be helping and I’m starting to feel a little better by the time Margaret and Les arrive.
There’s a seemingly endless routine of questions, examinations, injections and stuff and we’re uncertain if I’ll be getting out later.
Dinner is edible – but only just – the main thing is I manage to get it over my neck and keep it down.With no news of discharge Margaret goes back to Les’s – I’ll call her if I get any news.
I get moved to another ward – not as nice as where I’ve been but I shut off what’s going on around me and get off to sleep.
A GUITAR session with an online student first thing then I get some bits and bobs sorted before we head off to Edinburgh.
My second appointment in Edinburgh for a heart research programme is at lunchtime – a CT scan – then we’re gonna stay over at Les’s.
Margaret and Les are getting their hair done tomorrow, so we’re killing two birds with one stone.
After dinner, though, I start to feel a bit queezy…then I’m sick. I’m hoping it’s not going to get worse, but it does. The old familiar pattern – first time in two-and-a-half years.
Glasgow Art Club – Dave, Kathleen, Cilla, Artie, Fraser, Jill, John, yours truly, Duncan
RIGHT after breakfast I nip along to help Betty with a wee techie issue then back home to pack up some merch orders.
I get the bus to the village to meet Duncan and we head into Glasgow for lunch at the Art Club with a few music pals. Our late pal Rab was always part of this annual lunchtime meet up and after he died we’ve kept the tradition. Nice to see everyone.
Duncan and I head to Costco then he drops me back home just in time for my 6pm guitar student.
EARLY rise to get the sourdough in the oven…then back to bed for coffee and online stuff ’til the oven bleeps.
I have an online guitar student mid-morning then hit the office and finish off a bunch of packaging stickers and stuff for Manson Glass.
After lunch I get a quick walk before my afternoon guitar student arrives then we get things prepared for tonight’s local community trust AGM…Margaret is secretary. Actually, she IS the community trust!
I take some pix of proceedings – Stirling Lord Provost Rosemary Fraser and some other council folks are guests and the meeting is a great success.
Betty comes back to ours for some dinner..then I sort out the pix…
EVERYONE’S still asleep when I get my stuff together and go out for a paddle. The loch’s pretty calm and it’s a lovely morning despite the cold and frost.
Breakfast’s ready when I get back and out the shower then I get busy with some video editing in the studio.
Mikey leaves late afternoon and I spread the news on my socials that Still Friends is featured album on BBC Radio Scotland’s Iain Anderson Show this week…so there’ll be a few tracks played tonight (Sunday) and tomorrow (Monday).
I decide to try the chicken thighs I prepared yesterday in the electric pellet smoker…the ease of reparation makes it a potentially better option than setting up the kamado for a meal for two. Indeed, the chicken is done in under an hour and every bit as good as when smoked over charcoal and fruit wood in the kamado.
NOW things have calmed down post-album release and launch shows we have a long lie watching Saturday Kitchen in bed, drinking coffee and generally just chillin’.
First job is vacuum sealing some flank steak for tonight’s sous vide steak in pepper sauce. Mikey’s coming later for the night.
I pack up the rest of the flank and put it in freezer then trim up a pack of Costco chicken thighs, give them a rub with some ‘Memphis dust’ and leave in the fridge to smoke tomorrow.
All the gear I dumped in the studio earlier needs sorted out
It’s getting dark earlier and earlier so I head out for a walk up the lochside. When I get back Mikey’s arrived.
The sous vide takes a good few hours so I get it on the go and we sit and chat before dinner…
WE HAVE breakfast in our room at the Premier Inn and get a few bits and bobs done then pack the car and start the journey home.
A stop at a Tom Horton’s – never been to one before – for lunch and I take over driving until Glasgow.
First stop Costco for fuel and some shopping, then Tesco, then home.
Betty’s invited us out for dinner with some of her family and we have a lovely evening, back to Betty’s for a nightcap then home for a (relatively!) early night.
Fantastic night at Darlington’s Forum – my last show of the year!
UP AT a decent time to get the car packed and on the road to Darlington.
We split the drive and get to the hotel just after 4pm – just in time for a coffee before we carry on to load in at the Forum.
Manager Kirsten and soundman Matt are there to welcome us…it’s a nice room and Matt is an ace engineer. He’s looked after my sound here before.
Doors open at 7.30pm but showtime isn’t ’til 8.30pm so I chill in the dressing room then play the same two-set show as the previous album launch shows…first set being the full album and the second a ‘normal’ set.
There’s a good crowd in and it’s nice to see some familiar faces. All goes grand and we’re back at the hotel by midnight 🙂
TWO back-to-back guitar student sessions this morning. The first online, the second in-person.
Once I’m clear I hit the office to finish a big batch of paperweight stands for Manson Glass which takes me to lunchtime.
There’s a some brass guitar pins to be made to replenish the merch stock for tomorrow’s (Thursday) show in Darlington and some last-minute promo fro the show.
It’s a bit damp and grey but I need a walk so head up the lochside and get back just as darkness falls.
Margaret’s off to a neighbour for a ‘girls’ night’ meal so I make some pizza and have a glass of wine in front of the telly…
I DECIDED to head into Glasgow early and get some fuel at Costco before my appointment at the optician to get new lenses put in my clic-frame reading specs.
After the optician I go to the bank, pick up some shopping and get home in good time for lunch.
The plumber comes to fit the new kitchen tap. Between he call outs, work and the new tap we’re £350 worse off. All because of a bust thread somewhere in the old tap that meant it kept coming loose from the worktop.
In the studio I record some radio idents for a radio show in Ireland then get busy in the office – I have 100 paperweight stands to make for Manson Glass.
I’m back in the studio when Betty arrives for dinner….
THE USUAL Monday routine of an early alarm to get the sourdough in the oven…then, once it cools, breakfast and off to the studio for a session with a Zoom guitar student.
There’s a load of stuff needing done in the studio – and some gear to check/sort before we head to Darlington later in the week for my final show of the year.
I edit up some video clips for tonight’s Wildcats’ livestream on Facebook and prepare for a Help Musicians’ focus group meeting…which is subsequently postponed.
Darkness starts to fall and I finally mange a quick walk before the livestream.
I’M FEELING pretty broken this morning but no time to lie around – Maureen’s and Debbie are coming at 10am and we’re all heading up to the war memorial at Rowardennan for Remembrance Sunday wreath laying.
It’s pissing rain and I’m on photo duty for the local community trust (ie: Margaret!) which has organised the event.
There’s a good wee turnout despite the bad weather.
Back home I sort the photos an post them round the local social media then have a kip on the couch in front of the fire.
I’ve been holding back announcing as it’s both geographically and time close to Stirling…now I can ‘announce’ and get it posted on my website and some of the other listings websites.
Then it;s time to go to our pals Duncan and Irene’s for dinner and a very fine evening 🙂
WE HAVE a bit of along lie to try and recover form the last couple days.
After breakfast burritos I make an 80th birthday cake topper for Fiona who has had a last minute request to make a cake for someone.
In the studio I run some strings repairs then we hit the road to Stirling. Not far to go. But we have quite an early get-in and soundcheck.
All goes smoothly – soundman Dave has worked my shows before and lighting and other stuff is all handled by Leah.
Showtime is 8pm and there’s a good crowd in and I do a similar show to the last couple nights with the new album making up the first set then a second set of ‘old favourites’.
The merch table is busy after the show then we get back to the auditorium and load out.
We’re back home in time to drop by Betty’s for a drink – she’s had a bonfire party for her daughter’s birthday.
Release day for Still Friends…and a launch show at Irvine HAC
BREAKFAST at the Holiday Inn finishes at 9.30am so we’re downstairs just after 9am to make sure we don’t get caught short.
Checkout isn’t ‘til 11am and I get most of the work I need done before finishing some stuff off in the hotel foyer. It’s release day for the new album.
We share the drive to Irvine and both manage to grab a nap (while the other drives!) before loading in at the Harbour Arts Centre (HAC) just after 5pm.
Sound man Rory helps us in and we get set up, soundchecked and merch all sorted with time to chill in the dressing room before doors open just after 7pm.
Showtime’s 7.30pm and I play the same format as last night – the new album in its entirety for the first set and a ‘normal’. There’s a good crowd in and a nice mix of familiar and new faces.
The Blue Lamp, Aberdeen…first show of the Scottish album launch tour…
STRAIGHT into the studio to sort out gear and get everything packed so we can get on the road to Aberdeen at a reasonable time.
We share the drive and park up at the city centre Holiday Inn Express to drop off some stuff. There’s time to chill for an hour before we have to load in at the Blue Lamp.
All goes smoothly although there’s already people arriving just after 7pm and doors don’t open ‘til 7.30pm.
I hit the stage at 8pm and play the first of two sets. Set one is the tracks from the new album – albeit not in the correct order to avoid swapping instruments all the time.
After a short break I play a second set and uniquely the encore calls are for more banjo!
I HAVE a 9am online session with a guitar student then it’s straight into a local energy club meeting – a sub group with some of my fellow hydro society directors and others.
There’s some time to make up set lists for the album launch shows and run through some of the songs I haven’t played since recording the album
Another online session with Help Musicians then a late lunch.
I get a few admin things out the way then, at last, get out for a paddle. It’s the first suitable day weather-wise in ages and I kill a few birds with one stone by doing some livestreams to punt the upcoming shows.
It’s dark when I get back to shore then I get some of the gear sorted for an early start tomorrow before Betty arrives for dinner.
Good to see my pal Neil for a wee bit guitar action….
UP EARLY to meet someone who has a problem with their MacBook and is dropping it off.
Thankfully I find a way to access and back up all her data and work out the problem. It’s a hardware issue and she can either use some of the workarounds I suggest or take it for repair.
I have a Zoom session to record an interview with a radio DJ in Lincoln then I get into the office and sort some merch for this week’s gigs.
Our pal Neil arrives with his dog Sonny…he’s meeting another pal in the village for lunch then coming to collect some merch and have a wee guitar session.
We have a grand hour or so then Neil hits the road and I get back to some stuff in the studio before getting back onto merch prep in the office.
After dinner – roast cherry tomato pasta which I make too hot for Margaret…oops – I spend the rest of the night on promo for Thursday’s show in Aberdeen.
A new penguin ‘sculpture’ – we’ll see if it’ll work in real life!
THE kids have us up early…but not as early as it mighta been!
After breakfast I get busy with some stuff in the office then we take the kids to feed the ducks. Margaret and the kids go to see Betty and take a walk up the lochside
Catriona and Will come to pick up the kids early afternoon then I have a video session with a new guitar student from Germany.
In the office I start a batch of black and gold guitar earrings for the merch table. Folks were fighting over them in France!
After dinner I mess with the 3D modeling app ion the iPad to come up with a better penguin. I quite pleased with the shape now – if I get time tomorrow I’ll do a 3D print then see if it’ll cast…
WE MANAGE to get up at a reasonable time – Catriona’s bringing the kids over so she can have a night off to herself.
Meantime, I get busy with today’s number one priority – promo for the new album and launch gigs.
I get localized messages out for the gigs via Bandsintown then set about making a video to promote pre-sales of the vinyl and CD versions of the new album.
After a break for coffee when Catriona brings the kids I dot between the house, studio and office getting on top of all today’s tasks….
THE guy from the garage comes at 8am to pick up the car – he’s fixing the front parking sensors. We’ve had a good experience using a fairly local garage to do all our car stuff.
I arrange to go into the optician tomorrow to get the new lenses put in my specs then get on with local and region media stuff for the Darlington show on 13 November.
I’m in the office experimenting with ways to finish some Christmas items I’m conjuring up when Margaret calls me to say my afternoon guitar student and his mum have arrived at the studio. Doh! Totally forgot.
After the lesson it’s dark and raining so any hopes of a walk are dashed. Instead I work out some merch postage rates before trying out a new recipe for dinner…pork tenderloin with a maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, chilli and mustard sauce. Turns out weird but good!
My first metal penguin…still a bit rough but a good starter
AFTER my first Zoom guitar student I work on some guitar stuff and created some new patches on the Quad Cortex.
Another online session then I get my gear ready for the school this afternoon.
I pack some stuff and print labels to drop off at the post office in Balloch later on then hit the road.
When I get home I spend some time trying to finish my wee metal penguin. It’s not bad, but not quite right and a little rough. It’ll do for a starter tho’.
We wander along to Betty’s for dinner. Her pal Liz is staying a few days and we have a fun night of grub, wine and laughs.
I rationalise my online shop to, hopefully, reduce ‘option paralysis’
WE BOTH sleep through the alarms. So much so that before we’ve had breakfast Betty pops in for a coffee!
My main job is to get vinyl and CD versions of the new album on sale…along with the new shirts and hoodies. I also decide to rationalise the online store – there’s so much in there that I think folks might get ‘option paralysis’ and this might help focus visitors’ attention.
A message from the embroiderer in the village lets me know some additional Ts and hoodies are ready for pickup. I also need to get a prescription so get Margaret to drive me to the village, pick everything up then I walk back.
I’d already made the physical copies of Still Friends available to my Wildcats’ group on Facebook in advance of the ‘official’ release date – ie: when it drops for streaming/download on Spotify, Apple Music etc – of 7 November.
Now I wanna make it available to folks on my email list before a more general ‘pre-release’ campaign so I get an eNewsletter out to my list,
My evening guitar student arrives early and we have a good session…then it’s dinner before tackling some of the vinyl and CD orders that have come in as a result of my email out.
I take some merch pix for the online store and promo…and a couple of other fun ones while I’m at it.
EARLY bread-making and while it’s cooling I get some admin and stuff out the way.
After breakfast – fresh sourdough toast with mashed avocado – I hit the studio for an online guitar session,
Once I’m done I set up and take some pix of the new vinyl, CD, Ts and hoodies ready for the online store and other promo.
After lunch I take some time out and work on a Christmas idea for Love Balmaha. If it works I’ll maybe do some ‘Dave Arcari’ versions and some custom options for West Highland Way Gifts,
I manage to get a little finishing work done on my penguin project – don’t ask – before my late afternoon guitar student arrives.
Back in the studio I edit some video to spin into this evening’s Wildcats’ livestream on Facebook and get some other prep done before go-live…
MARTYN’S counting round to go for a walk so we’re up and organised at a reasonable time.
Not great weather out there but it’s good to get some fresh air and a catch up.
Back home I hit the studio and make up some Spotify canvases – short, looping vertical videos that accompany tracks on Spotify – and pitch a song from the upcoming album release to the platform’s editorial playlists.
After lunch we go to Doune to see Catriona, Will and the kids.
We stop for some shopping on the way home and when we get back I find that instead of taking two packs of beef from the freezer to defrost, one of the pack is actually Italian sausage. Doh!
I’m making a big batch of beef, butternut squash and ancho chilli, so need some more flank out the freezer. While it defrosts I make up some sugo with the Italian sausage which we can have during the week. Then it’s onto the chilli…
It’s getting dark when I go for a wander up the lochside…
WE have a lazy morning and late breakfast then I go outside and start my second tempt to cast a penguin. I’ve been a bit obsessed with trying to design and make a solid metal penguin paperweight since I saw one at the old mill where were staying in France.
The new crucible is big enough to melt enough metal for the job – my last effort ended up with just 2/3 of a penguin ‘cos I couldn’t get enough metal melted at one time.
The resulting cast works but is pretty rough and gonna need a lot of finishing. I do a bit of work on it then hit the studio to do some press/media stuff for the upcoming shows.
I take a break for a late lunch then get back on the job. Media contacts are few and far between these days and folks move around and switch jobs faster than ever as legacy media slowly grinds towards a halt. Still worth the effort tho’.
A message tells me Still Friends has been voted as a ‘pick of the month’ for November by the Independent Blues Broadcasters’ Association (IBBA). Nice.
It’s been quite a nice day and I decide to have a walk before dusk….and it’s getting dark when I start making my way home.
NEEDLESS to say I’m pretty burst when we wake up at Jon and Maggi’s and head downstairs for breakfast.
Good eats, coffee and chat then we head off. First stop is screen printer Kenny to pick some extra shirts and hoodies we need.
Next, Costco for fuel, shopping and a snack, then Tesco, Waitrose, drop the hoodies and Ts at the embroider’s and home. Well, not straight home – we stop at Betty’s to drop off some shopping…and have a drink.
AFTER I get my social ads finished for the upcoming shows I hit the office to try out some engraving on glass Christmas decorations.
I’d planned to do this last year but left it too late to get hold of the glass baubles…so on the case early this year. I do a test design and it seems to work pretty well.
Margaret drives me to the village for a long overdue haircut and I walk back after, enjoying the five mile or so wander while listening to a podcast.
We have a late lunch then drive into Glasgow for a social event at the Scottish Music Centre.
Next stop, Jonzip and Maggi’s where we’re staying tonight. We park up, drop off our stuff then we all walk to a tapas restaurant a few blocks away.
Great meal, great night…Jonzip and I drink red wine and blether until…erm…5am…
I’M gubbed when the alarm goes off and I end falling back to sleep for another hour or so!
There’s a bunch of merch orders to get packed up so I can drop them at a post office later on…and an item to get returned to Amazon that needs to be dropped off at a UPS ‘access point’.
I have an appointment at the Western General hospital in Edinburgh – I’m taking part in an NHS survey thing and have some tests to go through and blood to give as the first part in the process.
En route I stop in Buchlyvie and spend ten minutes wandering around trying to find the UPS ‘access point’. When I do, they won’t take the parcel as there’s only one commercial invoice attached to the outside of the package (exactly as instructed by Amazon). They say it needs three. FFS!
Onward to Edinburgh and I check in. An hour early. Because I added the appointment while we were in France it’s fucked up the time in the diary. No worries tho’ – they’re happy to have me early as it’s the last appointment of the day and means they can finish early 🙂
After all the questions, measurements, blood and piss samples I find a post office and drop off all the merch packages.
Back home I make sure all my PRS live set returns are logged in advance of a research meeting with the organisation tomorrow where we’ll be discussing the process. Thought it’d be good to be up to date.
AWAKE super-early to get the sourdough in the oven. While it’s finishing off I get ready for a paddle so as soon as it’s out the oven I can head out on the loch while it cools.
It’s kinda misty and grey but fairly calm and I have a nice paddle around the islands and do a couple of livestreams to remind folks that ‘normal’ service resumes tonight for my weekly livestream into the Wildcats’ Facebook group.
Back home there’s for a shower and breakfast – avocado on fresh sourdough toast – before a session with an online guitar students.
There’s more videos to edit for social media ads and then I get busy with some of the PR and promo for the new album and related live shows at the start of November,
Once phase one of the promo is done I edit a couple of videos from the live footage taken over the last few weeks so I can spin them into tonight’s Wildcats’ livestream.
Suddenly it’s approaching 8pm and time to get online for the livestream,
After dinner I pack up a bunch of merch stuff and finally catch up with myself around midnight.
AFTER breakfast we help Mikey with his mobile and broadband accounts which seem to have got a bit mixed up.
I hit the studio and make another version of the video for the upcoming shows – one fast-paced video that covers all the shows.
When I get back to the house Mikey’s getting ready to leave. We have some lunch then it’s back to the studio to get all the album tracks, info and metadata to my aggregator (digital distributor) for the full album release on 7 November.
Next job is to create a shareable folder of assets to promote the album. Tagged MP3s of all the tracks, cover art, one-sheet etc…the link needs to go in the news releases and stuff.
I get it all finished just in time to meet Betty for dinner….
A still from the promo video for the upcoming Aberdeen show…
UP EARLY ’cos I wanna get into Glasgow and visit my pal Neil in hospital. I stop en route to get one stuff to take him and then park up at the Beatson.
We chat for a couple hours and I hope I’ve managed to brighten up his day a little.
I stop for some shopping on the way home, have some lunch then hit the studio…the to-do list is as long as my arm and although everything’s urgent I need to try and work out the priorities.
First up is a bunch of news releases not only for the full album release, but also the four ‘launch’ shows both regionally and nationally.
I get the releases all written but decided to leave the assets folder and links ‘til tomorrow and get on with making up some videos to use in social ads and posts for the associated shows.
It’s after 8pm when I get back to the house. Mikey’s arrived and I make some smash burgers before an early night.
I WAKE up with the fear – it’s release day for Good Friend Blues, the final single before the album drops and for some reason I haven’t set up the video premiers for today.
After breakfast, then, it’s straight into the studio. I also need to edit up a vertical format of the video for reels and other stuff around my socials.
The guy from the garage in Killearn picks up the car for a service and oil change. He’s also gonna check out our front parking sensors which are goosed and VW wants about £600 to fix.
I manage to get out for a walk up the lochside before an early dinner…then we hit the village hall for a quiz night, coming third with our team-mates Fiona and Sheldon.
At last. A paddle. First time on the water in seven weeks!
UP EARLY to get some artwork done for the Black Bull in Gartmore before Fiona arrives to go for a paddle.
I get everything done and finish breakfast just as she rolls up and we paddle to Port Bawn on Inchacailloch and back. First time I’ve been out on the loch since my cataract op seven weeks ago.
Back home I jump int he shower then we head into Glasgow to pick up a load of hoodies and Ts from our screen printer pal Kenny.
Next stop Costco and a quick snack then the optician in Milngavie for my post-cataract check up and new prescription.
On our way home we drop the shirts and hoodies off at the embroiderer’s and get back just in time for my guitar student arriving at the studio.
Once done I do a little prep for a Zoom interview with a music journalist in London.
While Margaret makes dinner I finish off an order of Conic Hill leather bookmarks. Busy day!
A BUSY day kicks off with a 9am session with one of my online guitar students…followed immediately by an in-person student.
There’s a 20-minute or so break before another online session then I get busy with some merch in the office.
With Good Friend Blues dropping on Friday I have a load of radio and other promo to do as well as making the track available to folks in my Wildcats’ Facebook group and on my email list.
Late afternoon we head to Doune to look after the kids. There’s some stuff to drop off at Europa Music so we take the kids into Stirling then back to Doune to wait for Catriona to get back from work.
It’s after 8pm when we get home and I try my hand at fish tacos for dinner…work out not bad at all.
WE SLEEP in…I don’t wake up ’til after 10am. Think our body clocks and routine are all away to fuck!
There’s so many different things needing done I’m not sure where to start and tackle random jobs to try and clear the decks.
I’d hoped for a paddle…or maybe a walk…but before I know it it’s well after 5pm and I have a guitar student coming at 6pm.
I get a bit of tidying done in the studio and a quick walk to the water before my student arrives.
Once done, I make the sugo for our Italian sausage pasta and stretch the sourdough before sorting some more stuff out in the studio.
After dinner I call radio DJ and host Abe Perlstein in California – I’m guesting on his show. I use an app called Yolla as Skype is no more and it seems to work OK.
Abe plays six tracks from the forthcoming Still Friends album and we chat between them. Grand.
Goodbye Beaumont et Avoine…we’ve had a great time…
A LAZY morning then we start packing and getting everything ready to hit the road.
Another lovely lunch with Dominque and Marie-Claude then we bid farewell and hit the road to the port at Caens.
It’s a fair drive and dark when we get to the port. After a snack at the terminal we get on-board the ferry, find our cabin and sleep all the way to Portsmouth,
At Bistro 64…grand wee venue and a nice way to finish my run of shows in France…
THERE’S been a lot of attempted fraudulent purchases through the Love Balmaha and West Highland Way Gifts websites over the last few days – a couple have made it through though…I refund them and mark as suspected fraud.
The issue is that I am still out of pocket re the transaction fees. They’re not much, but if I let it continue it could mount up.
Had the same on this website’s (davearcari.com) online store and an anti-fraud plug-in seemed to stop it…but it hasn’t worked on the other sites.
I decide to temporarily put both sites into maintenance mode for a few days to see if the fraudsters’ bots move on when they can’t reach the shop page/s.
There’s some stuff to do for the Black Bull in Gartmore then I do some last-minute promo for tonight’s show in Tours.
I’s not for – just 45-minutes or so – to Tours. We go ahead as we wanna grab some stuff form a supermarket to bring home (most are closed on Sunday)…Marie-Claude and Dominique are already at the venue when we get there!
Bistro 64 is small but has a good stage area and they host some good shows. We get loaded in, soundchecked and ready to hit the stage at 9pm.
The place is busy and get even busier as the jungle drums seem to beating and bringing folks in.
We’re back at the mill just after midnight. Marie-Claude and Dominique have brought pizza back – we eat and drink red wine until after 2am….
AFTER breakfast I restring the acoustasonic after a string breakage the other night.
The process is cursed, tho’. The sixth (bass) string is too heavy to go through the tuner post and needs a load of faffing about…then the first string won;t stay locked in the ‘locking’ tuner. Needs more winding (it shouldn’t) but is now cut. I have no more extra strings with me for this guitar and try a used one. The ball end comes off. Bah. We’ll go to the music shop in Chinon later.
We have lunch then I do some work and promo for tomorrow (Saturday’s) final show of the trip in Tours.
The music shop opens at 3pm and we also want to go and pick up some wine to take home so we jump in the car and kill two birds with one stone.
Back home I fix the guitar and ensure all the stuff I need is fully charged up for tomorrow’s show in Tours.
Later on we take Marie-Claude and Dominique out for a meal to say thank you for their amazing hospitality and kindness. The restaurant they choose in Chinon is fantastic!
AFTER breakfast with Dominique and Marie-Claude I start working on some temporary videos for Facebook and Instagram ads for the album launch shows.
I need to get some ads running for these gigs ASAP –but the ‘master’ video I usually use for this is on the machine at home. In the meantime I’ll use the promos I filmed in the garden here at the mill.
Once edited into various vertical, square and 16:9 formats I set up the ads. We’re still not sure when we’ll be home, but whenever we do get back I’ll do some new video for the ads.
We have lunch in the garden and then have a nap before heading to La Salle de Sports for this evening’s show. It’s a small, almost private, gig and we have a lot of fun with our friends.
Back at the mill Marie-Claude makes dinner and we chat over a few glasses of red before bed.
AFTER breakfast I do a bit of work on our local hydro society website and post some news round the socials. Best get that done now rather than wait ’til we get home.
The ‘when we get home’ to-do list has grown a little more than I would have hoped!
It’s another beautiful day so I take a walk for an hour and discover lots of interesting wee roads and buildings.
We drive to a nearby town to pick up one supplies and have a snack – when we get back Dominique and Marie-Claude are at the mill along with their pal Jacky.
After an aperitif (or two) we have dinner and chat the night away. C’est tres bon 🙂
Dominique, far left, and the Festival BAR team…amazing group of folks.
BREAKFAST at the mill with Yvette, Jacques, Corrine and Jean Luc before everyone heads for the festival site.
Music starts at 12.30pm today and runs ’til 6pm. Today’s headliners – Little Bob Blues Bastards – had to cancel as 85-year-old Bob has lost his voice 🙁
There’s a silver lining in every cloud, though – the replacement is Elliott Murphy. We’ve never come across him before – a good pal of Bruce Springsteen who also write album liner notes for Lou Reed. He and his band were amazing!
Elliott’s fiddle player Melissa joins us for a few drinks and we hang out at the wrap party before heading back to the old mill. Been quite some weekend.
WE’RE up at a more reasonable hour today and have breakfast with Jean Luc, Corinne, Jacques and Yvette – nice to see them as they were part of the group from France that came to a Memorial Hall show in Scotland back in 2018.
I get a little work done then we take a drive to Chinon where we have a wander around and stop for some lunch.
Then it’s back to the old mill for before heading back to the festival site. Musical highlight today is Francesco Piu Groovy Brotherhood…as well as all the food and drink!
Opening up Festival BAR…fantastic night in Beaumont en Veron 🙂
WE SPEND the morning and afternoon catching up on some work.
I edit up a reel of vertical video clips from last night’s show and post it around my socials then we make our way to the festival site to load in.
It’s not the best weather, but all the outdoor areas are pretty well covered and the rain has stopped by the time I take to the stage.
There’s lots of familiar faces amongst the crowd and Margaret does well on the merch.
Once I’ve cleared my gear off the stage we go to eat – Marie Claude is running all the artist and crew catering and the food is nothing short of amazing.
We watched another couple of bands then head back to the old mill. What a night!
Grand time playing a pre-festival show at Relais du Velors
ANOTHER long lie and relaxed morning at the old mill.
It’s also another nice sunny day so after breakfast I take a walk around some of the wee roads round about.
We get some work done int he afternoon then make our way into town to set up for tonight’s show at Relais du Velors – a pre-festival ‘inauguration’ show.
The place is mobbed and we have a great evening.After the show Dominque presents me with a photo from a similar pre-festival show at the same venue (in 2017!) by photographer Laurent Leduc.
After we get tidied up we go to the festival site for some dinner then back to the old mill.
…after the show I’m presented with a photo by Laurent Leduc – taken at the same pre-festival gig in the same venue back in 2017.
The old mill – our home for the next week or two…magical
WE HAVE a very long lie at the old mill then make some brunch before heading to the festival site in Beaumont for coffee with Dominique and all the festival volunteers who are working tirelessly to have everything ready for the weekend.
Dominique takes us to a wee venue nearby where I’m playing a special launch show for the festival tomorrow (Thursday) night . We have a wee recce, chat to the owner over another coffee then we go back to the mill.
I sit outside and noodle about on the guitar and come up with some wee bits that might make a future song then we do a livestream and have a wee wander around.
Later on we head back into town and join everyone at the festival site for dinner.
WE’RE WOKEN at 4.45am (UK time) by music piped into our cabin. Jeez. Think it’s meant to give us a heads up that we have an hour to go before docking at Caen.
By the time we’ve come to, got ourselves sorted and I’ve found coffee we’re pretty much ready to go down to the car deck.
Once we’re not he road we stop at the first service station we find and fall asleep int eh car for nearly two hours! Then we go in and have some breakfast.
Messages on both our phones from Three inform us that the £25 spending cap I set up on our phones before we left to ensure our £2-a-day charge to access our UK calls/data/text allowance would run smoothly has been exceeded. I get on the chat with Three to try and find out what the fuck is going on and they’re pretty unhelpful saying that there’s nothing they can do about considering a refund ‘til my next bill. I’m a little but tetchy about it to say the least.
It looks like we’ve been charged £25 each for data used during a six-hour ferry crossing while we were asleep. Fuck off. To add insult to injury, if I hadn’t increased the spend cap in advance of travelling (as recommended by Three!) things wouldn’t have been anywhere near as bad. Also, no warning or notice from Three or any other service provider that passing through some kinda ‘no-man’s land’ would incur a mega charge. I’ll deal with this when the time comes.
Anyway, onward to Avoine and Beaumont en Véron where we rock up tp the festival site. Work is already well under way and went catch up with some of our local pals and have a coffee before Dominique takes us to the old watermill which will be home for the next ten days or so.
We chill for a while then head back to the festival site for drinks and dinner with the main crew…gonna be an exciting few days ahead…
Our cabin for the night…well, next few hours, anyway
ALTHOUGH breakfast at the hotel finishes at 9.30am we don’t need to check out until midday. We’re in no huge hurry so have breakfast, get back to the room, get our stuff together and leave the hotel around 11am.
The drive to Portsmouth is uneventful with only a sandwich and toilet stop along the way.
The ferry is scheduled to leave at 11pm so we have some time to kill and end up visiting Nando’s for some dinner, then on to the ferry port where we sit in a queue for an hour or so before boarding.
Our wee cabin is fine and we chill for a while before some zzzz’s….the ferry gets into Caens at 5.45am so not gonna get much sleep!
BREAKFAST is on until 11am so we have a bit of a long lie then head downstairs. A good spread of stuff.
No plans or rush for anything today but I do have a few things I need to attend to. First up, remove The Met landing page form my website.
Next, there’s new cover images to be made for my socials to help start promoting November’s album launch shows.
The next single – and last one before the whole album drops – is released on 17 October and needs set up with my digital aggregator for timely distribution to all the streaming services. It’s a bit fiddly as I dealing with all the singles and subsequent album as a ‘waterfall release’ to see if it helps build streaming numbers.
I also take some of the video from last night’s show at The Met and manage to edit up a song from the set on the iPad.
We venture outside for a walk int he sunshine and grab snack before returning to the hotel to chill.
We’re not hugely hungry later on so have dinner in the hotel. Cheap and cheerful – although my chicken burger has, I am sure, seen better days!
The Met is a fantastic venue…and we have a great time
UP EARLY to get the gear sorted out and car parked for a 10am getaway…and we’re on the road bang on schedule.
With just one toilet/food stop we get our hotel in Rochdale where we drop our bags and chill for a while before the six-mile drive to The Met in Bury for load in.
Shaun opens the stage doors and helps us in with the gear…soundman Craig who worked my show in the same venue – way back in July 2009 – makes soundcheck quick and easy. The sound, and space, is brilliant.
We have time to nip out to a nearby Italian restaurant. Nice folks but the food is mediocre…Margret’s cannelloni isn’t hot all the way through and the pasta has a strange texture. My risotto tastes good but is a bit sludgy. The fact that the food arrived about five minutes after ordering doesn’t inspire much confidence in freshness.
We’re back at the venue in good time for doors. I have to go and ‘sit down’ three of four times before I take the stage. Not sure if it’s the food, nerves or both…it’s my first show like this in a while.
There’s a good crowd in albeit a few less folks than we’d hoped for – especially after throwing nearly £200 in socials advertising over the last two months. Amongst the audience is my old pal an bandmate Marsha who moved down here 23 years ago (gulp)…and Rachel…one of my predecessor student president’s at Kirkcaldy Tech, Haven’t seen her for 40 years (double gulp!). It’s great to catch up with both after the show.
RELEASE day for MacPherson’s Lament…and I realise that I haven’t set up the official video on Youtube or Facebook. I get right on it after breakfast!
There’s still a few songs needing rehearsed for tomorrow’s (Saturday) show at The Met in Bury. We’re unsure of my set length at Festival BAR and any other French shows so I make up a variety of set lists to cover, hopefully, any eventuality.
Next job is the edit for the next single from the album – Good Friend Blues. Drops on 17 October, so time is tight!
I take a break to clear the gutters both at the studio and the house then take a wander up the lochside.
When I get back I finish the Good Friend Blues video edit then make some vertical video of today’s release for my socials.
I’d hoped to get all the gear sorted and car packed tonight but there’s still guitar strings to be changed and a bunch of other stuff needing done so looks like I’m gonna need to get out my pit early in the morning!!
MARGARET has to go to the village for some stuff so I jump in the car and get a walk back, stopping to film some reels and stuff to promote tomorrow’s (Friday) release of MacPherson’s Lament.
In the office I make a brass pin – a surprise gift for a pal – and then pack up the old backdrop to end out to the winning bidder on eBay.
Next, rehearsals for Saturday’s show at The Met, Bury…and the subsequent shows in France.
I edit some video clips I filmed while walking earlier and get them posted round my socials.
Margaret’s busy in the kitchen when I get back from the studio. Fiona and Betty are coming for dinner.
We have a grand evening – I walk Betty home just after 11pm – then we sit chatting with Fiona until nearly 2am!
We have a grand evening at the BBC New Comedy Awards at Barrowlands…
AFTER the usual admin and stuff I have a session with one of my online guitar students.
Then it’s off to the school in Balloch for a music session with t he kids. Margaret drops me off and picks up some shopping And stuff before collecting me and we head into Glasgow via Braehead.
Next stop is our t-shirt guy to pick up a batch of shirts and hoodies then onto Barrowlands for the BBC New Comedy Awards which we enjoy more than we expect!
My first “I need a..” design and print solution! A tripod mount for the Osmo Pocket.
THE morning is taken up with promo for Friday’s release of McPherson’s Lament. It’s already available on Bandcamp prior to the ‘official’ release on all streaming services.
With the wee GoPro proving unreliable, I’m looking at ways of making use of the old Osmo Pocket camera to document gigs. It’s difficult to mount on a tripod when the WiFi module is clipped on the bottom so I set about designing a mount.
This is my first real attempt at 3D design and I get it started before ANita form the Black Bull in Gartmore comes for a meeting about the venue’s upcoming winter music season.
Once we’re done I get back on the 3D design and start a 3D print. It comes out OK but I made a small mistake measuring the hexaganol part of the connector. A small adjustment and version two works. I’m chuffed and amazed!
We spend the evening at Liz’s where we have a lovely dinner and good craic.
I make another wee promo for The Met show to post round my socials…
I SPEND AN hour before my first online guitar student trying to sort the wee GoPro I use as a close up/second camera for online lessons/sessions.
The camera’s been plague by power and battery issues for as long as I can remember and I’ve tried every combination of batteries, USB-C cables, resetting I can think of. And more. I finally get it to at least power up and get me through the session.
I usually use it to capture some video at live shows but its unreliability has made it impractical. I wonder if my DJI Osmo Pocket might be an option. I look it out and check its WiFi adaptor. Maybe give it a try at The Met on Saturday.
The sun’s out so I take the chance to do a little more tidying up in the garden then get some weed killer down – a job that’s long overdue!
I use the wee drone to make a another quick promo from Saturday’s show then take a walk up the lochside before my afternoon guitar student arrives.
Then it’s back to the studio to prep for this week’s Wildcats’’ livestream on Facebook. There’s time to send out a news release for the local hydro society before I go live and have a hassle free livestream 🙂
`LOVELY day outside – cold overnight but a clear blue sky.
After breakfast I hit the studio and run through some of my set for next weeken;s show at The Met in Bury. Must try and get myself match fit.
In the office I sort some more merch then tackle some of the stuff needing done in the garden. A bit too windy to spray weed killer so I start dismantling the fruit cage which isn’t very ‘winter-proof’.
Late afternoon Mikey leaves and I take a walk along to Betty’s to do a ‘quick fix’ on something….
AFTER breakfast burritos I leave Margaret helping Mikey with his accounts and I take the bus to the village and pick up a prescription from the chemist.
I stop in to the art studio and have a chat with Tessa then Walk home. It’s a nice, mostly off road five-mile or so wander listening to podcasts as I go.
There’s an event on at the nearly Tir na Nog that our neighbour Jess is involved with. We thought the kids might like it so we head off, taking Mikey, and meet Catriona, Freya and Aaron there. We have a fun few hours, the kids particularly liking the fire-breathing dragon.
Back home I grill some sausages and we all have hot dogs before Catriona and the kids go home.
In the office I engrave a batch of insulated cups with the new logotype and prep some other merch for our travels next week.
LOTS of social media stuff to do this morning – just a week to go ‘til my show at The Met in Bury.
In the office I get some bits and bobs of merch in production to make sure we have enough stuff – not only for The Met, but also our subsequent journey to France to play Festival B.A.R. and (hopefully!) some other shows. The booker/agent is, let’s say, a little laisssez-faire.
I manage to get a break for a wander up the lochside then when I get back I put the old backdrop up for auction.
There’s a decent harvest of wee tomatoes from the hydroponic – and forest of basil so I make some pasta dough and prep to make pasta with cherry tomatoes.
Later on Mikey arrives so he and Margaret can get a decent start on his accounts in the morning.
MARGARET’S off early to Edinburgh to pick up Les and go to get her hair done.
I get a message from the embroidery lady asking if she can drop off a batch of beanies so I get out my pit and have breakfast before she drops by.
Stephen Jardine has an optician on his BBC Radio Scotland show and is taking calls. I message and get a call back from one of the producers – they’ll call back in ten minutes so I can pitch my query live: how soon after my cataract op can I safely go out for a paddle? My op was three weeks ago and guidance is a loose three or four weeks – what does she think?
A careful answer recommends I wait ‘til after I’ve seen my optician which isn’t ‘til we get back from France. Ach well – the weather over the next week’s crap anyway, so unlikely I’d have a chance to go out anyway.
In the studio I finish off the hydro society news release and send it round my colleagues for fact checking before I fire it off to the local media.
Next job is to make another set of videos to promote next week’s show at The Met, Bury round my socials. The light is inconsistent with the sun coming in and out unpredictably but I get something done.
I also want to use the ads as the creative on a new set of Facebook and Instagram ads retargetting folks that have watched the videos in my other ads for the show.
My late afternoon guitar student arrives at the studio then I go back to the house for a nap before starting to prep dinner.
Another idea for some merch popped into my head…had to make it…!
I HAVE a couple of hours to catch up on some work after my 9am online session with one of my guitar students.
Margaret reminds me that we’re out of current design (‘the blues comes in many colours’) t-shirts and hoodies in some sizes so I call Kenny to see if he can do a rush order for next week. The new design shirts with screen printed backs and embroidery on the front are still some way off.
There’s also a news release to be written for the local hydro society but halfway through I have an irresistible urge to take a merch idea that’s popped into my head and make a prototype. So I do.
After an early lunch I head to Balloch for a music session at the school.
Back home when Margaret goes to a community trust meeting I take a wander upon the lochside.
After my walk and Margaret’s meeting we pick up Betty and go toot he next village for some dinner. Lovely.
THE TO-DO list is out the window after breakfast – Margaret needs photos urgently for our local place plan.
I trawl through my archives to see what I have and pull out a bunch of stuff, but she needs some specific stuff. Urgently.
We’re off into Glasgow – I have a Musicians’ Union meeting – but we leave early as it’s decent weather and we can stop en route to get the pix. I have the drone and ‘normal’ camera so manage to get a selection of shots in the bag.
Onward to Glasgow and Margaret drops me at the STUC centre for the meeting and goes for some shopping before coming back to collect me.
Back home we sort the pix and then spend some time wrestling with email accounts then outside for pizza.
MONDAY. That means an early alarm to get my sourdough in the oven then into the studio after breakfast for a session with one of my online guitar students.
Top of the to-do list, sorting new t-shirt artwork and production, is bumped down the list so I can do an interview for a local magazine.
After lunch I get back on schedule, sort the t-shirt/hoodie artwork and speak to Kenny, my screen printing buddy.
I’m just finished when Laura and Violet rock up for Violet’s guitar lesson after which I head back to the studio, edit some video and prep for tonight’s WIldcats’ livestream on Facebook.
AFTER a late breakfast I spend some time messing around with artwork and design ideas for new shirts and hoodies. Need to get ‘em sported quick as we’re off south then onto France soon for a bunch of shows.
I take a break and cut the grass while the rain’s off and manage to get some strumming done too. Maybe the last grass cut of the year?
The rest of the day is spent trying to sort out some website and e-commerce hassles. Nothing critical, but annoying stuff that shouldn’t be happening!
Margaret has dinner ready just in time for Bill’s livestream – the last one before he and Dorothy go back to Florida.
AFTER breakfast and chat at Billy and Dorothy’s we hook up with Mikey and go to his flat in Dundee where I install and set up a security camera for him.
Next stop, KFC then we drop into Perthshire Caravans to check out the camper vans and stuff but there’s nothing inspiring to see.
Onward to Doune where we stop off to see Catriona and the kids and drop off a birthday present for WIl’s big day tomorrow.
WE HAVE a bit of a late rise after a late night (erm..early morning!) then I go to the studio and pack a guitar for this evening.
Early afternoon we head to Bill and Dorothy’s ‘holiday home’ at Invergowrie just outside Dundee. We’re going to a special show Bill’s organised tonight – he’s invited me to play a few songs – and staying over.
We have an early dinner then make our way into the town and the Clep Bar where everything’s already set up for Bill and a splendid roster of musical pals are playing a kinda memorial show for some of the resident musicians who’ve passed on over the last few years. Quite humbled to have been invited to play too.
We have a grand night full of fun and colorful characters then have a nightcap before bed…another 3am job….
I manage to get the generator back up and running at the hydro scheme
FIRST job of the day is designing and ordering a new backdrop – a necessity now that I’ve updated my logo.
I go to the same supplier we used last time and go for a slightly wider format. A bit more expensive, but worth it.
An email comes back saying the order is processing and the backdrop has gone into production so I hit the studio to run through some songs – we’re off to Bill’s gig in Dundee tomorrow (Friday) and he’s asked me to plays a few songs.
There’s some other work to do too then an email comes in from the backdrop folks asking for an extra £30-odd for ‘Highlands and Islands’ delivery. Erm…we’re only 20 miles outside Glasgow and definitely not in ‘the Highlands’!
I call the company and explain and they respond by saying it’s down to their courier. I explain that we’ve never been classed as Highlands and Islands…and the last backdrop I ordered from them didn’t attract this ridiculous surcharge. I tell them to put the order on hold and I’ll send them some other potential delivery addresses to see of they fall within the courier’s ‘normal’ delivery area.
I send off some alternative addresses and awaiting a reply…when it comes in the company has decided that they don’t need me to pay extra and the order proceeds.
Duncan and Irene are coming for dinner later – the starter is Vietnamese summer rolls which are a bit of a faff so I get onto it early. The rolls made, I move onto the dipping sauce then spot an email from one of my fellow directors of the local hydro scheme…last night’s power cut has taken down the computer and it looks like the generator’s stopped.
No one else has replied so I volunteer to drive to the village, hike across the fields and see if I can get things back up and running. Mission accomplished 🙂
The unexpected task has eaten a up any spare time so I’ve only just finished the prep for our main course when Duncan and Irene rock up.
Amazingly the 3D printer picked up where it left off after a two hour power cut
WEDNESDAY. That means three back to back guitar sessions – one in-person sandwiched between two online lessons.
During the third one I get a message from the school saying they don’t need me today. I coulda done with the dish but there’s a lot needing done so it’s not the end of the world.
Margaret needs an iPad stand and orders one online – I revise I could maybe 3D printer one to use until it arrives. I find one on Bambu Makerworld and set it to print. Might take a while. U there’s no huge hurry.
So instead of school, I hit Glasgow for a load of shopping which gives us a bit of breathing space tomorrow by freeing us up on another busy day.
Margaret’s off to a community trust meeting when I get back and she’s only away ten minutes when the power goes off. No big deal, I ’spose – then I remember the 3D printer in the office which has (had!) almost finished the iPad stand. I power it off in case there’s a surge when the electricity comes back on.
I’m amazed when the power is restored and I switch the 3D printer back on it gives me the option to continue. It does!
Meantime, Margaret’s back and I make some pasta dough and smoke a salmon fillet for dinner…
I do some test filming for narrative for a new ‘intro’ video…
I’VE ARRANGED a 10am photoshoot outside the village hall with community hydro scheme grant awardees.
I’m frustrated that there’s three no-shows and call-offs but we get some good shots of the group of folks who have bothered to show up. Blotted copy books and so on 😉
Back home I pick a couple of shots, tidy them up and put them aside for when I have to time write up a news release.
There’s a new video ad to be made for the upcoming Met Theatre show in Bury. Once that’s done and scheduled for publication I get some more stuff done for Black Bull Gartmore’s wire music season.
The ‘intro to Dave Arcari’ video could do with an update and refresh so when I go a walk up the lochside I take the wee DJI Neo drone and film a little bit of ‘walking and talking’ to see how it could look. If it has promise we’ll try similar with a proper camera and gimbal.
I’m home in time to take a trip to the dump in Balfron. Out bins are all full since I cleared out the office a couple weeks ago.
Smash burgers for dinner – there’s some extra patties defrosted so I invite Betty along to join us…
MY WEEKLY sourdough routine seems to make Mondays come round awful quick!
Once the routine stuff is out the way I head to the studio for a session with one of my online guitar students.
Next job is promo stuff and ticketing for the Black Bull Gartmore’s winter music season. Once I have artwork finished and all the assets ready I send them off and start setting up the ticketing.
After lunch I nip out for a walk while the going’s good and get back just in time for my afternoon guitar student arriving.
I need to make a new set of videos for social media ads for the upcoming show at The Met in Bury(27 September)…then prep for my Wildcats livestream on Facebook.
QUITE a lot on today’s to-do list. After breakfast I pack up some merch orders that were waiting for the embroidered beanies, print postage and book a collection.
It boils ma piss that the post office close all the local post offices (nearest to us is now 12 miles away – a 24-mile round trip!) – and then have the audacity to charge for the postie to collect when they’re at the door anyway. Moreover we have to work out the postage ourselves and print the labels etc and pay for the privilege. Anyway…
There’s ameeting with a local group hoping to buy the recently closed church from Church of Scotland so we head along to get an update on the project. I’d planned to walk there and back but it’s pissing rain…and I don’t really have the time.
When we get back I spend some time on artwork and promo stuff for the Black Bull in Gartmore’s upcoming winter music season.
WE have a leisurely breakfast and morning with Alastair and Karen then they hit the road.
I have some stuff to do for the Black Bull Gartmore’s upcoming music season and spend some time in the studio getting some graphic ideas together an collating the artist info and photos.
Louise from The Unique Company messages to see if I’m around to drop off an order of embroidered beanies. She pops up and we have a blether. The hats are amazing 🙂
We’re both knackered and have a nap on the couch then I get stuff ready for tonight’s pizzas and ball up the dough I made the other day putting the extras in the freezer.
As well as the free-plus-postage stuff there’s the additional items most folks have ordered…and some of them need made. There’s also orders for embroidered beanies which I won’t have until tomorrow.
I make up some leather hat patches and print up various mugs then get the orders packed up and postage printed.
The other orders will need to wait for the embroidered beanies or other ‘blanks’ I’m waiting on.
Alastair and Karen are coming from the night and I wanna have as much food prep done as possible, starting with the Vietnamese rice paper wrapped summer rolls. It’s a bit of a fanny dance as the vermicelli noodles are cooked in coconut water with some bashed lemongrass stalks and then Wolle’s into the rice paper ‘wrappers’ with iceberg lettuce, prawns, coriander, mint and chives.
Once they’re done I make up the dipping sauce then move into the marinade for the salmon.
I have time for a very quick walk and am just back and shutting the studio when Alastair and Karen arrive. Next thing we know it’s nearly 3am….
