I film a teaser for tonight's radio show and a wee bit of the new guitar idea...
AN UNEXPECTEDLY nice day (actually, I don't know what I expected!) and we have breakfast out in the garden.
The email debacle caused by changing the website DNS records to point to a new host is needing some attention and tales a good few hours that I hadn't bargained for.
Betty and her pal Liz – who's visiting from Aberdeenshire – are coming along for dinner later so I prep some mince for smash burgers then take a trip to the shop to get some other supplies.
In the studio I finish all the prep for tonight's Dave Arcari's Deep Blues show on Rock.Scot then make a wee teaser video for the show. While I'm at it I film a clip to use in a reel featuring some of the new guitar ideas.
When Betty and Liz arrive I get some charcoal going and make the burgers...all turns out pretty good 🙁
UP EARLY(-ish!) to get the dough for my weekend rolls made up and sit up in bed drinking coffee, dealing with emails and my socials while dough rests and proves. Then it goes in the oven….and out to cool on a rack.
By the time I’m out the shower and salt with some other routine stuff the rolls have cooled enough and we have breakfast even though it’s now closer to lunch time!
I spend some time in the studio going through a load of music submissions and messaging some folks to let them know I’m planning to play their track on tomorrow’s (Sunday)Dave Arcari’s Deep Blues show on Rock.Scot. Then I start gathering a bunch of other tracks that I might play. This is possibly the most time-consuming part of producing the show.
In between times I notice that some emails haven;I sent from my phone…and the annoying that these were up in sent from haven’t received any mail today. Mmmmm…I know I pointed the nameservers for all my websites to a new host but that shouldn’t affect the email service at the orginal company. Or should it? I’ll investigate later.
I stop off on Clairinch for a chill in the hammock (look carefully!)…great spot!
ANOTHER nice day so I set up office in the garden.
I pack up a merch order from West Highland Way GIfts and take it to the postbox then spend the rest of the morning migrating. The rest of my websites to a new hosting company.
I’d planned to go for a paddle after lunch but it’s so bot I decide to wait ‘til later.
Instead, I cut the grass then wait for my afternoon guitar student and his mum. We sit outdoors for the lesson and once done I gather my stuff and go for a paddle.
The windy app suggests it should be calm on the loch, but once I’m out the bay it’s a lot windier and choppier than I expect. I land on Clairinch and chill for a while in the hammock before venturing back home.
A BIT of a late start to the day but the sun’s shining and I set up office in the garden.
One of today’s jobs is to start migrating websites from one hosting company to a new one which has next home to this website for a few months. It’s not a particularly difficult job, but there’s lots of potential steps that, if not managed carefully, can cause disaster!
While the first two sites are migrating I go for a swim then we have a late lunch.
I take advantage of the nice weather to tackle a few bits and bobs in the garden then spend a little time in the studio working on new song ideas.
Late afternoon we head to the national Park HQ in Balloch for the board election count…I have no great expectations of winning the vote for our ward and, as it turns out, I don’t – but it’s an interesting evening and nice to catch up with folks.
MARGARET”S away early to look after the grandkids…and I have an online guitar lesson first thing.
It’s a lovely day outside so once ‘my got some of the routine stuff and new music for the radio show out the way I go back to the house and set up office in the garden.
I set up ticketing and a Facebook event for a fundraiser show I’m doing for Kilmaronock Old Kirk Trust on 3 October – it’s a thank your them giving us the place for a week last Spring to film videos for all the singles off the Still Friends album.
The tomatillo plants in the hydroponic unit need planted out – they’ve got too big and the best one has broken at the base of its stem. I’ve kinda fucked things up a bit this year with late planting and only having one planted out and flowering…to get fruit there needs to be at least two plants.
After lunch I make some chimichurri – Betty’s coming for dinner tonight and I’m going reverse sear some flank steak.
In the studio I spend some time trying to ‘refine’ a new song idea…I really need to get some new stuff written and recorded.
AFTER breakfast I hit the studio and create an audio file from Sunday's radio show – I usually record it when it goes out but we were away on Sunday. Luckily, rock.scot keeps the last two shows on their listen again section of each presenter’s profile so I can play it from there and make Quicktime audio recording.
The two-hour show has to record in real time, so while it’s doing it’s thing I organise all the video clips from the weekend’s trip and dump them onto the computer.
There’s some other bits and bobs to get done in the studio, some drone firmware updates to be done then I nip to the village for a swim.
When I get back I edit the audio file of my radio show and upload it to my Mixcloud along with the playhouse then spread the link round my socials.
My afternoon guitar student arrives bang one ten and we have a good session then I go back to the studio and make a quick video to tape as a reminder for folks to cast their vote – hopefully for me! – in the National Park board elections. The ballot closes on Thursday…and the vote count on Thursday evening.
I spend some time going through music submissions in case there’s anything suitable for my show that I want to play then go back to the house and get some Italian sausage pasta on the go.
BREAKFAST at the hotel finishes at 9.30am so we’re downstairs to meet Dai and Liza by 9am. We have a good breakfast and blether, say cheerio and pack the rest of our stuff.
We’re ok the road soon after 10am and Margaret does the first driving shift. In the passenger seat I do my blog, check emails and socials and post my playlist frorm last night’s radio show.
Over the border into England we stop for a coffee and I take over the driving for a couple of hours…then we swap again. I’d hoped to get home in time for a Wildcats’ livetream on Facebook but that’s not going happen so I post in the groups saying ‘normal’ service will resume next Monday.
We stop off at Costco in Glasgow for fuel, a snack and some shopping…then Tesco…then on to home where we roll up around 9pm.
I’M STILL a bit tired when we wake up….Margret has a pretty severe hangover!
We have breakfast then make for the festival site, stopping en route for a snack. Liza and Dai are staying at the same hotel as us in Pontypool so we collect them and then all go back to the festival site together.
Load-in to the back of the marquee is easy as we’re able to drive right into the backstage area then we collect passes and meal and drink tickets and hang out for a few hours before my stage time.
Most of the other acts – metal and punk bands – are playing 30-40 minute sets but yours truly has an hour-long set. I really enjoy playing but it’s really wam and I’m pretty done in by the time I finish. I pack most of my set backstage then we have something to eat and a drink before loading out and heading back to the hotel.
I WAKE early but stay in bed drinking coffee, dealing with emails and my socials before I get in the shower.
In the office I make some support ‘struts’ out of Perspex for the display cases that hold the.guitar pins and pendants. Margaret had been using the dividers from the cases but someone helping tidy up shortest last show folded them ad now they’re useless!
Turns out we’re low on leather bracelets too so I start a batch with a new design…once the leather’s engraved and cut it needs cleaned then it has to sit for a while to dry before I ‘skive’ the edges to make them smoother. Next they have to be dyed – I’m doing red, purple and grey – using an airbrush and once the dye has dried I brush on some redolent to protect the leather. Especially the engraved areas.
FInally the edges need burnished and then the snap fasteners added. Quite a process – and the selling price barely covers the materials so it’s definitely a labour of love.
By the time I’m done it’s time to go to the Waterfront to take some snaps – and American duty got in touch a while back to ask if I could take some pix as he was planning to surprise his girlfriend with a marriage proposal. I worked out an agreeable plan so as not to spoil the surprise. Luckily the rain stays of and eveything goes to plan.
Back down I sort the images and send the client a link then get all the gears sorted and packed for an early getaway in the morning.
