DAI AND Liza drop Auntie Glo off here after their breakfast ant the Oak Tree and head off to Edinburgh for the day.
We all have breakfast then I hit the studio to get tomorrow’s (Sunday)radio show pre-recorded – it’s Margaret’s 70th tomorrow and we have a big day and I don’t wanna be messing around withy radio shows!!!
After lunch Margaret, Les, Auntie Glo and Mikey go to the flower show while I finish off recording the radio show. I get a call from the promoter of next Saturday’s show saying they’ve only sold 35 tickets so they’re going to cancel. I’m not very happy but not in the mood to argue and just say ‘fine’ and I take it down form as many inform places as I can.
With a week to go, upcoming local press feature and walk ups I’d have been confident of a full – or nearly full – house…on one hand I understand the cold feet, but on the other I get frustrated when folks pull the plug and are unwilling to trust that it will be OK on the day. It also underlines the need for folks to buy tickets in advance…otherwise risk the promoter getting cold feet.
Matty had stopped in at the flower show and come back with the others.
I’ve got a couple of bacon-wrapped pork loins in the smoker….and everything’s pretty much ready when Dai and Liza get back from Edinburgh.
UP EARLY to get paddleboards and stuff sorted before Dai and Liza bring Auntie Glo up to the house.
Dai decides it might be better to use a kayak 'cos his back and hip are playing up and we're all on the water before 10am.
I take them up to Port Bawn on the far end of Inchacailloch and we have a grand morning before getting ready to go to Loch Katrine – we're meeting Mikey, Les, Catriona and the kids to go for a family boat ride and high tea on the Sir Walter Scott steamship.
We have a brilliant time then Catriona takes the kids home and Les and Mikey come back to ours for a night of dinner, drinks and 90th birthday celebrations for Auntie Glo.
WE’RE not long up and finished breakfast when Auntie Glo, Dai and Lisa arrive…they’re here ‘til Monday and staying at the local inn.
Auntie Glo is 90- tomorrow (Friday) and Margaret is, ahem, 70 on Sunday…so lots of family be celebrations and a full itinerary for the next few days 🙂
After coffee and cake I take Liza and Dai a wander up the lochside while Margaret makes down soup for lunch’s nd chats with Auntie Glo.
After lunch they all head down to their accommodation and I sort out some paddleboards to take Dai and Liza out on the long tomorrow morning. Back home we set up Margaret’s old iphone for Auntie Glo – an eSIM and and ‘assisted use’ set up gets it ready for her.
We all go to Betty’s for an aperitif then drive to the village for the piping in the square and dinner in the pub….
UP early for the sourdough thing then into the shower. Then breakfast and Margaret heads into Glasgow.
In the office I start a 3D print – a protective gimbal and lens cover for the newly delivered Osmo Pocket 4P. It comes in a nice wee bag that takes all the accessories, but if I wanna take just the camera it’s gonna need some protection.
Then I go through a load of music submissions for the radio show and get busy with some other stuff in the studio.
Margaret gets back worth the shopping and I get some of it put away before my late afternoon guitar student arrives.
When we’re done Margaret and I head to a meeting at the local visitor center then Sandy and Betty come back for a drink…and pizza…..
ANOTHER early online guitar session then I take a walk to deliver some custom gifts to someone in the village.
Back down I unbox the replacement Ninja Woodfire and set it all up ready to test it with some hotdogs for lunch.
In the studio I start some advance prep for Sunday's radio show. Auntie Glo, Dai and Liza arrive early Thursday and are heart ‘til Monday…it’s Auntie Glo’s 90th on Friday’s an Margaret’s 70th on Sunday so I need to clear the decks as much as possible.
I’m planning to take Dai and Liza out paddleboarding an have arranged to borrow a couple of SUPs and floatation vests. The SUPs are needing topped up with air so I go and check them out to make sure my point will connect…looks like one is OK and the other might need some jiggery pokery.
Before I Know it it;s late afternoon and I only have time for a quick wash before my early evening guitar student arrives.
Once we’re done I prep some courgette and halloumi kebabs and give the Woodfire another test. Works great!
AFTER two sessions with online guitar students I go to the village for a swim.
When I get back Betty’s dropped in and I help her with some online stuff before hitting the studio to sort some video from the garden gig to spin into tonight’s Wildcats’ livestream on Facebook.
A local pal has asked me to make a custom tote bag for a birthday present so I knock up down artwork, message her to get approval then print up a bag. I do a mug quilt eh same design as a wee extra.
They’re not long finished when my afternoon guitar student and her mum arrive. We have a good session then I’m back at the studio.
For some reason Facebook doesn’t seem to be letting me stream into the Wildcats’ group from my page….looks like it is streaming – just not visible in the group. Weird. I stop the stream and go live from my profile…except that it streams to my profile rather than into the private group.Jeez!
Nice to get out for a wee walk up the lochside with Bill and Dorothy
ONCE we’ve had breakfast and got ourselves organised we all go for a wee walk up the lochside. It’s a nice way to chill and Dorothy treats us to ice creams on the way back 🙂
When we get back the replacement Ninja Woodfire is on the doorstep 🙂 We chat for a while when we get back then our guests ink their stuff and hit the road.
I’m starting to feel a bit tired but no time to doss around – I have a load of prep for tonight’s radio show.
In between times I download all the video from yesterday’s garden gig…then it’s radio time!
We get together for a coupla songs at the end of the garden gig
I MANAGE to drag myself out of bed early(-ish!) to get the sourdough in the oven, into it shower and start prepping feta, sundried tomato and basil egg bites for breakfast.
After we’ve all eaten and planned our strategy for the day we start prepping outside for the garden gig. All caught on a timelapse video that I’ll post in a few days.
For the first time we have everything working and set up in good time for our 3pm ‘gates’ – the consensus it’s thanks to our decision not to livestream the gig this year. It’s always been a timesucker in the past. Unreal we set up some cameras and record it all so we can post clips and stuff on our socials.
We have a full house – erm…garden – for the afternoon and everything goes to plan, including the weather.
We’re all tidied up and back indoors soon after 7pm which lets us eat, drink and bleeder the night away.
OOOFFFT. Birthday. Sixty-two today. How the fuck did that happen? No time to mess round tho’, a busy day ahead.
There’s some evens stuff to be subsided off for tomorrow’s (Saturday) garden gig and I need to sort and mark all the cup/tumbler orders ready for pickup.
Next, some prep for tonight’s pizzas and tomorrow’s dinner – it’s gonna. I’m hectic tomorrow so any prep that can be done now the better. I also wanna get as much done in advance of Sunday's radio show as possible.
I have a late afternoon guitar student and am not long done when Bill and Dorothy arrive….
AFTER a 9am online session with a guitar student I hit the office. Main job today is engraving all the insulated cups and tumblers for Saturday’s ‘gig in the garden’.
Each cup/tumbler has my logo on one side and the garden gig logo and set on the other…and each needs an engraving pass, then a cleanup pass.
The ‘passes’ only take two or three minutes so I can’t go away and do anything meaningful – instead I do some social media posts and stuff then grab a guitar and run through some songs while sitting outside the office. The laser’s vented outside but it’s still better not to be sitting beside it.
There’s a lot to do and it takes me most of the day – no time for a walk or anything as I also need to try and get a little more prep done for Sunday's radio show – after tomorrow afternoon I’ll be busy!
