Challenge complete! Fifty-six miles each and over £1750 raised for Scottish Mountain Rescue 🙂
THERE’S some documentation to complete following the offer of album production support from Help Musicians….and a video to be put together to say how the support is going to help.
I get it all out the way then put together a quick video for my demo version of Bon Jovi’s Wanted (Dead or Alive) originally put together for the music supervisor working on the Deadliest Catch. They used my ‘Scottish sea shanty’ version in series 18, episode five – I’d hoped we’d get a heads up of when it would be used and be able to have it released/available for folks but no dice. Some folks have been asking on forums about it so I thought I’d at least put together a video of my unused alternative version and post it on my YouTube channel to try and catch some of the traction. The result is here.
I grab a leftover ball of dough and make a pizza for lunch before Fiona comes along. This is the last day of Scottish Mountain Rescue’s miles challenge and we both have just a short distance to do to complete it.
And complete it we do…raising more than £1750 in the process. I sort some ‘victory’ photos and in the process take a spill of my board…my only unintentional dip through the challenge!
Once we get back to dry land I get busy putting together a news release for the local papers and completing all the blog updates on the fundraising website.
Margaret comes home with the shopping and close up the office and the studio, head indoors and enjoy a celebratory beer or two.
Five miles done today…just one or two miles left for tomorrow…
ANOTHER 6.30am alarm…I’m getting good at this! I get all set for a paddle and am out on the loch by 7am.
There’s no wind which is really good…but there is a downside. The midges. Once I get going and further off shore it’s OK but when I stop for breakfast and quick livestream update I’m eaten alive by the wee bastards.
I’m home in time together a batch of egg bites on the go, shower, enjoy the second instalment of my breakfast and get to the studio for a session with one of my online guitar students.
There’s some stuff to drop off for Aggie at the village shop and we realise they’re out of West Highland Way bar blades. When I get back to the office I get some production underway then have lunch out in the sunshine.
The sunshine doesn’t last long tho’ and I’m not long finished my sandwich when it starts to rain.
In the studio I start another video edit from the Memorial Hall footage and get some more bits and bobs of prep done for tonight’s livestream into my Facebook Wildcats’ group.
An email come in from Help Musicians offering some grant support for a new album. Yay! At last…and for once it was worth persevering with a grant application.
The livestream goes to plan and Margaret’s got dinner ready when I get back to the house….
I’D PLANNED to be up early and out for a paddle…but it’s pretty windy and gusty – and I’m not feeling 100%. Conditions look to be much better tomorrow, so I decide to postpone.
Instead I get some video edited in the studio and create some artwork for a custom flask that’s been ordered as a gift for someone.
Later on in the day I take a wee wander up the lochsid – it’s a nice evening…just to breezy for paddleboarding!
Dinner is sous vide flank steak which takes a few hours in the instant pot then we have an early night. I need to paddle first thing!
Beautiful afternoon to host a garden concert as part of Ian’s retirement celebrations weekend
PLANS to be up early are slightly scuppered by a late night and too much to drink and it’s nearly 10am by the time I’m out on the water for a paddle.
Once again, conditions aren’t as ideal as the Windy app on my phone suggests they should be and my paddle is a mixed back of extremely choppy, flat calm and everything in between. The relative tranquility between Inchcailloch and Inchfad is spoilt by three speedboats racing each other and doing ‘doughnuts’ as they speed to and fro beside me. I don’t give them the satisfaction of kneeling down or bailing and ride the wake as hard as I can 😉
When I come ashore at Port Bawn for breakfast there’s a gathering on the beach and a few folks dressed as Scottish clansmen re-enacting a fight scene as they tell stories. I keep myself out the way and head up tot he far end of Torrinch – new territory for me – where I find a lovely wee inlet to finish my coffee and do a quick livestream.
The paddle home is a mixed bag of choppy and calm but I’ve got almost four miles done…and I’m hoping that one more six-miler will see me complete the challenge before the end of the month.
I’d like to have managed another mile to two but we’re hosting a garden concert this afternoon for a neighbour’s retirement party – he has a bunch of colleagues and business partners coming top form down south for a weekend of activities.
When I get back we have (my second part of) breakfast outside, put the canopy on the gazebo and do a little tidying round the garden then I jump in the shower.
While I set up the PA system and stuff Margaret sports out seating and tables and we’re all set up and ready by the time the party arrives. It’s a beautiful afternoon and we have blast.
We’ve been invited to join the party as ‘honoured guests’ for the dinner at the local pub and have an hour or so to get the garden back to normal, cleaned up and down to re-join the party. We have a lovely night and make loads of great new pals…all of whom seem to have enjoyed the music 🙂
UP early and organised for the second of six consecutive Friday’s music branding course run by the Academy of Music & Sound…a free place courtesy fo the Musicians’ Union (MU).
It’s an all-day, on-line affair and quite intensive…although the breaks to work on various bit of research and assignments are frequent…and give me a bit of leeway to prepare for our pals coming for pizza tonight.
There’s two further written reports to be done for the course when we close for the day…oneof which I need two do now…and the other before next Friday.
I get so engrossed in it that Margaret calls the studio after 7pm to see when I’ll be back to get the rest of the prep done. Our guests are arriving at 7.30pm! I hadn’t realised the time and go back in a panic.
As it is, all works fine and we enjoy pizzas and drinks outside until the midges force us indoors about 10pm. First midges of the year.
We have Margaret’s pavlova for desert and it and chat and drink ’til the wee hours….
Supplies re-stocked – thought I’d try out a different colour for these flasks…now available in Balmaha village shop!
AFTER my regular Thursday morning in-person guitar student I get busy in the studio.
A courier drops off an order of various blank flasks and I knock up a prototype pink one to see if folks like ’em.
There’s also a fair bit of online promo to be done for some of my other West Highland Way Gifts’ stuff.
After lunch I get ready for a Zoom session with one of my guitar students…but they’re a no show this week so I start importing some more video form the Memorial Hall gig with a view to editing up Travellin’ Man in advance of Monday’s livestream. I’ve been giving Wildcats’ an early look as these videos are edited then putting them on my YouTube channel. I set up some scheduled posts to drip feed them onto Facebook over the next few days.
Catriona comes to drop Aaron off fo the night and Margaret takes him to feed the ducks.
We’ve got folks coming for pizza in the garden tomorrow (Friday) evening. I made some poolish yesterday which needs to be used to make a batch of pizza dough today…which will, in turn, be ready for tomorrow night.
I come up with another flask design…see it in the shop here.
NO chance of any paddleboarding today. Can’t say I’m upset about that as I’ve loads to do in both the office and studio. So long as we manage to complete the challenge in time.
In the office I try out another flask design that I think might be popular both in the village shop and in the online store here. I put it on sale online along with the Loch Lomond chopping boards then get on with some stocktaking and blank product/,materials orders.
I’m playing a private show in our garden on Saturday for a neighbour’s retirement party, He has twenty colleagues and partners coming up form down south for a couple Fiona days activities and celebrations. I speak to his business partner Gary about arrangements for our input.
After lunch I hit the studio too try and get some more video edited from all the footage of the recent Memorial Hall gig. I go back to the house for a coffee and notice the wind’s really picking up. In fact, it’s really bad and a check on the ‘windy’ app says it’s gonna get worse tomorrow and Friday so I go out and take the canopy off the gazebo as well securing some other bits and bobs in the garden.
I manage to get out for a quick walk before a masterclass Zoom session with an occasional student, Meantime, Margaret’s arrived back with the shopping and has a pot of chilli and all the sides ready to take along to Betty and Joe’s where we have dinner and a few glasses of red.
Once again, the predicted calm isn’t calm…but it’s not as bad as it was yesterday and I manage three islands stops before heading back to the bay. Just ten miles to go. Windy for the next three days but hopefully Saturday and Sunday will be calmer. We’ll see…
After a shower and the second instalment of breakfast I go to the office and continue the fridge magnet production run for the shop. Seventy in total of six designs.
I’m getting on pretty good and when the delivery folks drop of the magnets for the back, plastic pouches for packaging and a batch of business cars (I ran out and I use them in the package) I get busy finishing off the order. I get it all to the shop before 6pm. Phew.
Our very own Wildcat – Shitfur – makes a guest appearance on tonight’s livestream…
UP just after 6am to try and catch a brief forecast period of calmer, less windy weather on the loch.
When I get to the bay, though, it’s pretty choppy looking. I get half-a-mile or so of relatively smooth water then wind and waves pick up. Rather than battle I kneel down for a bit until I turn the corner at the end of Inchcailloch and the relative calm of Port Bawn where I get back up on feet for the last few hundred metres.
By the time I’ve consumed my fruit, yogurt and granola the water’s starting to look a bit wild and I head out. after 100 metres of so I’m back on my knees amongst the white horses and the paddle back is pretty tough going.
I have a Zoom guitar student when I get back then time to catch up on emails and on other ‘admin’ stuff before lunch. I also need to crack on with a load of fridge magnets for the village shop.
After lunch I check the weather. The Windy app says it should be OK but it’s still windy as fuck. Maybe this evening after my Wildcats’ livestream and dinner….
I manage to get a couple more songs from the Memorial Hall show edited and ready to show in tonight’s livestream then it’s time for my final Zoom guitar student of the day.
The Zoom session is closely followed by the livestream which goes to plan. Margaret;s got dinner ready when I’m done and I take a quick walk to the bay to check the weather. Still windy. Still choppy. I decide to leave the paddling ’til tomorrow and go home to eat dinner….
One of my favourites…so used to saying ‘GoPro Capture” I tried saying to my phone when I was taking this selfie…made us laugh!!
NO long lie today – Freya’s here and jumps on me just after 7am. No bad thing, really as Fiona’s coming to pick me up at 10am to go up to Loch Drunkie
We pick up David B on the way and have a good paddle…and another five miles each towards our targets.
I’m pretty broken afterwards and fall asleep in the car until we stop to drop David B off.
Back home I jump in the shower, get the charcoal in the smoker lit for a batch of chicken thighs then crack on with making some fridge magnets for the village shop. There’s also an enquiry in for a personalised West Highland Way trekking flak so I call the guy back and get it sorted out.
In the house I peel some tattoos and cut them into chips for the air fryer later and make up some Alabama White BBQ sauce to go with our smoked chicken.
After dinner I portion up the remaining chicken and freeze it for jambalaya…
