Sunday 4 May 2025

AFTER breakfast I get busy in the office until it’s time to go to Doune for Freya’s birthday party.

She’s seven tomorrow (Monday) and had a special day with her pals yesterday and today it family and neighbours.

We have a great day and eat and drink way too much…I drive us home mid-evening and we chill the rest of the night.

Saturday 3 May 2025

AFTER breakfast I finish off the custom brass order and let the customer know it’s ready.

I’ll be at Kilmarnock plant sale with a stall next Sunday (12 May) and she’ll meet me there.

We do a fair bit of work in garden, including clearing the ‘outside toilet’ area at the side of the office.

There’s a big ton bag full of coal that we stashed there many years ago when we got shot of the coal bunker. I take a photo, stick it on the community chat ‘free for pickup’ and within an hour it’s gone 🙂

With the Kilmarnock plant sale just a week away I start to prototype a few ideas and decide what items I’m gonna have for sale on the West Highland Way Gifts’ table.

I put a small joint of beef on the electric smoker then go back to the office and make a rubber stamp for Mikey.

I the studio I finish putting together a Dropbox folder of promo assets for Come With Me so it’s all ready for the news release going out on Monday morning.

The beef’s ready just in time for Matty arriving…so it;s dinner, drinks and chat ‘til bedtime.

Friday 2 May 2025

ANOTHER nice day outside so after breakfast I dig a hole for Margaret to plant her recently-acquired lilac tree.

We stopped at a garden centre near Carlisle on the way back from last week’s show in Newcastle and Margaret appeared back at the car…with a tree. Her mum had one and she always liked the smell in the summer.

Anyway, the tree is now planted. Hope it thrives and brings some pleasure.

Margaret busies herself with lots of other stuff in the garden and I work on a custom brass pendant that’s been ordered.

While the brass is processing I hit the studio and design/order some stickers for my self and also for the community hydro society.

A courier drops off an order of blankets glass coasters which lets me get an order completed. It’s for a friend of Betty’s – I’ll go for a walk later and drop ‘em off.

A text message from the chemist isn’t he village lets me know my prescription is ready. The bike hasn’t been out the shed this year and this is a good opportunity to go for a spin – it’s dry and good weather so I don’t need to clean it when I get home!

Next job is fixing the security light on the side of the house. The darkness setting seems to be getting screwed up and it’s been coming on day and night. Not a huge issue but a waste of electricity, no matter how slight.

I get the ladders out and make some adjustments. Fixed. For the moment, anyway. I did this a few months ago then it started messing up again.

Finally a walk. I stop in at Betty’s to drop off the coasters…Seonaidh and Michelle are there and I’m persuaded to stop for a glass of wine before continuing my walk.

Thursday 1 May 2025

FIRST job of the day is take Mikey’s (stepson) pencil sketch and turn it into a round brass piece.

The biggest challenge is re-creating the artwork to make it less detailed and ‘spidery’ – especially as the finished brass piece is to be just 25mm.

Once I’ve created my artwork and depth map I set up the machine to process the brass and hit the office. It’s gonna take between two and three hours.

I have some bits and bobs to do for the community hydro society then I work on a news release and PR/promo plan for the upcoming release of Come With Me – the first single from the acoustic album to be released in November.

After lunch I check the brass and, after a bit of finishing work, am pleased with the result.

Our pal Dorothy drops by for a coffee in the garden and put in an order for a custom brass necklace.

Betty and Fiona are coming for dinner tonight so I get all the prep done to make chicken enchiladas.

We have a grand night…finally getting to bed about 3am!

Wednesday 30 April 2025

I START the day with a 9am online guitar session. I’m just finishing when my next guitar student arrives at the house.

There’s half an hour to get some stuff done in the office before a Scottish Music Industry Association online session then a quick lunch before I go to the school in Balloch for a session with the kids.

The sun’s shining when I get home and I do the first grass cut and strip of the year. No doubt that’ll become a weekly occurrence until autumn.

I take a walk to Betty’s to drop off something I made for her then back home and into the offie to work on some other bits and bobs.

Tuesday 29 April 2025

ANOTHER busy day. I have some custom leather keyrings to make and some other special orders.

Interesting that in recent months much of my West Highland Way Gifts stuff has been custom orders.

That keeps me busy all morning.

Early afternoon I have a meeting about a proposed local energy club. We have a working group from the local community hydro society.

After a young guitar student has been for his third lesson I get busy on the merch.

Margaret comes home with some shopping. Once it’s all away I get out for an evening paddle then we make pizza…..

Monday 28 April 2025

THE usual Monday routine of early alarm, sourdough in the oven is followed by a shower, breakfast then an online session with a guitar student.

There’s a bit of work to be done on a special commission for a custom pin/brooch. I get a rough design knocked up and run some prototypes.

Back in the studio I sort out video footage from last week’s show in Newcastle and start to edit up a couple of tracks to spin into tonight’s Wildcats’ Facebook livestream.

After lunch I take a walk along to drop some stuff off at Betty’s then my regular Monday afternoon guitar student arrives with her mum.

I manage to get the two video tracks finished and have time for a walk up the lochside before the livestream

We have a late dinner then get on with some more work…having been granted access to Apple’s music pitching tool I give it a bash for the upcoming release (16 May) of Come With Me – the first of a series of six singles from the new album scheduled to drop in November.

Curious to see if it brings any benefits.

Sunday 27 April 2025

7.30AM before the kids are jumping all over me.

After breakfast I get my camera gear ready for a photo job – the Duke of Montrose’ 90th birthday party.

Catriona and the kids head off as Freya has ice skating at midday and I go to the golf club for the Duke’s event.

I spend a couple of hours snapping put of the great and good then head home and have a nap before starting to go through the photos.

Once I have a selection sorted out I fire a link off then make black pepper tofu for dinner.

Saturday 26 April 2025

GREY and damp outside…but no wind. So it’s good for a paddle.

Catriona and the kids are coming to stay so I hang off going a paddle ‘til they’re on their way and we’ll meet up at Milarrochy so the kids can get a shot on the board with me.

I meet them back at the house for a late lunch then they all go to feed the ducks and I get on with some merch orders.

Once the kids are off to bed we make dinner and chat ‘til the wee hours.

Friday 25 April 2025

AFTER a good breakfast at the hotel I get a little work done then we check out and hit the road home.

We stop off at a garden centre south of Carlisle where Margaret decides to buy a lilac tree off all things.

Next stop is for a sandwich then homeward bound.

After dropping all the gear off in the studio I manage a little work in the office trying out some new ideas to speed up the production of some of my metal jewellery. Doesn’t quite work tho’!