Still Friends – available on my Bandcamp page before general release on all streaming services on Friday…
A BUSY start to the day with a Zoom guitar student immediately followed by an in-person lesson.
There’s an order in for three Loch Lomond key rings – they’re made of black acrylic with an iridescent inlay and I’m not sure I have the materials.
After digging about a bit I find enough to get the order made and start knocking them together then get them in the post box.
I realised I haven’t made a vertical version of the official Still Friends video so get busy on that…then some more bits and bobs of video stuff for Kevin McD.
Our pal David drops by and helps me finish off the garage door repair. I replaced the mechanism and lock last week but neither of us could work out why the holes int eh steel frame were so off. My drill bit wouldn’t;t go through so David drills and cuts. Job done.
There’s only time for a short walk before I light a chimney-full of charcoal and cook our smash burgers.
For some reason I decide to try my hand at making ciambella. Success!
AFTER breakfast I have an urge to I try my hand at making ciambella – a kinda Italian cake flavoured with vanilla and lemon zest. My aunt Maria used to make it when I was a kid and it was one of my favourites.
I get the mix in the oven then venture outside to try and tidy up some of the wind damage. It’s still pretty blowy, tho’ – and it looks like it’s gonna be that way for at least a few more days.
In the studio I get some more promo done for Friday’s release of Still Friends (the single) then do some prep for a young guitar student coming later on.
Once out the oven and cooled, the ciambella is pretty good. The texture is a little ‘rough’ but it tastes good.
After the guitar lesson I spot a message from my pal Kevin asking if I’llbe available for a chat later on. He has a new single coming soon and needs some help.
We FaceTime and chat through some ideas and I put together a wee plan based around vertical video clips and socials.
I have a wander up the loch side. It’s still windy but not cold and I enjoy the fresh air.
Back home I make some pasta dough then do some video work for Kevin while it rests..then it’s pasta with tomatoes, garlic and basil for dinner.
AFTER a wee bit of a lie in I head to the studio for a session with a Zoom guitar student.
Next job it prepping Still Friends – the single coming on Friday – for Bandcamp so I can share in my WIldcats’ livestream later. It’s live on my Bandcamp page now.
The forecast wind is really picking up now and because of the leaves on the trees, bushes etc, it’s having a pretty devastating effect. We brave the elements and try and anchor down the fruit cage with paracord and same with the wee PVC greenhouse thing that houses my tomatillo plants.
Sadly two of the three have succumbed to the wind and despite being inside the greenhouse thing are broken beyond repair. There was gonna be a bumper crop but only two or three fruits have reached full-size/ripeness 🙁
Back in the studio I edit up video footage from both Upton Blues Festival and the ‘gig in the garden’ for tonight’s livestream and subsequent social content.
At livestream time we still have power, thank goodness…I was expecting the usual wind-induced power cuts…and the livestream all goes to plan.
THE KIDS have everyone up early and we have bacon and sausage rolls at Matty's while we wait for the rain to pass.
As soon as it;s dry we make our way to the 'den' for the Turriff Show – the biggest annual event of its type in the local and regional calendar. As well as farm animals, machinery and the like, there's stuff for all the family.
The kids have a whale of a time and we also catch some live music and a motorcycle stunt rider. There's loads of food trucks around and the 'ghillies meal' – venison burger with brie and redcurrant jelly –I choose for lunch is amazing.
It's after 6pm when we get back to Matty's, say cheerio to everyone and drive back down the road stopping in Dundee for some shopping bits. Been a grand weekend.
THE KIDS, of course, have us up at the crack of dawn – no bad thing as we wanna get on the road from Doune to Turriff via Dundee early doors.
Will gets back from night shift just after 7am And we manage to get the cr packed with stuff and the kids to meet Catriona and Mikey in Dundee for a breakfast rendezvous. I wanna get Mikey’s new iPhone sorted for him.
We say cheerio to Mikey, head north and get to Matty’s in Turriff early afternoon.
It’s a beautiful sunny day. We take the kids to a nearby play park then rake a drive to Banff where we have a really good meal sitting outside at the Banff Springs Hotel.
Next, a wee drive further to Port Soy where the kids paddle in the sea and jump the waves, then ice cream, then back to Turriff.
WE HAVE a lazy start to the morning drinking coffee and dealing with emails and socials.
I have a couple of gifts I made for pals that I wanna get parcelled up and ready for the post office then hit the studio to start tackling my accounts.
After lunch I’m back on it and make some progress before we leave for Doune. We’re staying at Catriona’s and looking after the kids tonight then going to meet Catriona in Dundee in the morning before we all drive up to Turriff to see Matty.
Margaret stays in the house with Aaron and I take Freya to Fred the ducks.
Back at the house Margaret orders some Chinese food then puts the kids to bed while I go to Dunblane to pick up the grub.
MARGARET’s off to Edinburgh to meet Lesley for hair-dos…and I have a 9am online guitar student.
There’s a couple of items to be designed and made in the office. While the first one is ‘processing’ I get busy with some stuff for the local hydro society.
I take some time to sit down with a guitar and run through some songs…and mess with some ideas for some new ones.
There’s time for a walk in the sunshine before my in-person guitar student arrives then we sit outside and have some pizza for dinner.
MY 9am online guitar session has been moved to tomorrow (Thursday) so I have a little time before Dawn arrives for her lesson at 9.30am.
By the time I’ve got all the adminy stuff out the way it’s time to join a Help Musicians’ ‘insiders’ forum session where. Few of us give Help Musicians’ staff an insight into various aspects fo the music industry and discuss various topics.
An occasional in-person guitar student rocks up – he’s keen to explore some acoustic stuff and we spend a good hour-and-a-half covering a range of ideas.
The new lock for the garage door has been sitting siting to get fitted for weeks – the old one is attached to the struts with rivets and I’d been unsure how to remove them. A quick search on YouTube reveals some tricks of the trade and amazingly I get them removed without a hitch…and the new lock in place.
Betty joins us for dinner and we have a grand evening chatting, eating and a few glasses of red.
AFTER uploading the three videos I edited yesterday to my YouTube channel for scheduled release over the week I get busy with some more promo for the release of Still Friends – the fourth single and title track of the upcoming album on 8 August.
Most of the work has already been done with just a. few bits and bobs and loose ends to tie up...including a video canvas and pitch to Spotify.
An online 'working with promoters, agents and venues' workshop is next but really doesn't bring anything new to the table...although at least it validates our approach. ironically I follow that up by doing some work on our housekeeping budget!
THE USUAL Monday morning routine is broken as I didn't make my sourdough yesterday...but resumes with my regular Monday morning Zoom guitar student.
It's dry and slightly breezy. which means I can get the gazebos from Saturday's garden gig out from under the smoker shelter and let them dry properly before putting them away.
In the office I have some graphic work to do – a special gift I wanna make someone and also some t-shirt ideas to be knocked up.
After lunch it's onto video edits for tonight's Wildcats' livestream and subsequent sharing on YouTube and my socials.
Once my afternoon guitar student has left I manage a little bit of a walk then it's back to the studio for the weekly Wildcats' livestream.
