EASTER Sunday…and I’m up at 6am to get the smoker on for the pork belly. Once everything’s sorted I go back to bed and set a timer to go check the wood pellets and give the three slabs of pork belly a spritz with apple cider vinegar – an hourly exercise to help the bark form and keep things humid in the smoker.
A message form Catriona tells us she and Will haven;t been well overnight so won’t be coming – Matty’s on his way down form Dundee and will pick the kids up ‘en route and if she’s feeling better Catriona will come and pick them up later.
After breakfast I make a Carolina-style vinegar BBQ sauce and tend the pork while making another ‘fossil’ for the kids to find during their Easter egg hunt.
Mattey arrives with the kids early afternoon and despite the rain we have a fun time with the egg hunt and take Aaron to the bay…Freya’s not keen to come and when we get back we find out why. She’s been sick.Projectile vomitted all over the bed in the spare room. Margaret strips everything and gets the washing machine on then we have smoked pork belly, coleslaw and potato salad for lunch.
Mikey and Les leave late afternoon and we chill with Matty and the kids. Catriona’s not coming for the kids so they’re staying over – Margaret gets them ready for bed and I make some pasta for dinner then we watch Bill and Dorothy's livestream.
AFTER breakfast Margaret heads off to the village and I prep three big slabs of pork belly for tomorrow. I cut and trim as necessary, score the fat cap, slather in mustard then add a rub – my mix of freshly cracked black pepper, sea salt and garlic granules.
Then it goes in the fridge to be retrieved at 6am tomorrow (Sunday) morning when I fire up the smoker. We're having a family day with an Eater egg hunt for the kids and aim to eat around 4pm. The pork belly generally takes a little over eight hours and is best to let rest for an hour, so if all goes to plan it'll work out.
Margaret's not long back when Les rolls up – she's staying tonight, as is Mikey – both go home after the family day tomorrow (Sunday)...everyone else is coming just for the day but we'll have Matty 'til Wednesday.
I'm doing grilled flank steak tonight so make up my marinade which'll go in a ziplock bag with the steak – but not 'til an hour or so before grilling. Over-marinading can make the meat mushy.
We have a chilled afternoon and I take some time out to make some 'fossils' – deep embossing trilobites and ammonites in bits of broken slate – for the kids to find along with the chocolate eggs tomorrow.
It's 9pm by the time I light the charcoal. Mikey's still not arrived by the time we eat so we have dinner and I keep some back for Mikey when he gets here.
LOTS on ‘the list’ for today but the imminent arrival of Storm Dave has thrown up an opportunity to make some online content. Time is of the essence.
After breakfast I hit the studio and make up a quick video to post round my socials. Quick? Well, as usual I mess around with it for a while so it takes longer than it should!
There’s a lull in the rain so I start digging a hole for another fence post in the front garden. Rocks and roots – as well as general inaccessibility to the spot where I want the post makes it kinda difficult and I’m not sure the hole’s deep enough for the postcrete to hold the post. We’ll see.
Try as I might I can’t find the decking screws I thought I had in the shed. There’s a builder supplies place between here and Balloch so I drive over and grab a box of big fuck-off screws.
Of course the rain’s back on when I get home so next phase/s of fence repair gonna have to wait!
Great to get a paddle - and the aqua drone seems to work pretty good
THERE’S some good fortune that early this morning isn’t windy and the sun’s out – it means not only do I get out for a paddle but I get to test the HOVERAir Aqua drone that arrived yesterday after nearly a year’s wait.
I backed the aqua project on Indiegogo when it was launched and shipping was scheduled for October-December. Needless to say things fell behind and shipping only just started in the last couple of weeks. Now it’s here.
The drone seems to work pretty well but I don’t have time to check when I get back – a quick shower and breakfast before my pal Kevin arrives. We chat over a few coffees and come up with a plan for the release of his next single, Tell Me. Coming 15 May.
Kevin heads off early afternoon and I check out the drone video from earlier and edit some clips together with some talking head I recorded on my phone. Still haven’t worked out how to record audio with the drone footage.
Next job is to repair the front garden fence. I’ve already marked where the new posts need to go so it’s a case of digging the holes, breaking through rock and postcrete-ing them in. Luckily Margaret’s back with the shopping and can hold the post in place while I screw some temporary supports in before postcrete-ing.
CANNAE believe it’s April already. The last few months seem to have gone by in a flash.
Seems Wednesday is my new sourdough day, so up early to get it in the oven, baked and cooled ready for breakfast before my 9am online guitar session.
Then I have a couple of show indents to record for my upcoming radio show on Rock.scot ready for launch at the end of the month.
We find time to go for a swim then a late lunch before my double-header kids arrive for their joint guitar lesson.
There’s quite a few things on my to-do list. I start by emailing the FInland and Estonia folks on my email list with info on the upcoming shows. Next, similar targeted messages via Bandsintown then I make up vertical, square and wide promo videos for both Estonia and Finland.
I post the vertical ones as reels round my socials and prep the rest for social ad campaigns then head back to the house to prepare dinner. Betty’s coming along for dinner.
UP AND organised early to get the daily admin, socials and email sorted before my pal Tom arrives to go over the play out system for the new radio show launching at the end of April.
We have a coffee and catch up then hit the studio.It’s good to get an in-depth understanding of the web-based play out system so I can get properly familiar with everything before my first show. We also do some screen and video recording – not just as an aide memoire for myself, but also for some of the other presenters.
It’s mid-afternoon by the time we finish up then I see if I can edit up some of the video resources. There’s some frame rate and sync issues, but I manage to sort the majority of it out and make a start.
I don’t feel much like it, but I make myself go a walk up the lochside. Despite my tiredness I enjoy the walk and get back in time for a visit from tom to chat over some community trust stuff with Margaret. Nice to see him briefly before I go back to the video editing….
WE’RE all up at a reasonable time as I wanna have some time to work on guitar stuff with Davie.
He’s been a long time online slide guitar student – and also came to the residential workshop last year – but we’ve been doing a coupla things that are best worked on in person.
After spending some time int he studio we go back to te house, have a coffee then he and Jane hit the road.
I have some stuff to get done before a 3pm double-lesson online with a new student in Spain.
The online session goes well then I get a start editing some video to spin into tonight’s WIldcats’ livestream on Facebook. I’ve left it all a bit late but I get there and the livestream goes fine 🙂
The rain stops long enough to take Jane and Davie a walk up the lochside.
AFTER breakfast I get the smoker going for tonight’s pork belly. Our pal’s Davie and Jane are coming for the night.
I also make a batch of Japanese BBQ sauce – we’ll have the pork belly win rice bowls with green beans as Jane is celiac and can’t eat gluten/wheat. Making the sauce I realise that there’s soy sauce in it which has wheat extract, so after the main batch I make a smaller amount of the same but using liquid aminos instead of soy sauce.
Mid-afternoon we’re all tidied and ready when they arrive. We chat over tea and coffee while the wind and rain howl outside. Later on the rain stops and things brighten enough to take our guests a wader up the lochside. It’s still really windy tho’!
Back home we chat and stuff until the pork is ready then I prepare dinner.
We have a grand night of food, drinks and chat – Davie is one of my long-time online guitar students (they’re based down in the borders) and Jane’s into a lot of outdoor stuff so there’s plenty to talk about.
UP EARLY to go to a climate action network meeting in Killearn. Margaret’s going in her role as secretary of the local community trust – I’m going as a director for the local community hydro scheme.
There’s a few folks I know there and we have a an interesting and informative morning with a brunch break mid-morning.
Back home we have another breakfast masquerading as lunch then I take a walk to Betty’s with a mock up of the audio point info panel I’ve been working on.
When I get back Catriona and the kids have arrived and we hag out for a couple of hours.
I have a new oline guitar student in Spain to book in for in a double session – I set it up on Zoom and fire off the meeting link. And my invoice.
I have a short nap on the couch then mix up some mince, peppers and a multitude of other ingredients (including ground coffee and baking powder!) to make tonight’s Dubai tacos – an unusual thing that I can only describe as a weird taco-cum-smashburger. They turn out great!
MARGARET’S off to dermatology appointment and, after breakfast, I have some West Highland Way Gifts’ merch to send out.
We have pals coming to stay on Sunday and I’m gonna smoke some pork belly…there’s a whole pork belly in the fridge outside which I cut into manageable slabs, trim up and put a couple of bits aside for Sunday. I vacuum pack the other slabs and put them in the freezer.
In studio I carry on trying to develop a fingerpicking guitar tune I’ve been putting together.
There’s a bit of video to be filmed – just worth my phone – and I realise that my lav mics are all mini jack or lightning connectors, not USB-C as on my new phone. Dammit. I don’t have any money and I can’t justify spending a fortune so after a bit of research and to-it ad fro-ing between possibilities take a punt on an old version of DJI’s wireless mic mini.
I finish off some draft artwork for an info panel to fit around the local audio point and make a mini mockup/model of how it could look.
The it’s time to go to Helensburgh for dinner qt our pals Alastair and Karen. Normally we stay over but we have n early event tomorrow (Saturday) and I’m aff the drink so we’re home soon after midnight having had a grand evening catching up over a lovely meal.
