I’D HOPED to get out for a paddle after my morning Zoom session with a guitar student. No such luck – the calm day predicted has unsurprisingly ended up windy and the loch is a bit on the choppy side. Ah well.
Instead, I do a little more work on the audiopoint info board. The engraving is OK, but I’d prefer it to be higher contrast. I think I’m gonna have to try and inlay the lettering with mica powder. I seal up a test engrave with shellac and order some clear-drying wood glue to mix with the mica powder. We’ll try it out when the glue arrives tomorrow and see if it’s likely to work.
There’s some prep to do for a guitar student coming later today and a courier drops off some raw brass I need for a special job.
Next, I get some video clips ready to spin into this evening’s Wildcats’ livestream on Facebook then get to play guitar for a wee while before my guitar student and her mum rock up.
I have time for a quick wander through the woods before the 8pm livestream, All goes to plan and I’m back in the house by 9pm.
I continue work on the info panel for the audiopoint
WE HAVE A bit of a long lie then I hit the studio to do some more prep for tonight’s radio show – the second Dave Arcari’s Deep Blues on Rock.Scot.
It’s not hard, but it is pretty time-consuming deciding what tracks to play and getting everything organised to fit the time slots etc.
In the office I get a bot more work done on the info panel for the local audiopoint. Bit of jittery pokery needed to work out how I can do the engraving as the panel is at least four times bigger than the capacity of my laser…I split the artwork/design into four sections and do each separately.
Before my radio show I make a batch of pasta using some of the wild garlic purée I made yesterday…then it’s showtime…
UP AT 6am to get the dough for my weekend rolls made…then back to bed for an hour before I get up again and make coffee.
I have a young guitar student coming – by herself this time as her wee brother has a birthday party…the lesson goes better as she is attentive and keen. Her wee brother has, let’s say, a shorter attention span and can be a bit of a distraction during the normal ‘two at once’ lessons.
We go along to the village hall for a fundraising community lunch. Having only just had breakfast we stick to coffee and hang out for a while chatting with folks. Margaret has to go to the village for some stuff and I walk back, picking a load of wild garlic along the way.
Back home I do some test engraving on wood offcuts from the audiopoint sign then wash and sort the wild garlic before making some wild garlic purée which I’ll use in pasta dough.
We wander down to our pal Sara’s at the boatyard for dinner where Betty joins us and we have another grand evening.
FIRST job of the day is to get tonight’s brisket onto the smoker – then some web stuff for my pal Kevin who’s new single is out today.
Then it’s straight onto a community hydro society meeting which goes well.
I tend the brisket through the afternoon taking some time out to dot between the studio and office to prep for Sunday's radio show and do little bits and bobs on the audiopoint sign.. I’m printing a soft TPU gasket to ensure a snug fit wee it coms to integrating the panel with the actual audiopoint…my 3D printer’s too small so it’s printing I section and each one is taking about four hours!
I’m considering a nomination for the Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park board and go through the nomination pack and do some research. Everyone I’ve mentioned it to thinks it’s a good idea. Mmmm….
The brisket has reached 203 degrees internal and is ready to come off the smoker and rest in the faux cambro just as Duncan and Irene arrive…Betty follows shortly and we have a grand night of grub and chat.
NOT a bad day outside so once I’ve got the usual admin and socials stuff done I go out and tackle the wood that’s as delivered yesterday (to the wrong address!) for the audiopoint signage.
The slab isn’t exactly as ordered but some creative cutting should sort that out. Means I only have once ‘spare’ instead of two.
As usual with these projects there’s a fair bit of improvisation – partly due to lack of ‘the proper tools’ and partly down to my lack of experience.
There’s a fair bit of measuring and to-ing and fro-ing to the audiopoint but I eventually get all the rough cuts done. There’s a fair amount of ‘finishing’ to be done and I need to design and 3D print some kind of gasket so it fits snugly round the audiopoint unit.
No time to dothat now, though – I need to prep a brisket for the smoker for tomorrow (Friday) and then fo to Braehead for a rock.scot team meeting. The meet up is worthwhile and I’m home for dinner by 10pm….
UP EARLY to get my sourdough in the oven and let it cool while I run a session with one of my online guitar students.
After breakfast Margaret gets on with some gig booking then goes outside to tackle the build of the new grill – I’m busy in the studio gathering some tracks for upcoming radio shows and doing an inventory check on my guitar string stock. Wanna try some slightly heavier strings on the new Klos carbon fiber guitar.
I also mess with a new song idea 🙂
Margaret's away to Doune to pick up the grandkids from school so I pick up on the grill build. As is often he way with these things, every bit that could be seperate is, meaning a zillion pieces to put together. Assembly nightmare!
It takes me about three hours to get the thing finished albeit with breaks to make some dough for burger buns and ball up some mince for tonight’s smash burgers. They won’t be done on the new grill tho’, ‘cos it needs seasoned…the electric grill with a griddle plate will have to suffice.
It’s 7pm by the time I get out for a walk up the lochside.The midges are out in force but it’s a lovely evening….
MAIN job today is to check the stereo mix for the vocal links on my radio show. On Sunday my voice only came out of the left channel….the techies got on the case and messaged me a fix. I try it…and it works 🙂
I also need to pull more tracks into the play out system for future shows.
Once done I go back to the house and decide to go and get some shopping in Glasgow. First stop is Costco where I spot a charcoal grill we’ve had our eye on.
Our current grill is over 15 years old and seen better days. It wasn’t particularly great to start with.
After a bit of research we found a Masterbuilt charcoal grill we liked – but at £450 it was way out our budget. I noticed Costco had it for £349 so we thought we’d save up and get one. Today, though, I see it in-store at Costco for under £300. Fuck it, credit card to the rescue. We’re not gonna find a better deal.
After getting the rest of the shopping I spend inordinately amounts of time in three traffic jams as I head home…ooooft.
A FEW admin things to get out the way before a Zoom session with one of my online guitar students.
I also sort my playlist for my debut show on Rock.Scot radio last night and post it on the show Facebook page and around my socials. I also need to fix a typo in some of my ‘how to listen’ graphics.
There’s an invoice in form the hospital in Helsinki. Six-hundred-and-fifty euros. Fuck. Margaret looks out our UK Global Health Insurance Cards and I send a scan of mine in the hope that it will cover – or at least reduce – the bill.
After lunch I go through all the grant applications submitted to the community hydro society and add my scores and comments before our board meeting later in the week.
I decide to use a 2020 video session with Charlie Parr in my Wildcats’ livestream later – my next live show is with Charlie at Cottier’s in Glasgow (Wednesday 27 May). The original video is way too long at over an hour so I try and edit out as much as possible and split it into two sections. Still a bit long,but hey ho.
There’s time for a wander up the lochside where I do a ‘promo’ livestream for the main event later on. Weirdly Facebook lets me livestream from my page onto the Wildcats’ group…but said livestream isn’t visbile in the group! Had this problem last week, then a test the other day was OK…and now the problem’s back. I go live into the group form my personal profile and all works fine. I make a note to remember to do same later!
NO LONG lie today – we’re up early to get over to Kilmaronock Old Kirk for the annual plant sale – we have a space at the market for West Highland Way Gifts. And Love-Balmaha and even my music stuff.
The sun’s shining as we put up the gazebo and set the table with stuff. It’s a wee bit windy, though, which is a wee bit challenging, We’re good to go when gates open and have a nice few hours chatting to folks and catching up with some pals.
As with all these kind of events sales are minimal, but it’s more about the social side for me.
Once we’re done we stop off at the But & Ben in Croftamie for a late lunch then get home and unpack everything.
I do a but of promo on my socials for my debut Dave Arcari’s Deep Blues show on Rock.scot and also send a message to my email list. All goes well with the show – although there are a couple of techie things to be ironed out – like my mic/voice only comign through on one – the left – channel. Not an issue for most folks – but for those listening on headphones/earbuds it’s not ideal Hopefully sorted for next week’s show.
A bit windier than I expect when I get out for a paddle
I’M ONLY just finished breakfast when my six and eight year old brother and sister guitar students arrive for their double-header lesson.
The six year old is really too young – although interested, he is very easily distracted and is kinda holding his very able big sister back a bit. I think I’m gonna have to suggest separate lessons.
I’m frazzled by the end of the lesson but need to get into the studio and finish stuff for tonight’s debut Dave Arcari’s Deep Blues radio show on rock.scot.
Once I’ve everything sorted I go out for a paddle. A bit windier than forecast but it’s still fun.
Back home I have a nap then get stuff ready for tomorrow’s (Sunday) plant sale at Kilmaronock Old Kirk
Suddenly the day is done and we wander along to Betty’s for dinner with her and some of her pals.
