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Wednesday 23 October 2024

THERE’S a. bit of a panic to get stuff sorted out – I have a music session with the kids in Balloch starting at lunchtime.

The original plan was for me to be in tomorrow (Thursday) but I got a message on our way back from Spain asking if I could go today.

Margaret gets in touch with Schiphol airport lost and found about the video camera and I out the gear out and head to school.

I pick up some shopping on the way home then get busy sorting the gear in the studio. I manage to find a spare cone for the damaged guitar too.

Will drops off Freya – she’s staying the night and we’re (..or..erm…Margaret is) babysitting tonight and tomorrow.

Once Freya’s gone to sleep we have dinner then I get busy with a eNewsletter….

Tuesday 22 October 2024

Homeward bound…

WE’RE up at a reasonable time and get packing before breakfast.

After loading up the car Chris and Cath take us to Malaga airport, stopping off en route for a coffee.

Check in and security go smoothly, as does our changeover at Schiphol…but when we board the final flight we realise Maragret left the wee Os mo video camera int he seat back pocket on the previous flight.

Aargh. The camera itself is old and we don’t use it much so not a huge loss in itself…bit all;t he cutaway video footage and b-roll I shot from the tour is on there 🙁

Not much we can do about it until we’re home.

We land in Glasgow just before midnight, pick up the car, stop art Asda for some shopping and head for home.

Sunday 21 October 2024

Magic time at Terra Blues Santa Fe

CHRIS and Cath take us to a Sunday market and we stop for breakfast in the sun.

Next stop is a visit to Mike’s – the guy who opened my show yesterday – studio in Granada where have a great few hours chatting and drinking coffee.

Then on to Santa Fe to load in at Terra Blues. There was a minor panic over the sound system but Raquel and Bjorn have sorted out enough stuff for me to get by.

Turns out a great gig with a full house….then we have a lovely meal before heading back to Alcala La Real.

Post gig dinner at Terra Blues

Saturday 19 October 2024

Great fun at La Lolaina with Mike Vittuli…

WE HAVE a long lie – and when I open the shutters the suns stream in.

Another leisurely breakfast with our hosts then we pack the gear and head to La Lolaina the other side of Granada.

It’s an early afternoon show and local Italian ex-pat and Chapman Stick player Mike Vittuli is opening the show.

A fantastic venue at the foot of a big mountain….nice PA (what a relief after last night at Liberia!) and owner Alessandra is lovely.

After soundcheck we have a great surprise when our pal Sam, Keiran, Eva and Rhys show up. They’re on holiday and spotted the gig.

Mike plays an amazing opening set then I take the stage.

Great crowd and great fun.

After the show were fed then hit Castillo for a few drinks before heading back to Cath and Chris’s…

Friday 18 October 2024

Liberia in Granada…

AFTER breakfast we chill for a while then Chris and Cath take us out for a drive.

First stop is a walk round some old caves then lunch in Alcalá La Real.

We head to Granada for tonight’s show at Liberia. The venue is OK but the PA – or rather, ‘sound system’, is nothing short of awful.

There’s a mixer behind the bar that we can’t get near and I reckon girl on bar duty (Dani) has been dropped into dealing with the sound without having had any instruction. There’s a sound limiter, so there’s little sound from the speakers that are working….yet before and after my show the music is blaring without cutting out ‘the system’.

She’s very nice, tho’, and does her best….but it’s bad – and it’s not helped by my radio pack running flat (musta been switched in in my bag?!?) and some technical guitar issues.

On the plus side there’s a good crowd of mainly young folks in who get right into it and don’t seem bothered by the shit sound.

And…our pals Alex and Marie-Louise have made a four hour drive from Madrid to come to the show. It’s great to see them.

All in all a fun but challenging Spanish debut ….we get back to Chis and Cath’s about 2am and crash….

Chris and Cath take us a walk around Mirador San Marcos before lunch.

Thursday 17 October 2024

THE ALARM goes off at 3am…we have half an hour to get out the house and on our way to the airport.

Our outward flight to Malaga is with Jet2 and I have to say the check in process is very efficient and smooth.

Not the same deal at Glasgow airport security which is a bit of a mess even at that early hour.

Flight is fine but our hearts sink when we see the huge queues at passport control. Thanks Brexit!

The queue moves fairly smoothly though and soon we’re in the car with our pals Chris and Cath and on the way to their place – and our base for the next few days – near Alcalá la Real.

When we get there I reassemble the acosustasonic….but when I open up the National to bring it up to tune there a problem. Disaster even. The cover plate has been bashed in

I take the guitar to bits and on removing the cover plate find the cone squash’s on one side.

In an amazing turn of luck I manage to gently reshape the delicate cone and get it to 90% of its regular shape. The cover plate pops back into shape.

I get everything back together, tune up and everything holds. Phew!

Relieved, I go for a nap then we all head out down town for dinner.

On our way…

Wednesday 16 October 2024

AFTER my regular guitar student has been and gone I get busy in the studio setting up some ticket links and events for gigs coming in 2025.

I spend some time setting up online access to documents relating to the local community asset transfer request.

Sorting out and rationalising gear for tomorrow’s trip to Spain takes a while. Margaret is busy doing doing the same for merch.

I take a quick walk along to Betty’s and drop off some apple pie then. get back to the house to Finishb tour prep. one between times I make pizza..then an early night. A 3.30am departure tomorrow….

Tuesday 15 October 2024

Another necklace prototype…

AN online guitar lesson first thing..then a message from our pals from Finland. They were meant to be coming to stay tonight, but Sanni has a bad cold and doesn’t;t want to pass it on to us before we go to Spain.

Shame we won’t see them, but we’ll catch up soon – here or there.

The upside is that we have time to finish merch and other prep for the Spain tour. Time’s tight as we leave the house around 3.30am on Thursday.

I help Margaret with some stuff for the local community trust – the ongoing saga of the community asset transfer request for the car park in the village is, hopefully, nearing a conclusion.

I’m in the studio experimenting with some recording techniques when my evening guitar student rolls up.

Once we’re finished with the lesson I get some chicken breast in to sous vide and do some more work on merch in the office.

Monday 14 October 2024

Time for a paddle 🙂

STRAIGHT into the studio for a couple of guitar lessons.

It’s a nice day so after I’ve done a little work on the merch – pins and a multi coloured guitar necklace – I go out for a paddle and take advantage of the weather.

I’m out longer than I plan and by the time I’m home, showered and had lunch it’s mid-afternoon.

Once I’ve finished off the merch I do some prep for my Wildcats’ livestream on Facebook.

The stream goes to plan then I get a few more things done in the office before dinner.

Sunday 13 October 2024

Freya loves the flying fox in the park at Doune…

AFTER a bit of a lie in we have breakfast then I go outside and so some work on the pins and necklaces I’ve cast to replenish some of the merch stock for Spain.

We drive to Doune to see Catriona and the kids. Aaron’s acting up a bit so we take Freya to the park and Catriona brings Aaron to meet us once’s calmed down a bit.

After a nice afternoon we head home and I doing a little more work on the merch before we wander along to Betty’s for a drink before dinner.

Back home, we have some of last night’s brisket and watch our pal Billy’s livestream…from Australia. He and Dorothy are on a big trip for a few months but Bill’s determined to keep to his programme of monthly livestreams.

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