Looks like our planned dinner venue is closed so Margaret finds an alternative – Ristorante Al Chianti – not far from St Mark’s Square but turns out great value.
Margaret has spinach and ricotta ravioli followed by grilled prawns –octopus salad followed by cuttlefish spaghetti in black (ink) for me. It’s excellent.
We take a long roundabout wander back to hotel and chill.
THE alarm goes off at 3am…ooooffft. We have a coffee, sort ourselves out and get across to the airport to check in.
We’re on the second flight out of the airport and while the place is pretty quiet, there’s a huge queue and obligatory delays at check in.
Nevertheless, we get through and security is a breeze.
We change over at Amsterdam Schiphol and we’re in Venice by midday.
It’s quite a different experience travelling with just one piece of checked luggage between us and minimal hand baggage. I could get used to this!
Sun’s shining as we take the water bus – there’s a few stops along the way including Murano island where we plan to go later in the week then we hit San Marco.
Our hotel is just off Piazza San Marco (St Mark’s Square) and although check in’s not ‘til 3pm our room is ready.
Despite a king size, four star rating the room is tiny…still, all we need and we do have the promised canal view from both the room and the en suite.
Having only had snacks since 3am we’re starving and go for a wander along the wee back streets in search of cicchetti – we find some then another place for a sandwich and a coffee before stumbling across (not literally) the Rialto bridge.
We take some snaps with my phone…I left the camera at the hotel for today – plenty time for ‘proper’ pix over the next few days.
It’s starting to get chilly and we’re tired so wander back to our hotel for a nap.
Then it’s time for dinner. We noted a few places we liked the look of while wandering around earlier but find another that looks busy with locals and families. A good sign.
Turns out Osteria del Lovo was a good choice! We share a tomato and burrata salad then Margaret has a steak and yours truly enjoys beef cheeks on polenta.
After almost two years off the bevvy I’m allowing myself to enjoy some wine and we share a bottle of Valpolicela. Delicious.
Strangely the alcohol has zero effect on me. I do enjoy a couple of glasses tho’!
We wander the back streets and find our way back to hotel. A grand first day of holiday…
MY prototype idea for a high end Kickstarter reward didn’t work as I’d hoped so I get to work on some improvements.
I also need to make up a postage table with rtes and stuff for the Kickstarter. Getting close to having all my ducks in a row to get the project put together and submitted for approval.
A walk up the lochside helps clear the cobwebs and when I get back I put together a news release and some images to promote February’s Aberdeen and Edinburgh shows with my pal Trevor.
Once done, I send out to some key media contacts then make a list fo stuff I need to try and get done before we head off on holiday – the first since we met twenty years ago – tomorrow….
WE HAVE a bit of a long lie then get up in time for Dorothy coming to pick up the brass pendant I made for her.
She’s delighted with it and after a coffee and a blather heads off and we have breakfast.,
In the studio I do some work on album art and backers’ pin design so I can start putting together the Kickstarter project for the new album.
I also spend some time with designs for another exclusive high end backer reward. Before I know it the day has gone and I head back to the house to make dinner….
THERE’S a lot on today’s to-do list but we desperately need new tyres so I get up early and head into Glasgow..
A stop at the post office to re-post some posters sent to a venue in mid-December that were never picked up their end and returned to us then on to Costco.
Seems Costco doesn’t do ‘walk ups’ anymore and we need to order and make an appointment online. For next week. Fuck that. I go find ATS but no joy for same day service there. At least the staff are more pleasant the grumpy bastard at Costco.
Turns out there’s nowhere in Glasgow I can get same day tyres…and I’ve already lost a morning that I can ill afford. I pick up some shopping and go home.
Margaret makes some calls and ends up with a positive response from SMS in Stirling. The place is shut tomorrow (Saturday) but if I can get there before 4pm they can do the needful today. Yay!
I go to Stirling, get the tyres done and drop off some stuff for WIll and say hello to the grandkids in DOune omen the way home.
AFTER making some video clips live on YouTube – including the one of me attempting to ply some guitar riffs on Duncan’s performance of Rollin’ in my Sweet Baby’s Arms I get busy editing up the paddleboard clips from yesterday.
I get everything posted – including TikTok even though I’ve kinda backed off on as it seems to be getting banned in many countries. Glad I’ve not invested too much time or energy in it.
Then it’s time to do some music with the kids at the school in Balloch. The afternoon goes fine and I pick up some shopping on the way home.
Margaret’s finishing of Mikey’s accounts – I make dinner then mess with some artwork ideas for the forthcoming Still Friends album….
Lovely paddle to Port Bawn…a bit rough on the way back tho’…
I HAVE an online guitar student first thing then get my gear ready to go for a paddle.
It’s lovely day and I wanna try and get some drone stuff while I’m out. Although very calm in places the outward paddle to Port Awn is against he wind and some kind weird current – maybe water coming off th hills into the loch – or maybe a result of the two Tornados flying low up the loch earlier!
At Port Bawn – the far end of Inchcailloch I chat with some kayakers. When they paddle off I mess with the drone a little…being mindful that it doesn’t;’t like being over water. regardless I get some footage.
It’s nearly 3pm when I get home, showered and a late lunch..then I hit the studio and get some real work done.
Mikey rocks up late afternoon – Margaret’s trying to sort out his shitstorm of accounts and submit his tax return…I finish a batch of packaging stickers for Manson Glass then go back to the house to cook dinner. Beef, butternut squash and ancho chilli….
AN ONLINE guitar lesson first thing then I hit the office and start experimenting with the lasers for a new and faster way to produce packaging stickers for Manson Glass.
The gantry CO2 laser takes nearly an hour a sheet which is only 15 stickers. I say ‘sticker’ but they’re thin black/gold two later acrylic, so they’re pretty prestige and are used on the boxes for Manson paperweights.
The new laser machine is a flavour set up (both fibre and diode) and can engrave much, much faster than the gantry.
I run some tests to get a good engrave setting then see what I can do for cutting. The diode/fibre is not gonna be any use for cutting this specific material, so I decide to cut on the CO2 and engrave on the flavour. The galvo has a neat batch processing feature which makes the alignment and stuff a cinch.
Running both machines, though, I realise that my venting system is not all it should be and as well as extracting to the outside, it’s also pushing some air (including fumes and debris) into the other machines. I’m gonna need some manual dampers in the system!
Margaret needs to go to the village so I go along for the ride and walk back getting home in good time for my early evening guitar student arriving.
In the studio I ‘activate’ one of my videos from the garden concert on YouTube. I’d kept it private until the WIldcats had a chance to see it.
Back in the house I do some more work on the upcoming Kickstarter and album production plan…and suddenly it’s midnight!
Pretty pleased with this custom pendant…final version will have a clasp for attaching chain or leather…
STRAIGHT to the studio for an online guitar student after breakfast.
Next job is to make up and send out a questionnaire to the participants on the upcoming guitar workshop and also send them some basic info. I use Surveymonkey to gather the info to help me decide on content and structure.
After lunch I take a walk up the lochside then start some prep for tonight’s Wildcats’ livestream on Facebook.
Laura brings Violet for her guitar lesson and once they’re away I finish the custom brass pendant. I’m waiting on clasps to attach cord/chain/whatever as the wee jump rings I normally use are too lightweight for this.
