Found this photo from the stage at last n night’s show…
UP EARLY to get a shower, finish packing and breakfast before our driver comes to pick us up at 8.45am.
A three-and-a-half hour drive to Prague airport – the longest part of our journey between home and Czech!
Our flight is delayed by half an hour or so but we have plenty of time for our changeover at Heathrow…enough, even, to allow us to stop at Wagamama for an early dinner.
The flight to Edinburgh is full and it appears there’s not enough space for everyone’s hand luggage. Margaret has to check hers at the gate and explains she has glass item that are fragile. She’s (extremely) rudely told she needs to take them out and carry them (they won’t fit in her handbag). Interestingly a. number of folks boarding after us seem to be allowed to take their even larger bags on board!
We’re clear of the airport just after 9pm, pick up the car and head for home, stopping off at the supermarket in Stirling for some shopping….
HAVING arrived at the hotel so late last night and everything closed we’re starving when we head down to breakfast.
It’s a bit of an adventure as the three or four main buildings that make up the hotel are connected via a maze of underground passages and corridors.
Breakfast is good tho’ and we chat with Florida-based Albert Castiglia and his band. Nice guys and they’re playing right after me tonight.
We spend the day chillin’ and dealing with some online stuff before being picked up at 5pm and taken to the festival venue.
Load in is quick and easy and I have 45 minutes or so before the band in before me finishes and I do my line checks behind the scrims.
We go to the merch area and leave all my stuff there with the BluesAlive folks and grab a drink and a quick bite in the VIP area
Line check and all the tech goes smoothly. I get changed in my dressing room which has enough beer, drinks and snacks for a ten piece band then hit the stage.
The huge venue is packed and the crowd is mad for it….and I have a blast for my 50-minute set.
As soon as I’ve cleared the stage I head to the merch area and hang out chatting and signing stuff then we ‘re sent to the restaurant for dinner.
We finish in time to catch Albert Castiglia and chat with more folks before our driver takes us back to the hotel where we get some packing done ready of an early start in the morning….
UP early so we can be packed and on the road to Edinburgh airport by 9.30am.
Check in is smooth and we’re in Heathrow by lunchtime. We have a couple of hours so go for some grub….it’s gonna be late when we get to our hotel and everything is likely to be closed.
There’s the usual queues at non-EU passport control – and none at EU (thank you Brexit) – but at least all the bags and gear arrived safe.
Our driver Adam meets us at arrivals and we have a three hour drive to our hotel in Sumperk.
We arrive after midnight – the place is very grand but looks deserted. I check the guitars but am too tired to do much else….
MY first online guitars student of the day is having problems with Zoom so we’re a bit late getting started. I have some bits and bobs to keep me busy while he’s sorting his tech.
I have some stuff to do for the community hydro society which takes up the rest of the morning.
After lunch Margaret drives to the village to pick up some stuff from the chemist and I walk back home – a ribbon mic I ordered online is scheduled to arrive but Margaret’ll be back in time in case the courier needs a signature.
It’s a weird grey, foggy walk but it’s nice to get some fresh air and exercise. The mic has indeed arrived when I get back but there’s no time to check it out….I need to start getting my gear together for our flight to Czech in the morning.
I get some stuff sorted before my evening guitar student arrives then finish packing once we’re done with his lesson. Margaret’s busy with the merch…deciding what to take and making local currency pricelists….
A BUSY day with guitar lessons – both online and in-person.
In between I try to further our loan application with the Energy Savings Trust and finish off some leather luggage tags and AirTag holders in the office. I’ve been filming the various stages in production of each for some ‘making of’ videos.
I have a wee while before my final guitar student of the day. She’s not here ’til 4pm so I manage a quick walk and film some stuff for my socials with the drone to promote tonight’s livestream and January’s guitar workshop.
Despite having all the prep done for this evening’s Wildcats’ livestream on Facebook two hours in advance, a whole load of things go wrong and eat up the time!!
I manage to sort all the issues and get online on time for the livestream which goes reasonably to plan other than the camera crapping out in the middle for a few seconds.
I take some snaps at the local Remembrance Sunday wreath laying at the Rowardennan memorial…
FIRST job of the day is to try and get as much of yesterday’s wedding photos sorted before the local Remembrance Sunday wreath-laying at Rowardennan.
I’ve made good progress by the time Maureen arrives and we all jump in the car and head up the pass.
Arthur and piper Debbie are already there. It’s a bit grey and drizzly but it kinda adds atmosphere. There ceremony goers well, I grab some pix for the local community trust socials and we’re back home before midday.
I get in with the photos until Catriona and the kids rock up – we have coffee and cake (chocolate – made by Catriona and the kids) and then go a wee walk.
Back in the studio I finish the photo edit and fire of lo-res proofs to the bride and groom. They get back. saying they’re over the moon and immediately pay the balance of their invoice. I send over the hi-res versions of the pix.
Next I sort some pix from this morning at Rowardennan and post some on the community trust socials.
Then it’s time for Billy’s mon they livestream – not from Florida as usual, but from Tasmania as he and Dorothy are on their travels. We have the leftover brisket for dinner and watch….
AFTER breakfast Mikey starts revamping the space left by the old woodburner. The ceiling is a particular mess and never been level, so he has a fair job on his hands.
I have a photo job in Luss and pack my gear. It’s a wedding with na small-ish group of 25 guests and I have to capture folks arriving, the ceremony, a drinks reception and a boat trip. I generally only do weddings with just the couple, celebrant and, at most, a couple of witnesses, so this is a little out my comfort zone.
When I get there I find the ceremony room pretty dim with windows behind the space, so everything’s back lit…thank fuck I brought a strobe and soft box. This is when I find the real value in my recent switch from Nikon DSLR kit to Sony mirrorless. Saved the day!
Then couple are cool and it’s a nice crowd. I’m on the job for a good three or four hours and get home late afternoon.
Mikey’s made good progress with the walls/ceiling/floor in the woodburner space. I hit the studio and dump the photos onto a hard drive and start going through to select the best ones….
Next batch of leather stuff – AirTag holders for ourselves!
UP EARLY as we’re not sure what time the folks are coming to take our the old woodburner. I also need to get a brisket on..but not in the smoker – I’m gonna see how it goes in a Ninja woodfire.
I have a community hydro society meeting on Zoom so head to the studio for a few hours then get a message from Margaret saying the stove guys won’t be here until lunchtime.
Back in the office I do some work on a couple of extra leather AirTag holders we need – just ones for ourselves – so Margaret can sew them up later.
After the stove guys have been to get the old woodburner out I call the Energy Savings Trust to find out what to do about our successful loan application. Ten years…but interest free and, I hope, we should save more on our electricity than we have to pay in loan instalments.
There’s some work to be done on the website/online/socials job for the Black Bull in Gartmore then. I manage out for a wee walk.
Back from the studio I get some of next year’s shows listed online then Mikey arrives. He’s gonna do some work on art where the woodburner was removed.
ONCE my morning guitar student has left I take the Acoustasonic into Glasgow.
Jimmy Egypt has a look and reckons I need some inserts that may need to be custom engineered. Oooftt. He might be able to find something. off the shelf to do the job but is up to his ass and not gonna be able to look at it properly until next week…when I’ll be in Czech for BluesAlive.
Looks like I’ll just haves to stick with the original neck until he has time to research and fix.
Not an entirely wasted journey, tho’, as there’s shopping to be done.
It’s late afternoon when I get home and I’m knackered. I have a short nap then re-do some of the leather luggage tags – I’d made some for Margaret and made a typo in the phone number. Doh!
We take dinner – Margaret’s made flambé chicken – along to Betty’s and we have a nice chilled evening.
I take a selfie to promote the upcoming guitar workshop
WE’RE needing a couple more luggage tags, so when the post delivers some leather I ordered I get them into production so we’re ready for next week’s trip to Czech for the BluesAlive Festival.
I figured the slight movement with the new carbon fibre guitar neck is due to bolt holes in the guitar body being widened to accommodate the work on the original removable neck. I call Jimmy Egypt and it’s confirmed. they can sort that out, so I arrange to take the guitar into Glasgow tomorrow (Wednesday).
A call from the potential heat pump supplier guides me through our grant and loan application with the Energy Savings Trust. If it all goes through and works out we may have an air source heat pump in early in the new year.
I have a guitar lesson in the studio late afternoon then manage a quick walk in the dark.
In the studio I mess with some guitar ideas for the co-write I’m working on with Elaine (Lennon) then go back to the house and make a start on tonight’s carnitas….
