A WEST Highland Way Gifts’ order sent to Israel six week ago still hasn’t arrived. I’m finally able to start a claim with Royal Mail.
After all the farting around getting it submitted a message says it can take up to 90 days for a ‘decision’. Fuck sake.
I’m not keen to throw good money after bad and make/send another item so I’ll offer a full refund and hope Royal Mail pay out.
Meantime I work on some new merch ideas then, after lunch, mess with some guitar bits in the studio for the song Elaine and I are co-writing. Once done I send the audio files to her to get her feedback.
Margaret’s off shopping with the car and I have a local merch order to deliver. I kill two birds with one stone and take a walk to deliver.
An email from Elaine gives my idea a thumbs up and we arrange a few hours in the studios next week with the aim of developing our ideas further.
The new merch idea I worked one earlier needs a fair bit of tweaking. I’m trying to replicate the ‘colours’ guitar into a necklace but the resulting metal cast is too finely detailed and finicky…
A BUSY day for guitar lessons – my first two are back to back online sessions in the studio.
There’s a little time before the next one and I manage to do a some work on the guitar pins and necklaces as well as send a newsletter out to my mail list members. I’ve decided to offer folks own my mailing list a discount on specific item each month.
Two lessons in the afternoon – one online then one in-person – then I do little prep for tonight’s livestream into my Wildcats’ group on Facebook. Then there’s time for a wee walk up the lochside.
For once I’m all ready and set up in time for the 8pm livestream into my Wildcats’ group on Facebook….all goes good and I’m back in the house for dinner soon after 9pm.
WE’RE not long finished breakfast when Anna (and Skye – her rag doll cat) pop in for a blether and coffee. She also wants to buy some merch for a birthday present.
When Anna heads of I do a little more work on the guitar pins and necklaces, again trying to film progress for a future Whatnot.com stream.
Catriona and the kids rock up and we hang out for a while before Margaret takes the kids a walk. Amazingly Freya spots a water shoe I lost months ago washed up on one of the more secluded beaches!
Later on I get back onto the pins and necklaces then spend some time messing with a co-write song in the studio.
After dinner I help Margaret with an email out for the local community trust. Suddenly it’s after midnight….
Don’t have £60-odd for a acrylic screen protector for the Quad Cortex so I made my own for £3!
AFTER breakfast I get the routine stuff out the way then spend a while getting familiar with all the new features in iOS18. Some cool, useful updates in there.
Next up, chopping up the wood I split yesterday and sorting. the woodshed. This stuff won’t be any good for burning for a good few months…and most likely next year…so I wanna keep it out the way and make space for some wood we’ll need for this season.
I’ve been keen to get a hinged acrylic screen protector for the Quad Cortex. It needs to be hinged to give easy access to the touchscreen for edits etc…and the screen needs protection from anything (ie: a microphone) being dropped on it.
Finally I get the bike out and go for a spin in the words. First time in ages. I take the drone with me and film some selfie stuff for a reel which I edit up and post when I get back home.
We take dinner along to Betty’s and have a grand evening….
A very short clip to check the video quality of DJI’s is new £169 drone…
MARGARET’S off to Stirling early to ‘observe’ a finance committee meeting relating to the local community trust’s asset transfer request for the village car park.
I was going to go too but there’s not really any need. Instead I wrap a pork loin in a bacon lattice for the smoker later and make a batch of poolish for weekend pizza dough.
Having splashed out ion DJI’s new autonomous (ie: doesn’t need a controller) drone I’m keen to give it a test whirl – not just for autonomous ‘selfie’ video which I’ll use for content for my socials etc, but also in conjunction with my phone as a normal – albeit pretty limited – drone. I take a short sample video of Balmaha from the air.
After lunch I load the smoker with charcoal and apple wood and get the pork loin on then start splitting a load of wood. The logs are big and heavy and take a fair bit ion manhandling but I get through the pile. The resulting bits will need cut into smaller pieces. That’s a job for tomorrow.
There’s time for a wee walk up the lochside and a wee livestream selfie test with the drone. I’m quite impressed with it and while it’s not exactly sophisticated, high quality or feature-rich it is great value and should do most, if not all, I need for my social content etc.
JUST out the shower when the phone rings – it’s the hospital in Glasgow telling me I have a phone appointment with the consultant who sent me for an MRI scan last month. It’s not until the end of October!
I have some medical forms that I need to send to an insurer and there’s a question/section about cancer/tumours etc and it’s already overdue so I’m kinda in a bit of a quandary.
The ultrasound, referral to a consultant and subsequent MRI scan all happened pretty quick – in the space of just a few weeks – so I’m at a bit of a loss why I’m to be kept waiting for the best part of two months, especially when the MRI report was filed with the consultant on 12 September.
I explain I’m not so much anxious about my health (possibly a little naively)...but I urgently need to sort out these insurance forms and really need some info ASAP….ideally now.
The secretary suggests I call outpatient appointments but they re unable to help. I call our surgery nd explain the issue and the receptionist says she’ll try and find out what may or may not be able to be done.
This rigmarole tales up most of the morning then I head to the studio and get my guitar and stuff to take to school, have an early lunch hen head for Balloch.
Once I’m done with the kids I pick up some shopping then home.
I have a guitar student at the house then we wander along to Betty’s – she got out of hospital yesterday…
I spot this deer from the water and mange to paddle close enough for a pic…
AFTER my first (and last) online guitar student off the day I get busy with some social media stuff.
Fiona isn’t able to come for a lunchtime paddle so I decide to go out early, before lunch, to free up some time laster.
I have my first ‘proper’ paddle in ages and head for Port Bawn a the far end of Inchcailloch. There’s a couple of paddle boarders and a canoe there when I reach the beach and I hang out for a while before making the homeward journey.
On the way back I spot a deer on the shore of the island and manage to paddle close enough to grab some video and a pic. Quite an amazing beast.
Back home I have a shower while Margaret makes lunch then I hit the studio. There’s a few guitar things needing done and some prep for the kids at school. My ‘slot’ has been moved from Thursday morning to Wednesday afternoon and I’d promised I’d have some stuff ready for one of the kids.
I have an onboarding meeting which I need to ‘attend’ to get approval as a seller on a new website called Whatnot that brings together livestream, shows and sales. Interesting but quite daunting. IO need to have a good think about how I can utilise the platform….
I’M PRETTY burst when I wake up but I have a full day of online guitar sessions and other stuff so can’t lie around in bed.
After the first two lessons I take a break and pot up two tomato plants that are way too big for the hydroponic system then plant some ‘micro’ tomato plant seeds. I’m keen to find some small plant varieties that can stay in the hydroponic system and provide fruit over the winter.
In between later lessons I tidy up the new ‘introduction to Dave Arcari’ video – I’ll make it live tomorrow but give a preview in any Wildcats’ livestream on Facebook later. I also make a vertical format version for TikTok and other online reels etc.
Next, I get all the prep done for the livestream then have time for a walk up the lochside.
I’m back in good time and the livestream goes fairly smoothly…then back to the house for dinner.
Grand time playing at The Vault for Darlington Blues Festival
PRETTY broken this morning but I need to get up and sort out some bust string and other guitar issues before we check out the hotel.
First stop is dropping past last night’s venues to pick up my apex…then on to Sainsbury’s where I order breakfast and Margaret goes to the in-store Argos to buy a folding table for merch. it’s just a wee thing that can stay in the car for emergency situations when there’s not merch area at a show!
We hit the road to Darlington and make good time. I’m in a nice venue called The Vault with a decent stage space and much more room than the tiny place I was in last time I played the festival. Probably about 10 years or more ago.
The show goes really well and it’s nice to see a mix of old pals, well-known faces and new folks in the crowd 🙂
We’re heading back home this evening and stop at a chippy before we leave Darlington..the biggest portion of chips and fish supper we’ve ever seen!
We share the drive up the road stopping in Glasgow for some shopping. Knackered.
