A LOAD of stuff to get done today…garden concert tomorrow (Saturday) and family and friends get-together on Sunday to celebrate my 60th and Margaret’s upcoming birthday. Not a party tho’!!!
We’ll have the grill on in the garden on Sunday an although here’s loads of stuff in the fridge, we still need to make 30-odd burgers. That’s a job.
Bill and Dorothy arrive this afternoon for tomorrow’s garden concert and I’m putting a bacon-wrapped pork loin in the smoker. Margaret’s requested I make Alabama white sauce to go with it, so once the burgers are done I make a batch of sauce.
In the office I have some merch to sort out then it’s the studio to make up a set list for tomorrow and ensure everything that needs charged up is plugged in.
Bill and Dorothy arrive and we have a grand night catching up…
AFTER my early guitar student has left I help Margaret pack the car with some stuff destined for the charity shop.
There’s a power cut, tho’, so difficult to get on with some of the tasks on the to-do list. Instead I do a little more work on the hydro scheme news release – I need to other all the factual stuff and put it in the copy I’ve already written.
The power’s back on in time for lunch then I hit the studio to make up a set list for Saturday’s garden concert before my afternoon guitar student arrives.
Margaret comes home with more shopping (!) then I take a walk up the lochside before my evening guitar student arrives….
SIXTY today. Jeez. That’s someone else. Not me…or is it?!?!
I have a guitar student here first thing then, once she’s finished, I take the laptop into the garden and check emails and socials etc in the sunshine.
We have some grip strips to go in the deck in first of the office and shed doors so we take advantage of the decent weather to get them down.
In the office I unsuccessfully attempt some different dye sub processes then sit down to start a news release for the local hydro society awards.
Margaret’s booked dinner at the pub in the next village for a birthday treat. Before we go we wanna stop in at our local councillor’ drop-in surgery…alas she’s called off at the last minuted so the game’s a bogey.
We go to the Clachan and have a nice dinner then head home and chill.
AFTER spending the morning doing a bunch of promo I get the camera and gear packed ready to nip along to the local church.
I’ve set up a photoshoot for the local hydro society with this year’s grant awardees early afternoon. I need a pic to go with the news release Im putting together.
There’s some flash hassles but I manage to fire off a few shots then get home in time for my afternoon guitar student arriving.
Once he’s done I run through the photos form earlier and pull out a few that look OK.
Betty’s coming for dinner so I get busy with prep for shredded chicken – with blue corn tortillas, homemade avocado sauce, salsa and pickled red onion…and sweet potato fries…..
I put the unplugged version of Walk the Walk up on my Bandcamp page…
MY TWO regular Monday online guitar students are non holiday this week – and my afternoon in-person student has cancelled. I do, however, have a new online student starting first thing 🙂
After the lesson I prep everything to make the unplugged version of Walk the Walk available via my Bandcamp page. I don’t feel it’s for Spotify, Apple Music etc but after posting the video on my socials yesterday there were so many enquiries about downloads and availability of the track that I felt I should do something…so why not a ‘Bandcamp exclusive’!
In between times I pack up a West Highland Way Gifts’ order and get it ready for the postie to collect.
After lunch I fix a broken leg on one of the outdoor tables then start spreading the word about the new release…and make sure I complete all the collections society registrations. I also set up a private Soundcloud link in case any radio folks wanna download/play it 😉
There’s time for a wee wander up Craigie Fort before my livestream…then I get back to the office and go live in my Wildcats’ Facebook group…
I finish the video for my acoustic version of Walk the Walk….
OUR pal David arrives early doors to put in an extra outdoor power socket.
Once he’s done I make breakfast burritos then hit the studio to sort the sound and tweak the video for the acoustic version of Walk the Walk. I upload to YouTube and my socials before I realise I made a typo in the title screen – should be ResoLectric, not ResLectric!
The sun’s shining and the wind has dropped for the first time in nearly a fortnight so I head out on the loch for a paddle. A wee trip up to Port Bawn at the other end of Inchcailloch.
Back home I have a shower, make a sandwich then help Margaret with some of the garden tidying she’s been busy with.
A still from the video…still a bit of work to do on the audio levels then good to go….
AFTER breakfast burritos I get busy with a couple of custom mug orders then go and drop them off.
In the studio I mess with the camera and work out a way to preview what I’m shooting. It’s a while since I’ve used the DSLR for video as the GoPro and Osmo Mini not only shoot in much higher resolution (4k and higher!) but allow me to set cup and monitor the shots with my phone or iPad.
This time, though, I’m after a more cinematic look and really need to use the 1.8 lens on the DSLR. Challenging for a ‘selfie’ video shoot.
Eventually I come up with some work arounds using HDMI cables and the computer monitor.
After filming the various shots I take a break and clean the smoker grille and repot some cape gooseberry plants. The chilli plants so successfully grown from seed in the hydroponics and subsequently potted out don;t seem to be doing so well outside, so I move them to. windowsill indoors. Hopefully they’ll perk up a bit.
Back in the studio I edit the video and copy it onto my phone so we can check it out on the telly in the house. It’s nearly 10pm and Margaret’;s had dinner ready and waiting in the oven for a while…we eat then watch the video. looks not bad, but I’m gonna have to remix the audio as the levels are distorting a bit….tomorrow’s job!
A COURIER drops off a bunch of mugs first thing –and there’s some other blanks that I wanna try out.
Turns out, though, that none of the other blanks will fit my mug press so I spend the rest of the morning searching for different-sized wraps to go I my press.
Easier said than done. the mug press is an unbranded cheapo from Amazon and any wraps I find seem to be for specific presses. I eventually find a UK supplier that sells what looks to be the same press I have…but none of their inserts appear to be for that particular press. I call them up and am sent a link to compatible wraps. Phew!
After lunch I’m messing with a new tune – well, an old riff I’ve been playing for ages and despite not getting a vocal or arrangement to fit am determined to use it and make it work. I had an idea in the shower this morning tho’ – just an addition of a single note – and it feels like it’s making a difference!
I’m playing it on the resolectric jnr. Unplugged. The solid body resonator has a unique sound and I decide to take a break from the song and record an unplugged version of Walk the Walk. It’s a rough recording, but I like the result. Then I go for a walk and mull over some ideas of how I could shoot a video to go with the new recording.
Back him I set up for the video but have to call it a day – we’re going to Betty’s for an aperitif…
AFTER my morning guitar student has left Margaret and I set about putting the non-slip grip strips on the ‘new’ deck and steps at the side door.
It’s easier than I expect but the strips are kinda bent and we need to put bricks on top to make sure they stay seated in the grooves. The adhesive needs 24 hours to cure.
My customer is delighted with the prototype pin and pendant (the pic above is over-exposed…it’s much better in real life!) so I get them parcelled up and ready for the post to collect tomorrow (Friday).
There’s a news release about my appearance at the Great British R&B Festival (24 August!) to go out. It was all prepped yesterday, but I want it to hit the journalists’ and radio producers’ desks just after lunch time today.
I have some work to do in the office before my second guitar student of the day arrives at the studio.
It’s rainy and grey outside so I give up on my hopes of a walk and do some planning work on the upcoming garden concert….
MARGARET’S off to Edinburgh to see Les and get her hair done.
I have breakfast then cast up some more prototypes of the commissioned pendant I’m working on and get two useable pieces.
Next job is to cut off the sprues and do dome rough sanding before they go in the ultrasonic cleaner to get rid of any delft clay. Once done, I mix some epoxy and pour the inlays.
While the inlay cures I start work on news release for the community hydro society with information on this year’s grants. Before I can knock it up I need to contact all the award recipients for a quote and also set up a photo. This could be like herding cats…
Another news release to be done – my own this time – for my upcoming appearance at the Great British R&B Festival in Colne.
Back on the pendants I start the laborious sanding and polishing – this time, tho, I get the result I want 🙂
It’s after 8pm when Margaret gets back from Edinburgh – she’s picked up some shopping which we put away then dinner….
