I usually finish off my weekly Wildcats’ livestream with a cover – this week Johnny Cash’s Folsom Prison Blues…
THE alarm goes off at 4am. We fumble around the room, get dressed, close up our bags and head for reception and the bus to the airport.
Helsinki airport is lightyears ahead of Edinburgh – not just in terms of technology but also in cleanliness, efficiency and customer service. And after our flight back it’s even more apparent as we’re ushered into what’s a glorified metal shed with rubbish lying sound, manky floor and a huge question at border control. And it’s only 7.30am.
Rather than heading straight home we make for Glasgow to pick up the Wildcats’ shirts and hoodies, stopping for a McDonalds breakfast along the way.
After picking up the merch we stop for some shopping and make it home before midday.
There’s an hour or two to unpack and sort things out before the first of three guitar lessons. I manage to tend to the tomatillos and butternut squash then get some weedkiller down then a late lunch before my second student arrives.
In the studio I prep some video from the trip to spin into tonight’s Wildcats’ livestream on Facebook. My final guitar session – on Zoom – is a no-show. I contact the student who apologies they messed up and we re-schedule for next week…I tend not to charge folks if they have to cancel, even at the last minute…but if they just don’t show (like this one) I have to charge them.
Travelling light – this lot has two guitars, Quad Cortex, accessories, our own stuff and what’s left of the merch!
AFTER our hotel breakfast we take advantage of a break in the rain to run down to the station in Kouvola…it’s just five minutes from the hotel and we get there dry and unscathed.
We’re headed for one of the airport hotels as our flight is 6.20am in the morning and we need to be at check in for 4.20am.
There’s one change then a courtesy bus ride form the airport to the hotel. We’re not long there when our pal Maiju stops by to say hello and we have a coffee and catch up.
We have an early dinner at the hotel then chill and try and get some sleep before the alarm goes off at 3.45am….
The evening sun shines on the Kymi Kantri Festival
BREAKFAST at the Scandic in Kouvola is good..then we go back to our room and I get some work done.
I nip out to a supermarket to get some stuff for lunch and snacks later. Our train to Myllykoski – home of the Kymi Kantri Festival isn’t til mid-afternoon.
It’s only a 10-minute journey and promoter Heikki and driver Jallu meet us off the train.
The festival site is a fantastic self-contained area – an indoor stage and the main outdoor stage space surrounded by vendor stalls etc.
We’re taken backstage and given drinks and food vouchers. There’s time to watch some other acts before getting my gear on stage and hitting the ground running. Sound is good, there’s a great crowd and the evening sun is shining.
We have a grand time and – after gigantic (and very good) pulled pork bun and more drinks – are driven back to Kouvola and our hotel….
JEEZ – it’s almost midday when we wake up at Ismo’s!!!
Breakfast? Brunch? Nah – it’s more like lunch when we sit down at the table.
We hang out for a while then Ismo takes us to the station to catch the train to Kouvola.
On the train we discover we’re on the wrong service. Still going to Kouvola but on the more expensive high speed train…not the slow one we have electronic tickets for. The conductor let’s of with our mistake and we’re in Kouvola earlier than expected.
The hotel is only a few hundred metres from the station. The festival booked us in for tomorrow (Saturday) night but Margaret booked us in for tonight too as we have a night off.
We chill then go for some dinner – a great restaurant called Lamykin’s Cookhouse. Fantastic meal.
We stop off at Pub 23 and hear a kinda weird country band play then back to the hotel to chill….
Great start to the Finland tour in Mantsala – thanks for the pic Leif Laaksonen 🙂
THE alarm goes off at 4am. We grab a coffee, pack the car and hit the road to Edinburgh airport just after 4.30am.
There’s chaos at the check in tho’ – it’s half an hour late opening and the guy on the desk is clueless. The queue is spilling out the check in area and it takes us a good hour to reach the desk.
Security is a clusterfuck too and by the time we’re through the plane is boarding. Seems half the folks are still waiting to check in downstairs!
There’s no time for breakfast so we think we’ll grab a sandwich…nothing on the shelves in Boots and after waiting with a pitiful selection in WH Smith we find they can’t take contactless or card payments.
Time’s running out and our only option is takeaway from the Burger King beside the gate.
Luckily things improve and security at Helsinki is efficient…and all the bags and gear arrive safe.
We get a train to Mantsala and Heidi from the venue picks us up at the station.
I have time to rebuild the Acoustasonic and get my backdrop up before booker Tarja arrives then Ismo rocks up and we get soundchecked.
It’s an early show – doors at 6.30pm and Ismo opens the show at 7pm.
There’s a full house and we both have a good time playing…then back to Ismo’s place…and bed. Been a long day…but a good ‘un.
Wil joins me on my livestream for an impromptu jam on Blind WIllie Johnson’s Soul of a Man 🙂
I’M UP early to get sourdough in the oven. I’d hoped for a paddle while it cools but it’s still really windy outside so I go back to bed with a coffee and dal with emails and stuff.
Everyone’s still in bed when I have breakfast then hit the studio for my first Zoom guitar student of the day.
I go back to the house for a coffee while the others are on breakfast then Wil and Mia head off for a drive up to Glencoe. I have another Zoom guitar session then finish off the merch items in the garden.
My 4pm guitar student has cancelled and Margaret need to go to the village to get some stuff for going to Finland. I go with her and all back.
Wil’s joining me on tonight’s Wildcats’ livestream which I decide will be more public and be available across my Facebook pages and stuff rather than just into the WIldcats’ group.
I’m just finishing set uo when Wil and Mia arrive back – we do the livestream then back to the house. Margaret’s made roast beef, Yorkshire puddings and all the sides… 🙂
AFTER breakfast Mikey gets busy fixing one of our dining chairs that’s been in pieces for the last few weeks. I get back busy sanding and polishing a bunch of merch items for Finland.
Margaret has a few other wee jobs for Mikey before he heads off mid-afternoon and I get the smoker fired up for tonight’s bacon-wrapped pork loin.
I’m still on the merch when Wil and Mia arrive. They flew into Edinburgh this morning then sped the day in Glasgow before coming to us. They’re here for a couple nights before we go of to Finland.
I invited Betty to join us for dinner and we have a grand night chatting before I take Betty home soon after 11pm.
AFTER breakfast I do a quick stock take of merch – baggage restrictions make it difficult to take too many vinyls or t-shirts to Finland, so I need to make sure we have a decent stock of small, lightweight items.
There’s some leather bracelets, pins and necklaces in the merch case but I need a few more so get busy casting.
Having cleaned out (part) of the office during the week I’m reluctant to make a mess so take everything outside and work under the smoker shelter. Game-changer. Quite why it didn’t occur to me to do this outside in the past I don’t know…more space, better surface and….no mess!!
Mikey arrives mid-afternoon. Margaret’s going to help him with some credit card and mobile phone stuff. I keep going on the merch production.
I also put a wee one-off black heart pendant I made on sale ot the West Highland Way Gifts’ website.
My cousin Wil and his wife Mia are visiting tomorrow from the ‘States for a couple of nights and I plan on some BBQ tomorrow night. I prep pork fillet with some rub and a bacon lattice ready for the smoker.
A wee wander put he lochside and then back home for dinner….
