WE’RE not long up and finished breakfast when Auntie Glo, Dai and Lisa arrive…they’re here ‘til Monday and staying at the local inn.
Auntie Glo is 90- tomorrow (Friday) and Margaret is, ahem, 70 on Sunday…so lots of family be celebrations and a full itinerary for the next few days 🙂
After coffee and cake I take Liza and Dai a wander up the lochside while Margaret makes down soup for lunch’s nd chats with Auntie Glo.
After lunch they all head down to their accommodation and I sort out some paddleboards to take Dai and Liza out on the long tomorrow morning. Back home we set up Margaret’s old iphone for Auntie Glo – an eSIM and and ‘assisted use’ set up gets it ready for her.
We all go to Betty’s for an aperitif then drive to the village for the piping in the square and dinner in the pub….
UP early for the sourdough thing then into the shower. Then breakfast and Margaret heads into Glasgow.
In the office I start a 3D print – a protective gimbal and lens cover for the newly delivered Osmo Pocket 4P. It comes in a nice wee bag that takes all the accessories, but if I wanna take just the camera it’s gonna need some protection.
Then I go through a load of music submissions for the radio show and get busy with some other stuff in the studio.
Margaret gets back worth the shopping and I get some of it put away before my late afternoon guitar student arrives.
When we’re done Margaret and I head to a meeting at the local visitor center then Sandy and Betty come back for a drink…and pizza…..
ANOTHER early online guitar session then I take a walk to deliver some custom gifts to someone in the village.
Back down I unbox the replacement Ninja Woodfire and set it all up ready to test it with some hotdogs for lunch.
In the studio I start some advance prep for Sunday's radio show. Auntie Glo, Dai and Liza arrive early Thursday and are heart ‘til Monday…it’s Auntie Glo’s 90th on Friday’s an Margaret’s 70th on Sunday so I need to clear the decks as much as possible.
I’m planning to take Dai and Liza out paddleboarding an have arranged to borrow a couple of SUPs and floatation vests. The SUPs are needing topped up with air so I go and check them out to make sure my point will connect…looks like one is OK and the other might need some jiggery pokery.
Before I Know it it;s late afternoon and I only have time for a quick wash before my early evening guitar student arrives.
Once we’re done I prep some courgette and halloumi kebabs and give the Woodfire another test. Works great!
AFTER two sessions with online guitar students I go to the village for a swim.
When I get back Betty’s dropped in and I help her with some online stuff before hitting the studio to sort some video from the garden gig to spin into tonight’s Wildcats’ livestream on Facebook.
A local pal has asked me to make a custom tote bag for a birthday present so I knock up down artwork, message her to get approval then print up a bag. I do a mug quilt eh same design as a wee extra.
They’re not long finished when my afternoon guitar student and her mum arrive. We have a good session then I’m back at the studio.
For some reason Facebook doesn’t seem to be letting me stream into the Wildcats’ group from my page….looks like it is streaming – just not visible in the group. Weird. I stop the stream and go live from my profile…except that it streams to my profile rather than into the private group.Jeez!
Nice to get out for a wee walk up the lochside with Bill and Dorothy
ONCE we’ve had breakfast and got ourselves organised we all go for a wee walk up the lochside. It’s a nice way to chill and Dorothy treats us to ice creams on the way back 🙂
When we get back the replacement Ninja Woodfire is on the doorstep 🙂 We chat for a while when we get back then our guests ink their stuff and hit the road.
I’m starting to feel a bit tired but no time to doss around – I have a load of prep for tonight’s radio show.
In between times I download all the video from yesterday’s garden gig…then it’s radio time!
We get together for a coupla songs at the end of the garden gig
I MANAGE to drag myself out of bed early(-ish!) to get the sourdough in the oven, into it shower and start prepping feta, sundried tomato and basil egg bites for breakfast.
After we’ve all eaten and planned our strategy for the day we start prepping outside for the garden gig. All caught on a timelapse video that I’ll post in a few days.
For the first time we have everything working and set up in good time for our 3pm ‘gates’ – the consensus it’s thanks to our decision not to livestream the gig this year. It’s always been a timesucker in the past. Unreal we set up some cameras and record it all so we can post clips and stuff on our socials.
We have a full house – erm…garden – for the afternoon and everything goes to plan, including the weather.
We’re all tidied up and back indoors soon after 7pm which lets us eat, drink and bleeder the night away.
OOOFFFT. Birthday. Sixty-two today. How the fuck did that happen? No time to mess round tho’, a busy day ahead.
There’s some evens stuff to be subsided off for tomorrow’s (Saturday) garden gig and I need to sort and mark all the cup/tumbler orders ready for pickup.
Next, some prep for tonight’s pizzas and tomorrow’s dinner – it’s gonna. I’m hectic tomorrow so any prep that can be done now the better. I also wanna get as much done in advance of Sunday's radio show as possible.
I have a late afternoon guitar student and am not long done when Bill and Dorothy arrive….
AFTER a 9am online session with a guitar student I hit the office. Main job today is engraving all the insulated cups and tumblers for Saturday’s ‘gig in the garden’.
Each cup/tumbler has my logo on one side and the garden gig logo and set on the other…and each needs an engraving pass, then a cleanup pass.
The ‘passes’ only take two or three minutes so I can’t go away and do anything meaningful – instead I do some social media posts and stuff then grab a guitar and run through some songs while sitting outside the office. The laser’s vented outside but it’s still better not to be sitting beside it.
There’s a lot to do and it takes me most of the day – no time for a walk or anything as I also need to try and get a little more prep done for Sunday's radio show – after tomorrow afternoon I’ll be busy!
AFTER my early guitar student leaves I hit the office…there’s a load of special edition insulated cups and tumblers to be engraved for Saturday’s ‘gig in the garden’.
Each one need my logo on one side and the garden gig logo/date on the other. I manage to get my logo done on the cups before we have to go to Glasgow….after I’ve parceled up the faulty Ninja Woodfire grill in a DIY fashion with bubble wrap, cardboard and more parcel tape than I would normally use end year. I’d planned to send it back in the box the replacement will come in, it looks like they want this one back before they send the replacement. And I don’t have a box anywhere near big enough, hence the DIY approach.
We have various bits and bobs to do in Glasgow then we drop the Ninja off at a DPD pickup point in Springburn before trying Costco, Home Bargains and Tesco.
It’s after 7pm when we get back, get the shopping away and meet Betty for dinner.
I manage to free up some time to take the kids a paddle….
AFTER my 9am session with a guitar student I get sorted to take the kids a quick paddle.
I have another student coming late morning and manage to get given and showered just in time.
After lunch I hope the studio and put together a news release for the Gullane show on 29 August then send it off to relevant media and journalists.
Catriona and WIll pick up the kids and I get some buns in the oven for tonight's smashburgers. The phone rings and it’s a reporter from the East Lothian Courier. We have a good chat and hopefully some contest for the show will ensue.
