RELEASE day for Key to the Highway…I get some social media posting and stuff done before heading off to the school in Balloch.
I have a good morning with the kids and get hime just in. time for my guitar student arriving with her dogs at midday.
I’m making lunch when Margaret calls me through – she’s had a call from ‘British Airways’ and got suspicious. Turns out all the calls from ‘British Airways’ customer service have been a sophisticated scam attempt, probably from someone monitoring my Tweeted complaints! Luckily Margaret smelled a rat and we cancel her credit card etc before any damage is done.
After lunch I realise that we’re skint – I have a load of bills due on Monday and no money in the bank. We’re still waiting on payments for the Stirling and Irvine shows (both being paid by local councils!) and I already paid Andres his share. We’d hoped to have been paid by now.
YouTube premier for Key to the Highway…scheduled for 7.30pm tomorrow (Friday)…
AFTER breakfast the flight booking debacle for the Finland tour continues….British Airways’ website still throwing out our booking attempts and Margaret’s back on the phone.
A more sympathetic call handler this time who can;t help but will get someone to call back later. At the same time I do a screen recording of the ‘booking’ so I have it in the bag should I decide to escalate. Meantime I tag British Airways in some tweets.
Ginny, John and their pals arrive – they’re over form the ‘States on a road trip and are stopping by to take us to lunch. We have a grand couple fo Horus catching up.
Back in the office I dig out my contract with Dixiefrog Records – there’s a dispute with PPL over ownership of some recordings and subsequent royalties. The term of the agreement ended in 2016, so I need to get this resolved pronto.
I’m just finishing completing spreadsheets and reports to send PPL when my evening guitar student arrives.
We have a good lesson then I go back to the studio and get some West Highland Way Gifts’ stuff listed on Etsy while Margaret makes dinner.
After dinner it’s back to the studio – I need to get Key to the Highway video posts scheduled and an email ready to go out for release day tomorrow (Friday)….
My latest scratch plate creation for the Acosutasonic Tele…
I’M READY and waiting for my guitar student. Before taking her to the studio for her lesson I say cheerio to Steph and Opal who will be leaving shortly.
Next job is to record some guitar for an NHX charity single scheduled for release down south later in the year. I track some electric guitar and some slide. They won’t work together, but it’ll give the producer some options.
After packing up a couple of merch orders I take a walk up the loch side and drop into Betty’s to help sort a Sonos problem.
Margaret’s pulling her hair out trying to book flights for next month’s Finland trip. For the last few days the British Airways website is allowing her top get right through the flight selection and booking before throwing an error after payment…or coming up with a page saying’ someone must have bookend these flights while you were in the process’. She tried online help chat and subsequent phone calls to no avail. We try on various machines, browsers and phones. No luck.
I GET busy in the studio after breakfast. A lot of social media posts and content to be scheduled for the next few days.
The new ‘slimline’ bookcase/shelf unit Margaret ordered arrives mid-morning. I take a break to help her build it up before she goes off to Stirling for some shopping.
My pal Kevin takes a run out to visit in his new car and we chat over coffee…talking over plans for the next single to be released form his forthcoming album.
I have a guitar student coming later in the afternoon and while we’re in the studio Steph and Opal rock up. They’re back here for a night before heading home to Tennessee tomorrow (Wednesday).
After a walk up the loch side I make mushroom risotto and we chat awhile before a relatively early night.
UP early for the usual Sunday morning sourdough baking. Once the bread’s done and out to cool (for a hour before cutting!) I get some work done.
After my first Zoom guitar student I take a break and have a coffee in the sunshine then get back to the studio. I promised the Wildcats I’d have some t-shirt ideas for tonight’s livestream.
Lunch in the garden then another online session with a guitar student. Once I’m clear I edit up some footage of Whisky Trail from the recent Tolbooth gig in Stirling to spin into the livestream later.
An in-person guitar student late afternoon then I finish off the draft t-shirt design ideas and prep for the livestream…
The last bit…Margret finishes her wallpapering marathon…
STEPH and Opal are away just after 6am…and I go straight back to sleep!
After breakfast I ‘activate’ Key to the Highway on Bandcamp and send an email out to my last as well as posting the link to members of the Facebook Wildcats’ group so they can all get early access.
In the studio I work on some ideas for a new Wildcats’ t-shirt and message round not eh guitar working out potential parts for the forthcoming NHS fundraising single I’ve been asked to play on.
There’s some merch orders to be packed up and then I take a walk up the loch side.
I make a batch of Italian sausage sumo for tonight’s pasta then we watch our pal Bill’s monthly livestream…a week earlier than usual and from their base in Scotland rather than ‘home’ in Florida…
Sun shines on Balmaha for Steph and Opal’s visit 🙂
IT’S a beautiful day and we’re not long up when the washing machine guy comes to fix the…erm..washing machine.
When he’s finished Margaret makes us all breakfast then Catriona and the kids rock up. The village is heaving and apparently the road had to be closed, but Catriona got here without too much difficulty.
We hang out in the garden and chat, chill and watch the kids play with the garden hose.
Catriona and the kids head off and I hit the studio to get a few things out the way while Margaret sorts dinner.
We have a relatively early night Steph and Opal are off to Skye in the morning and plan to leave around 6am! They’ll be back to see us on Tuesday,…
UNUSUALLY for a Friday I’m in the school in Balloch this morning, so another (relatively!) early start.
After a particularly good session with the kids I go and pick up dome shopping, drop Dave B’s paddleboard off at Fiona’s and rock up back home.
Steph and Opal have arrived and we chat while Margaret continues with her epic wallpapering effort. I take them a walk up the loch side to Milarrochy then we have a late lunch in the garden.
In the studio I manage to get a few bits of box of work done then, once Margaret has finished her papering I put up the speaker brackets and curtain rails. She’s done an amazing job 🙂
I made up some veg and haloumi skewers and a marinade, get the grill fired up and we have (a late, even for us) dinner and chat ’til the wee hours.
UP early to get David B’s paddleboard inflated for Valerie. She and Shady are en route to be here for 9am so I can take Valerie paddle on the loch before we head into Glasgow later.
We have a nice paddle although it’s kinda choppy and make to safely to Port Barn and back. Valerie and Shady her dog and Margaret and I get ready to go into Glasgow.
We’ve a bag to drop off at a hotel for Mikkel and Eric then we’re picking up cousin Fred to go to another cousin’s, Steph’s, tuba recital and lecture at Glasgow uni. Steph ad their wife Opal are over on a East Tennessee State University trip which finishes up today then they come to up for a few days form tomorrow.
The recital and presentation are great then we all go to Cafe Andaluz for dinner. Lovely to see everyone and hang out 🙂
We drop Fred off then head home and fall into bed.
Meal out after Steph’s recital – from left: Cecilia, Zila, Fred, Steph, Opal, Margaret and yours truly…
AFTER my morning guitar student leaves I decide to cycle to the village to pick up my prescriptions.
It’s the first bike ride this year and it feels good to be out.
I’m back around midday – in good time for a Zoom session with one of my online students. Or so I think. The session was booked for 11.30am!
I rush into the studio and email my student apologising profusely. Luckily he’s flexible and we do the session at 12.30pm. Phew.
The weather forecast for today was poor, but it’s not too bad out…and, more importantly it’s dry. I embark on the painting of the smoker shelter roof.
It’s a bit of a bastard job. I take break when Fiona comes to drop off a paddle board for Valerie who’s over from the ‘States and wants to go for a paddle with me early tomorrow (Thursday) morning.
I get the paint job finished, tidy up then attempt to make some gluten-free pizza dough. My cousin Stephanie and wife Opal are staying with us from Friday.Opal’s gluten-free so I wanna test the dough in advance to see if it’s a go-er.
While the dough rests I finish of the promo bailouts for Key to the Highway which drops next Friday (7 June).
A courier drops off an order of mugs which I need to get printed up and sent out to meet some outstanding merch orders…then it’s pizza time. The gluten-free dough is weird to say the least. It kinda works – I think it tastes OK but ever critical Margaret isn’t so sure…
