Andres joins me onstage at The King’s,, Kirkcaldy for the last number of the night…
BROEKN when I wake top, but lots to get through today.
First up, I offload video from last night’s show in Irvine. Then it’s breakfast time and I make up some mugs, finish off some guitar pendants and leather bracelets to stock up for the merch table.
It’s a lovely day and we have lunch in the garden then get ready to hit the road to Kirkcaldy.
On the way we find out that Kirkclady’s football team – Raith Rovers – has its biggest game in more than 30 years. jeez. Always something!
Booker and long time pal Scotty meets us, we load in and Darren has us sound checked in no time. I;m dispatched to get pizza and we grab a bite in the dressing room before Andres kicks things off.
There’s a good crowd in – not jammed like last time, but considering the big game is on it’s a good turnout.
Sound is great and we both have a great time. And it’s great to catch up with some old pals that I haven’t seen in years including the editor of the local paper and DJ Steve Anderson 🙂
I’VE managed to have breakfast and get things going before my Wednesday morning guitar student arrives.
Then it’s into the office to sort some mercy for tonight’s show at the Tolbooth in Stirling before a Zoom session with one of my online students.
After lunch I get a little bit of pre-release promo done for Kevin McDermott’s upcoming single, pack my gear and load the car. Then it’s off to the Tolbooth.
Load in, assisted by Kev, is easy and soundmanDavie and lighting guy Paul ar fantastic. We ‘re both soundchecked and done with plenty time to chill while Margaret sets top merch in the foyer.
There’s a good crowd in and Andres and I both thoroughly enjoy playing…then hanging with folks at the merch table.
Great panel session and discussion at the Scottish Music Centre, Glasgow
LOTS to get through this morning – plus I have to get gear and stuff sorted for our international touring panel session/discussion/Q&A (plus live acoustic sets) at the Scottish Music Centre in Glasgow.
I have a lunchtime Zoom session with one of my online guitar students then we make our way onto Glasgow to pick Andres up at the station then get into the Scottish Music Centre and prepare for this evening’s event.
The session and sets go great and we have a grand time – a nice way to launch this week’s Scottish tour dates.
Back home we have dinner and chat…a lot to catch up on. Stirling Tobooth tomorrow (Wednesday).
I take Mikkel and Eric a walk up the lochside while Margaret sorts dinner…
AN EARLY rise to get some West Highland Way Gifts’ stuff finished off and packed along with a banner stand, table and gazebo for the plant sale at Kilmaronock.
The sale ‘opens’ at 10am so we need to be there by 9.30am latest.
We make good time and although the weather forecast says rain, it stays dry while we get the gazebo up. Our pal Anna is sharing our shelter and arrives with her range of Tropic cosmetics.
There’s lots of folks we know and a good buzz around the event. The weather stays OK and we have a great morning chatting and selling stuff.
By 2.30pm it’s time to pack up and head for home. There’s time to get a few things done before we go to the airport to pick up pal Mikkel and his pal Eric. They’re visiting from the ‘States to walk the Cape Wrath Trail from Fort William to Cape Wrath.
Back home Margaret stop arts dinner and I take the guys a walk along the lochside to Milarrochy and back.
We have dinner, blether then an early night – alarm set for 4.45am to get the guys to Helensburgh for a 6.30am train to Fort William..
A LOT on the to-do list today – after breakfast in the garden I do some social/online posting about tomorrow’s (Sunday) plant sale at Kilmaronock
West Highland Way Gifts will have a table/stall from 10am ‘til 2.30pm…and it’s only an 10-minute drive from us.
Not only do I need to promote our attendance, I need to gather/sort out stock and make some more stuff.
There’s also some guitar pins and pendants that need finished off for the merch table at next week’s shows.
Next job is to finish going through funding applications that have come into the community hydro scheme – they all need scored and rated prior to our meeting to decide what can/should be funded.
Betty’s coming for pizza, so jn between times I finish prepping the dough.
Before she comes along we pot up some more tomatillos from the hydroponics and get them in ‘the greenhouse’ (a polythene and tubular structure from Aldi!) alongside some butternut squash and other more mature tomatillos…
We’re lucky enough to catch the aurora over the bay as we walk home from Betty’s
ONCE my regular Friday morning guitar student is done I get a few bits of merch underway in the office.
It’s a lovely day and I need to grab some footage for a video being put together down south…it’s for a single that I played some guitar on a while back and I offered some guitar action from the lochside.
Margaret’s busy so I’m on my own with this one. I take the Osmo Pocket, a wireless adaptor and a tripod, grab a guitar and take a walk up the lochside to find a quiet spot.
When I get back home Margaret’s sitting in the garden with Rosemary – one of lour local councillors – then our pals Ian and Jodie arrive for a visit. They’re visiting the area for a couple nights.
We sit In the sun and catch up over a coffee then they head off back to Arrochar where they’re staying and I dump this morning’s video footage onto a hard drive I’m the studio..
I get the poolish that I made yesterday out the fridge and finish making a batch of pizza dough then we meet Betty for dinner at the local pub. Then it’s back to her’s for a nightcap…and on the way back home we’re lucky enough to catch the aurora over the loch 🙂
A still from the footage for the Hidden Angels’ video…
OFF to school in Balloch for this week’s session with the kids. Probably the best one yet in terms of engagement.
There’s no shopping to get so I’m home in good time for lunch.
The afternoon is spent preparing assets, online resources and getting them all in. place for Kevin’s (McDermott) upcoming single which drops in a fortnight (24 May).
I clean up some guitar pin and pendant castings I made yesterday then head up the lochside for a walk.
Before heading back to the house to make dinner I start assessing some of the grant applications that have been submitted to the local hydro society’s community fund…
