AS USUAL the kids are through to wake us up just after 7am…Margaret makes them some breakfast then they come back through not jump all over papa!
I have to finish making some packaging stickers for Manson Glass – Catriona’ll take them back for Will.
I’m in the studio when Maggi and Joel drop by to chat over some local stuff. When they leave and I go back to the house Catriona and the kids are getting ready to leave.
In the studio I decide to make a ‘rig rundown’ video – a video showing what I use instrument and gear-wise on the road.
Takes me a while to get set up and everything in place…then I spend a while filming until the camera tells me the memory’s full. And that’s when I realise that everything’s been recorded – including audio – in slow . I could probably salvage it, but it’d take a lot of messing around and likely never be quite right…I abandon ship and go back to the house to make some mushroom risotto.
A LAZY morning watching Saturday Kitchen and drinking coffee while dealing with emails and social media.
Mikey’s finishing off a job for neighbours and comes back for a late breakfast break after which I get the smoker fired up and a pork butt on for tonight’s pulled pork tacos.
Catriona and the kids are coming and staying over and I had an idea to make the kids some personalised drinks coasters so head out to the office to get them done.
They arrive and we have a coffee before I head out to trim back more trees and bushes then, when the chainsaw battery runs dry I go for a walk up the lochside.
Mikey heads off and I get busy with some web server set up work for a pal.
When I go back to the house the kids are away to bed. The pork’s ready by about 8pm and goes in a faux cambro to stay warm while I make salsa and mix dough for the tortillas. its late when we eat but well worth the wait 🙂
MIEKY’S up early to start a job at our neighbours – we’re up and had breakfast intake for a new guitar student.,
She brings her two dogs who behave impeccably and as a use player, picks things up pretty quick. She’s showing promise already!
IU have community hydro society board meeting right after and when I;m done Fiona and Margaret are trying to unblock one of our downpipes drains with various roads, a pressure washer and other weird-looking instruments of torture. I leave them to ita
After a little work int he studio I pack a guitar for a TV recording session later and head off into Glasgow to get some shopping. The onto the TV studio in Dumbarton where I record an interview with presenter Paul Murdock for future airing.
Another stop to pick up stuff on the way home then into the studio to get some bits and bobs done before I make dinner.
OFF to the school early doors and have a great session with the kids…including one new guy who’s a natural!
Some shopping on the way home then a bit of a tidy up in the garden sorting some of the more superficial wind damage.
After lunch Mikey arrives to do a plastering job for a neighbour. Margaret got him to pick up a new light fitting for our bedroom – an LED strip to replace the ugly and temperamental flourescent fitting. I manage to replace and rewire without fucking it up 🙂
It’s Burns’ day which means one of my Burns’ songs needs live-streamed and posted round my socials…then it’s back to work on some stuff in the studio until Margaret buzzes me to ask what time, if at all, I’m making dinner!
I HAVE a guitar student at the house first thing. Once her lesson is done I hit the studio and get on with one more stuff.
Margaret comes to tell me she’s spoken to the park rangers and there’s some chopped up wood up for grabs. We go and get some and share the news with the community.
After lunch I’m back in the studio when our pal Neil pulls up..he’s brought us some cool gifts and comes in for a coffee and a blether. Nice to see him.
I’m working on some arrangement and top line melody stuff to go with some lyrics from the school sessions – I’m there tomorrow (Thursday) morning so keen to have something to get busy with.
One of the ideas to help my pal Kevin with his upcoming release is to sort his mailing list. he’s sent me over some info and engaged my services to make it happen. I get some work done before heading back to the house to get the fajitas on the go. Betty’s coming for dinner…
A load of us get the road cleared of the three fallen trees….
AFTER a Zoom guitar session which was rescheduled for this morning after yesterday’s power cut I film some promo videos for the BluesAlive Festival in Czech in November.
I edit up vertical, square ands 16:9 versions and give Margaret a link to send off.
After lunch I start to try and sort out all the Facebook/Meta pixel issues – be good to have this sorted out so I can update the pixel info for the ads I have scheduled to go live on Facebook later today.
There’s a whole load of ad accounts, page identifications and pixel codes and data from a load of different places – including Eventbrite and Kickstarter. Seems ‘installing’ Facebook pixels via third party ‘helper’ apps causes a few issues, even though int he short term they are quick and easy solutions for the non-tech savvy.
Anyway, a lot of notes, cross-referencing and stuff gets things mostly sorted out and I’m able to add the pixel info the the scheduled ads.
I have a break in the process for an in-person lesson in the studio one of my young guitar students.
In the house I prepare. pork tenderloin for sous vide which takes a good three hours then we go and help clear the road int he village. Three trees have come down and it takes a dozen of us, four chainsaws and a truck well over an hour to get the road clear….
POWER’S still off when we wake up…and the strong winds have wreaked havoc outside.
The fruit cage is dubbed, glass table smashed and plastic table broken. The greenhouse is over the fence and stuck in trees, the pizza bench, oven and accessories have been blown over, all the outside covers blown off,…and there’s a few fence panels to boot. Fuck sake.
I still have some battery in my phone so I venture out to try and find a signal so I can let my 11am Zoom guitar student we’re gonna have to re-schedule.
After trying to tidy up a bit outside we try and get the fruit cage back into some sort of structure then I chop some wood and we get the fire lit. Then I sit and mess with some guitar/song ideas until the power comes back on at lunchtime.
I have a call with a pal I’m trying to help with some upcoming single and album releases. A lot of the ideas and plans I’ve already sent but they’ve either been too cryptic or gone astray in the email ether..
In the studio I get to work on a couple of ads for the upcoming shows. Facebook keeps telling me there’s no payment method on my account despite verifying several payment methods I’ve just added to the existing array of options. I’m also getting some crap about my pixel not being active or installed which is bollox.
Time moves on, though, and I need to get prepped for tonight’s Wildcats’ livestream before a session with one of my Zoom guitar students.
All goes to plan and I have a clusterfuck-free livestream. The second in two weeks!
Just some of the wind damage..canl;t quite get my head round how these thin poles and netting catch enough wind for this to happen….
HORRIBLE wet and grey outside….and another long lie to get some social posting and stuff done from the warmth of the bed.
Breakfast is more of a brunch than I get busy with redesigning the stitching holes for the leather bookmarks. They’re not bad, but could be better!
It’s a complicated task and I want to avoid having to start again from scratch, but I manage to get it done and the first ‘mark 2’ bookmark made. The improvements make Margaret’s life easier as she’s the one who does the stitching.
I venture outside to chop some wood. it’s so grim outside that once the fire’s lit I stay put and decide to work on upping my GarageBand game from the couch rather than going to the studio.
WE STAY in bed for longer than usual…but as well as chasing and drinking coffee I get all me emails and an bunch of social media stuff done.
My social posts about the magnetic bookmarks have generated some sales and as well as making up the orders I make a sample in faux/vegan leather…and one in a different colour of leather.
After chopping wood and sticks I head to the studio with the aim of sorting some archive video for Monday’s Wildcats’ livestream. All the hard drives are full though, so I need to clear out some of the video projects and render files before I can get on with the main task.
In between times I mess with the banjo – haven’t picked it up in ages – and record a wee riff that might end up being developed into a song.
I’m keen to start utilising some of the music/songwriting apps on iPhone and iPad to develop lyric, coal and guitar riff ideas and mess about a bit. GarageBand is still the go to app and ‘Ive never really explored it properly. After dinner I spend some time messing and learning…
As well as video promos for upcoming shows I make a wee fun clip of Never Going Back Again…
WE SLEEP in again…then I hit the studio.
Some more gig promo to be done for the February shows…and some posting of gig-specific promos too.
After the Mac in the studio updates I get on with some more work and make/edit a wee promo video for West Highland Way Gifts’ personalised leather bookmarks. It generates some orders!
I’v been messing around with Lindsay Buckingham’s Never Going Back Again – a highlight, for me, of Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours album. Dunno if I;ll ever try and sing/perform it, but I make a wee video of the guitar part for TikTok, reels and suchlike.
Back in the house I make some shredded Mexican beef in the instant pot and we have tacos for dinner…
