FIRST job of the day is to finish a custom leather keyfob – a gift for a pal. It’s his birthday today and I promised a key fob based on his favourite guitar – a cherry red Gibson ES335.
After doing a little work on a single release plan for another pal…then I make up a batch of pizza dough with the poolish I made yesterday. Dough will be ready for pizza tomorrow (Saturday) night 🙂
The rest of the day is spent finishing of a few items for the for tomorrow…my pal Anna has invited me too take some West Highland Way Gifts’ stuff to her open house coffee morning/afternoon.
There’s an order in for some signed gig posters which I prepare and pack ready for the postie to pick up in the morning.
GLAD I had the foresight to call the school yesterday and call off this morning’s session – feeling a bit better, but still not really up to it.
Margaret’s still feeling lousy too and we have a rest up…then a late breakfast before Margaret heads to the optician.
I get busy with some West Highland Way Gifts’ stuff for Saturday’s event at Anna’s..and do some work in the studio.
One of my young guitar students arrives and we have good session in the studio then I go back to the house and start prep for tonight’s enchiladas…Betty’s coming for dinner 🙂
Feed a cold, starve a fever…these short ribs should do the trick!
JEEZ – the lurgy’s back with a vengeance. Thought its was long gone.
I call the dentist to let them know incase they don’t want me to go for my filling later this morning but they’/re happy for me too. Fair enough. Feeling crap tho’ and Margaret’s got it too so I let the folks at the Scottish Music Centre we won’t make their social event in Glasgow this evening. I doubt folks would appreciate our germs.
I also call the school in Balloch to give them a heads up that I probably shouldn’t go tomorrow (Thursday).
After my filling I head up the lochside to sort out a computer/email issue for someone…they’re desperate, so I don’t cancel, but keep my distance. Luckily I have things sorted in just a few minutes.
Back home I get the smoker fired up and put some b beef short ribs in the pit – they’ll likely take around seven hours. I’m pretty gubbed and crash for a few hours.
I feel mildly better when I wake up and head out to the office to cast some items for Saturday’s open house/coffee morning at Anna’s where we’ll both have stuff for sale…Anna’s Tropic range and my West Highland Way Gifts‘ stuff.
The ribs are ready by 8pm and we enjoy them with some mash and homemade BBQ sauce.
I launch a time-limited Christmas offer…click the pic to claim it!
THE alarm goes off and I go through my usual ‘wake up’ routine. Coffee, emails, socials and post some reels and a TikTok short.
After breakfast I have a guitar student at the house then I get some work done in the studio.
Back in the house for lunch I decide to launch a Christmas offer – a free CD copy of Devil May Care with every vinyl order.
I spend the afternoon with my pal Kevin discussing ideas for his upcoming single release. Once we’re done Margaret and I head to the village hall for a community trust meeting.
It’s well after 9pm when we have dinner then I spend some time planning a drop-in coffee morning for the weekend at my pal Anna’s featuring her Tropic gifts and some of my creations.
THE lurgy has struck. A shite night’s sleep and I’m feeling crap. Need to get it to-gather tho’ – a busy day ahead.
After my first Zoom guitar student I work through the photos from yesterday’s Christmas tree switch on and festive fair. I’m surprised at how the pix turned out given the lack of light. I make some of the shots into a wee slideshow for the local community trust’s social media and post it around.
I have a few online orders to make and pack up – some for Dave Arcari stuff…and one for West Highland Way Gifts. I take a break when my usual Monday afternoon student arrives with her dad.
Then it’s back to the studio to prep for tonight’s Wildcats’ livestream on Facebook, another Zoom guitar session…then the livestream.
Back in the office I finish the merch orders and print postage labels then we have Margaret’s excellent lasagne…and some more work ’til after midnight.
DESPITE having loads to do we still have a long lie!
Once we get up I get busy with finishing off some more West Highland Way Gifts‘ stuff to replenish what I sold in Drymen yesterday…
We need to be at the village hall mid-afternoon to set up so everything’s a little frantic. I wanna grab some pix of the whole event for the community trust that’s behind the event.
When we arrive I start by putting my banner up…the pole goes through the bottom of the stand, the banner recoils and rips itself to pieces. Fuck sake. Not a great start!
I manage to get everything set up by the time the Christmas tree light’s go on and I manage to capture events on film despite the very low light.
Despite the dodgy start, I sell a decent amount of stuff and have a grand evening…the whole event is a success 🙂
UP EARLY to finish off packing West Highland Way Gifts’ stuff for Drymen Primary School’s festive fair at Drymen Village Hall. Need to be there by 9.15am to set up for 10am doors opening.
I have a good morning, enjoy seeing other folks’ stuff, chatting and making some sales. Margaret’s away all morning babysitting in Doune and picks me – and all my stuff up – after the event finishes at 2pm.
We stop off at our local village hall and I drop Maragret to help get things set up for tomorrow’s Christmas tree lights switch on and family festive fair. I head home and finish off some more West Highland Way Gifts products – I have a table at tomorrow’s event too!
I also need to try and make stuff to replenish stock sold today…and a couple of new ideas/one-off items!
We have a grand evening at the Hard Rock Cafe, Glasgow with Lynette, Evie, Owen, April, Andy and Paul…
WE SLEEP in a bit then I have a panic getting set up for a Teams meeting with one of the Help Musicians folks. I prefer Zoom to Teams, but for once I manage to get it all working in time.
Then it’s another ‘production; session for West Highland Way Gifts’ stock before it’s time to head into Glasgow…first stop, T Shirt Cat to pick up some t-shirts from Kenny. An emergency additional order!
The weather is terrible driving into Glasgow – really foggy and freezing. And to cap it all neither of our mobiles are working. Something strange going on with the network I reckon.
Next stop, city centre to meet Paul, Lynette, Owner and Evie…Paul’s invited us to join them for dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe as a surprise for US-based musician Andy Lindquist and his wife April who’re on holiday in Scotland.
We have a grand evening, drop Andy and April off at their hotel and make for home. Our mobiles are working again and after check online I find that Three has indeed had a nationwide-outage.
OFF to the school in Balloch first thing…nice sunny day, but cold and frosty.
When I get back home late morning I head straight in to the office to carry on West Highland Way Gifts‘ production for this weekend’s events.
A lot o the sanding and finishing has to be done outside as I have no space or dust extraction in the office..and it’s fucking freezing!!
A message tells mew the rechargeable 9v batteries and charger I ordered on Amazon for the Acoustasonic guitar have been delivered. No they haven’t – no delivery vans been anywhere close. Online tracking says ‘left in a safe place’….order itself says ‘handed to resident and signed for by Dave Arcari’. Hermes are clearly shite.
Further delving into Evri finds a map and picture of the package left on a nearly doorstep (hardly a ‘safe place’!). Ah well, at least I have ’em.
Merch production carries on into the mid-evening until the cold forces me back tot he house..and dinner.
Great lunchtime paddle with Fiona…pic by Thorsten from his canoe…
STRAIGHT into the office to get some Christmas ornaments on the go…then off to the dentist in the village.
I need to go back next week for a filling. A quick stop at the chemist to pick up a prescription then back home.
In the office I keep production running then make a sandwich and get ready for a paddle. Fiona and Thorsten rock up and off we go – Fiona and I on SUP and Thorsten in his inflatable kayak.
We head up to Port Bawn at the far end of Inchcailloch and have lunch and coffee then paddle back. Windy and choppy in places, but a great paddle all the same.
In between product production in the office I jump in the shower and get things ready for the local hydro society AGM tonight.
I realise I need to check stock of West Highland Way Gifts’ stuff so I can work out what I might need for the weekend’s events. That’s a bit of a job!
Matragret’s off to Betty’s for a ‘ladies’ dinner and I have the hydro AGM. All good…then back home for dinner and chill for a while before Margaret gets back.
