WE’VE a triple birthday party on Glasgow tomorrow (Saturday) night and I decided to make keyrings for Terry, Shaun and Kenny.
I cut and engraved them yesterday so today it’s dyeing the leather and getting them to Margaret to sew up. I also develop the magnetic leather bookmark – a prototype for which won second prize at the local flower show.
After lunch I cut up and marinade some beef to do Vietnamese beef on the grill tonight…Jon and Maggi are coming for the night.
I spend some time in the studio working on guitar and song ideas then go back to help Margaret get the place sorted for our visitors.
We have a great night for food and chat…and Jon and I sit up late putting the music world to rights. Again.
AFTER cutting the tent pole section to size and rethreading the whole thing I get back on track with the regular stuff.
It’s a nice day so I take the laptop outside and spend a while adding new products to the West Highland Way Gifts’ online store.
After lunch I cast a batch of Celtic heart pendants and a couple of Loch Lomond ones…then I hit the studio to edit up a wee promo video. Not just for selling/promoting the new products, but also to let folks know I can take one-off commissions and have them ready in good time for Christmas.
Margaret comes home with the shopping and after it’s all away I finish the video and post it round some socials before we wander along to Betty’s for dinner.
MARGARET’s sorted a couple of dates in the north of England for late October so I start work on a news release.
I don’t send the resulting info out as there’s still the possibility another date or two – if they get confirmed I don’t wanna leave them out of the publicity material and news release. I’ll hang off ’til Friday.
I’m also trying to arrange a press pic to go with a news release for the local community hydro scheme…and gather quotes from award beneficiaries. It’s like herding cats!
Back in the house I make some wrap[s to take out on the loch for lunch. I’m meeting Fiona on the water.
We stop on Clairinch for lunch then paddle on to Port Bawn and back home round Inchcailloch.
I spend the afternoon sorting out mercy for my online store and get my new Dave Arcari/Devil May Care badges on sale.
After dinner I finally get round to sorting out the replacement tent pole – the kit arrived weeks ago and has been sitting for a while. After measuring I find I need to cut one of the fibreglass sections before putting in a shock cord. I’ll deal with that tomorrow. Meantime, I use some of the old pole sections to make a folding pole for my backdrop.
FIRST job of the day is getting news release and photos together for the local community hydro scheme. I joined the board earlier in the year and comms/PR is an area I can make a worthwhile contribution.
I have some personal gifts I want to get made for the weekend and they involve a bit of design. I spend a good hour or so in the office getting things done.
Late afternoon I have a young student coming for her second lesson. She’s a bright kid and, so far, pretty enthusiastic 🙂
Keen to encourage the butternut squash plants to climb I break down some pallets to make trellises. I’m just finishing off when Sandy drops by with a load of home grown veg…including a huge marrow! We have a blether and a coffee in the garden then I get back to work.
In the evening we go to a meeting about potential community ownership and uses for the local church which is set rot close in the next 18 mo nth or so. I walk there and back then grill the pinchitos for dinner…
IT’S a nice day so I plan to pick up my bike in Doune after a session with my regular Monday morning Zoom guitar student.
The bike’s been in for some repairs and a service and was ready last week – I’d arrange duo pick up (and pay!) tomorrow (Tuesday) but I have some time and weather’s good…so I check it’s OK with them and get Margaret to drive me over.
I enjoy the 25-mile cycle ride home, especially the third or so avoiding roads.
There’s another guitar lesson, then the livestream, then back to the house for dinner.
After we’ve eaten I ‘activate’ the landing page on my website promoting the November tour dates, set up Facebook events for each then put together some promo blurbs and other stuff for Margaret to send to the venues.
MIKEY heads off soon after breakfast and I get on with some odd jobs…
First, I fix the gate – a kinda temporary fix until we can get some more serious stuff done – and then tack up the Openreach cable that’s been hanging over a window for the past wee while.
In the studio I mess with ideas for poster and social media artwork for November’s Scottish tour. My special guest on the shows is Ismo Haavisto from Finland.
I get it all done and ready to go – and set up ticketing to go live at 8pm tomorrow (Monday) night when I’ll announce the dates and stuff in my Wildcats’ livestream.
Next I spend some time working on some new guitar ideas the go back to the house and set up the grill for some marinaded lamb…and the pizza oven for the flatbreads…
UP AT a decent time to meet Fiona out on the loch for a paddle.
Turns out better weather than we expect and we have a grand paddle round the islands. I’m pretty burst when I get back to the house but a couple of pints of ribena and a shower see me come back to life.
Catriona and the kids drop by for a visit and we go t feed the ducks then Mikey arrives – he’s staying the weekend.
In the studio I try and sort out my TikTok shop – it’s not straightforward and I’m getting a bit frustrated!
AN order for some Ben Lomond fridge magnets came in from the West Highland Way Gifts website last night so I get them underway first thing.
Margaret’s off into Glasgow to meet some pals for lunch and I get busy in the studio pulling together the digital album discography bundle for some of my Kickstarter backers. It takes a lot longer than I expect and the resulting folder – even when zipped – is too big to send to folks individually via wetransfer or similar services and I don’t have space in my Dropbox account, so I set up a download link and password on my own server and send it out to the relevant backers.
I get the fridge magnets finished off and packed to go in first class post tomorrow (Saturday) then work on some new guitar ideas in the studio.
Our pals Alastair and Karen are coming tonight and pizza’s on the menu so I get the dough balled up and some other prep done in good time before they arrive. Margaret’s doing a ravioli starter and a desert, so the kitchen’s busy!
OFF to the school in Balloch for my first music session with some kids this academic year.
Nice to see everyone and the session goes great, Good to be there first thing rather than the lunchtime timing last session which kinda split my day.
Back home I make a bunch of product videos using the (record) turntable – I was gonna buy something on Amazon then realised I could likely use what I have! it’s a bit of a skiddle but I get Something knocked up that’ll do the job.
I have an in-person guitar student mid afternoon then get back to the studio and edit my product videos – some for my own merch, and some for West Highland Way Gifts’ stuff.
AFTER a hectic few days I allow myself a (slight) lie in…then a bit of a mad scrabble to get ready for a mid-morning Zoom guitar session.
An order for a load of West Highland Way trekking flasks came in from the Netherlands the other day and I needed more ‘blanks’. They arrived yesterday so I get on with the production.
After lunch I get Margaret to drive me to the village to pick up a prescription then walk home. Nice to get some fresh air and a walk.
Then it’s back on ‘production’ – then packing…and there’s a special Glasgow show in October to get posted online.
I’ve just locked up the office for the night when I notice an Etsy order coming in for a leather keyfob. Luckily I have that design in stock so I open up the office and pack it up to go in first class post in the morning.
