ANOTHER early start into Glasgow for the AMEE medical education conference at the SECC.
All goes smoothly and I’m done by early afternoon.
I stop off to pick some stuff up, visit Tiso’s for a new pair of walking boots, hit Costco for some shopping and lunch and make it home just in time for a new guitar student arriving. She’s only eight but dead keen 🙂
As soon as I’m through we head to Dundee. I drop Margaret off at the DCA to meet Maureen, Edith and Meg for dinner and I hit Tesco then got to the Manchurian for some (excellent) dim sum.
I go back to the DCA and have drink with Margaret and her pals then drive home…
THE alarm goes off at 6am so I can get my wholemeal sourdough in the oven in time for breakfast. But after heating the oven I realise I put the sourdough in the fridge on Saturday evening…and neglected to shape it and put it in a floured cloth within the bowl.
I tip it out, shape it and put it in the floured cloth and it’s back in the fridge ’til tomorrow. Shop-bought bread this morning.
A message from Eileen lets me know I don’t need to cover anything at the SEC ’til the plenary session at 11am – that means I should be there by 10.30am so I have a stress-free drive into town and have plenty time to get set up.
The day goes well and I’m finished and on the way home before 5pm.
We have a good few hours in the car park at Balmaha accompanied nay Anna’s cat Skye 🙂
UP EARLY to get the gazebos, tables and all our stuff to Balmaha Visitor Centre car park for our wee market.
It’s just Anna (Tropic) and us (West Highland Way Gifts)…and Anna’s cat Skye who proves a real hit with passers by!
There’s a good few folks round from when we open at 10am. I have to ;leave at 3pm to get to Glasgow for the first part of a three day photo job at the SEC for a big medical education conference.
I take the gazebos down and take them home leaving Anna and Margaret to run things for another hour.
In Glasgow I hook up with conference communications manager Eileen and spend a couple hours grabbing some pix then home to grill some marinaded lamb and make pizza dough flatbreads in the Ooni….
UP at the crack of dawn to get some ‘craft’ entries along to the flower show by the entry deadline.
I get there in time and get a chat with some local pals then go back home for breakfast.
There’s still a load of products to be finished and packaged for tomorrow’s (Sunday) market stall in Balmaha car park, so I have a busy morning before walking back to the village hall for the main flower show event.
Nice tips ee so many folks out and loads of entries in a wide variety of categories – flowers, plants, veg, baking, crafts and more. My magnetic leather bookmark has taken second prize in a special ‘bookmarks’ category and my pewter Loch Lomond pendant has second prize in one of the other craft categories.
I walk back home and get back on the case with the West Highland Way Gifts’ stuff and take a break to ball up the pizza dough for tonight… Margaret gives Betty a call to see if she’d like to join us. She does 🙂
A message comes in from Catriona. Her pal’s sister is involved in a big medical conference at the SEC in Glasgow and urgently needs a photographer tomorrow (Sunday) early evening, Monday and Tuesday. We make contact and arrange the job 🙂 It’s gonna be hectic tho’ – and I need to re-jig the diary for Monday and part of Tuesday…
Grand time playing my Edinburgh festival fringe show at the Scottish Arts Club…
I HAVE a really crazy morning working on West Highland Way Gifts’ products for Sunday’s market stall in Balmaha…and also getting a couple of things finished to enter into the flower show tomorrow.
In between times I sort gear and pack the car for the Edinburgh festival fringe show at the Scottish Arts Club.
It’s a mad panic to get on the road – showtime is 4.30pm – and things are made even more stressful when we get stuck behind two tractors. Margaret tells me to go to sleep and she’ll worry about getting us there in time. She does 🙂
I’m loaded in, set up and changed with three or four minutes spare. I’m pleasantly surprised at the turnout, especially given the odd time for the show. the place is about 3/4 full.
After load out we go for a drink with Linda – one of Margaret’s old school pals she hadn’t seen for nearly fifty years – then home, dinner and some more work on stuff for tomorrow!
First job is sorting out a set list for tomorrow (Friday) afternoon’s show at the Scottish Arts Club. It’s a 4.30pm show which is kinda weird…but such is Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
There’s a lot of West Highland Way Gifts’ stuff in various stages off production for Sunday’s market table at Balmaha visitor centre car park.
In between times I have a guitar student late afternoon…then it’s back on production. Still a lot to do before Sunday.
I HAVE a guitar student coming first thing and Margaret’s off for an appointment at a dental place in Glasgow.
After the guitar lesson is done I update the meal plan and shopping list for Margaret then start pay the invoice for the Devil May Care red vinyl pressing. Ouch!
Now I have the Kickstarter backers’ pins I gather some of pledgers’ address info and start packing the signed CDs and pins. Kickstarter doensn’t provide backers’ addresses so I ‘m reliant on them replying to the ‘survey’ sent out for each reward tier and supplying their address etc.
In the office I carry on with West Highland Way Gifts’ stuff for Sunday’s m market table in Balmaha. New design leather wristbands, leather key fobs, fridge magnets, wooden ‘hangers’ and then I cast some loch pendants and pins.
Then it’s time to head to the Clachan in the village for Margaret’s birthday dinner. We have a grand evening 🙂
A CALL from the bike place tells me all the work – and costs – of sorting my bike. A bit heavier than I expected but if it needs done…
They also mentioned that I didn’t leave the battery key. I took it in my pocket but forgot all about it…however, when I go to find it there’s only a biscuit wrapper in the jacket pocket. I musta lost it. Doh!
Luckily there’s one on my keyring and I also have the key serial number –I find a place online and order a couple of spares.
All the assets for the production f the red vinyl edition of Devil May Care are ready and checked so get sent off to the pressing plant. Hoping they’ll be ready in time for the UK dates in November.
In the office I make up a list of West Highland Way Gifts‘ stock and start a wee run of products I want to have on the ‘market table’ in Balmaha on Sunday.
It’s Margaret’s birthday tomorrow (Wednesday) and I need to make a card and finish off the wee heart necklace I’ve made for her. I also call a nearby restaurant and reserve a table for tomorrow evening for dinner.
I get some work done int he studio then go out for a walk top the lochside for the first time in what seems like ages.
Tell Me, Baby from my weekly livestream into may Facebook group…
STRAIGHT into the studio for a session with one of my Zoom guitar students…then it’s onto label design and artwork for the forthcoming red vinyl edition of Devil May Care.
Once again, takes longer than I expect as I start tinkering with alternative ideas!
There’s some merch prototypes to be worked on in the studio then another guitar Zoom guitar session.
Then it’s straight into my Wildcats’ livestream into my Facebook group…all goes well and I use the Acoustacaster for the entire show!
The kids do well on their bikes..stabilisers off soon I reckon 🙂
I WAKE up early and find both Aaron and Freda in the bed with us! Margaret takes them downstairs for breakfast and I get myself sorted.
After breakfast we take the kids to the park on their bikes and Catriona gets back. We have a quick coffee with her then head for home.
Margaret goes for a nap and I spend some time working on stuff for next Sunday’s market beside the Balmaha visitor centre car park. Half way through he Dremel seems to gear up to it’s highest speed and the regulator stops working. Bah. That’s not good as the high speed settings aren’t much good for my needs.
I knock up red beans and rice for dinner and we have a fairly chilled evening.
