ONCE the routine stuff’s done I get into the office and finishthe paperweight stands for Will. I bend the acrylic into shape with a heat gun – knowing when they’re reached optimum flexibility before melting is key.
There’s some other stuff I wanna do and need to try and get my head round 3D design tools – specifically Nomad Sculpture on the iPad. It’s complicated and daunting and I don’t; really know where to start.
I try and follow some ‘crash course’ tutorials but, as usual, there are some initial hurdles that go unexplained and make things difficult. Or maybe it’s just me!
The Stirling Observer has run the story and photo I sent from the community hydro society. I use the clipping to create graphic and share it on the hydro’s socials. At the same time I’m reminded that none of my fellow board members ever share or like the posts so I send a reminder round the group email and bump my gums about how the hydro socials need traction and if they can’t like and. Share how can they expect anyone else to do so.
A courier drops off some locking tuners and power pins from music supplier Thomann so I set about fitting out the ‘Frankencaster’ acoustasonic that I put together as a ‘house guitar’.
It’s been a miserable day outside and I’ve not managed to get out for a walk or anything before I light a chimney full of charcoal and prepare the grill for Vietnamese beef.
The leather bookmarks are now on general sale here
THERE’S a bunch of the Conic Hill bookmarks to be finished for various pick ups and online orders that need to go out today. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the interest in them.
In between finishing stages I finish off some other orders and make progress on others.
I’m only just finished when a customer drops by to pick up a couple of the bookmarks and then I get a call to meet another customer in the village with a whole batch of them.
We need some shopping and I’d planned to go into Glasgow but by the time I have gig posters, album promo packs and various merch orders all packed up with postage labels I’m short of time so take them to Balloch and pick up the essentials.
Back home I finish off the promo work for next week’s release of Walk the Walk then Betty arrives to join us for dinner.
Packaging stickers and paper weight stands for Manson Glass…
A BIT of a rush to get over to the studio and set up for my first online session of the day.
We’re trying out an app called JackTrip to get around the audio latency using Zoom, A test at the weekend has both myself and my student optimistic that it’ll work.
It does, and we’re able to work much more closely.
As we finish the session my in-person guitar student rocks up. Right after she leaves I have another online session…then the lessons are done for the day.
I have a load of the bookmarks to get done and the positive has delivered some leather supplies so I get busy with that.
I also have an order in for a couple of sets of slate coasters and there’s a big batch of packaging stickers and paperweight stands to be done for son-in-law Will (Manson Glass). And, of course, everything’s urgent.
In between setting up machines and running jobs I get the smoker fired up and a bacon-wrapped pork loin on the go for tonight’s dinner…Barbara and Thorsten are coming along.
I make good progress on everything and even manage to get some radio promo done for next Friday’s release of Walk the Walk before our dinner guests arrive.
I’VE just finished a load of online stuff when a courier drops off an order of materials, including some clear acrylic.
Will needs a load of paperweight stands made up and I ran out of acrylic. After cutting the big sheets to size I set about making the stands.
In the studio I prepare a news release for next Friday’s (11 July) release of Walk the Walk. That also includes private streaming links and access to an assets folder with tagged .wav and .mp3 versions of the track, a lo-res preview version of the video, cover art and the news release. Phew.
My afternoon guitar student has brought this electric guitar so I take him to the studio for the lesson…tight for space, but I manage to squeeze him and his mum into the control room with me.
An email comes in from another Kickstarter backer in Germany…another package hasn’t shown up and sent it on 2 June. I check the tracking and – like the other one that has ‘gone missing’ – seems it hasn’t made it past our sorting office. I’ll send another package off tomorrow.
Finally I get ready for a paddle. Fiona rocks up and we spend a good hour or two on the loch.
The leather Conic Hill bookmark! Available to order here
A NEW trustee on the local community trust drops by to get a photo taken for the website then I get online for a session with a Zoom guitar student.
My OCD has me messing with potential finishes for the Conic Hill leather bookmark. I get a version I like and decide to make it available in the West Highland Way Gifts’ online store.
I have a load of other stuff to get through in the office and eventually get to the studio to prep for tonight’s Wildcats’ livestream on Facebook.
AFTER breakfast burritos in the garden I get busy with some work.
There’s some design and production considerations for a short run of bookmarks.
Before I start messing with artwork I need to known the format the customer would like…and also what kind of leather, faux leather etc he would like.
I outline some options and fire off an email then label up the replacement Kickstarter package to go to Germany.
In the studio I look out the window various ‘bits’ of the defunct acoustasonic and try matching things until I get a workable outcome.
It works and although the guitar couldn’t be sold with the drill mess at the neck joint it’s stable enough and everything works 🙂
I order a set of locking tuners and power points for the bridge.
A reply from the bookmark client gives me a heads up on design. I trawl through some photos I have of Conic Hill but none are suitable…it’s not windy so I stick the drone up and grab a snap to use as a reference for the graphics. I also snap an aerial pic of Balmaha bay.
Nice to catch up with Phyllis and a bunch of other folks at the village hall’s centenary event
AFTER our breakfast burritos– been a while since I made ’em – I get busy with emails and stuff.
A message from a Kickstarter backer in Germany tells me her reward package hasn’t shown up.
I investigate and see it was sent internationally tracked on 2 June…tracking shows it’s never made it past Glasgow! I can’t raise a claim until 20 days after latest promise delivery date (?!?!?) and experience tells me it can take 30 days more just to have the claim acknowledged.
It’s not the customer’s fault so I let them know what’s happened and get a replacement package sorted to go to the post office on Monday.
Our village hall has a 100th anniversary celebration event – not really my cup ’o tea but important to show some support – so I take a walk along. Margaret’s gonna drive so I’ll see her there.
I spend what turns out to be a nice hour or two catching up with folks then wander home.
In the studio I tackle the Still Friends compilation video that wouldn’t render yesterday. After a lot of trial and error I find one clip that’s causing the problem. A short 15-second clip from a show at Kilmaronock Old Kirk.
I reimported the video but the same thing happens so I end up having to replace it before re-doing the end credits sequence with lists all the venues in the video. I deleted it yesterday thinking that was what was causing the problem.
Upon done, I go back to the house light a chimney-full time touring musician, singer/songwriter of charcoal and prepared to make smash burgers for dinner. Nice.
A HYDRO Society board meeting first thing lasts the whole morning and is mostly productive.
After lunch I take the bus to the village to pick up a prescription and start walking back. I only get about 1/3-way home before the rain comes. Big style. I call Margaret and get a lift home.
There’s a few issues with Apple IDs, billing set up and family sharing so we spend a good while sorting it out with help from someone at Apple. The support is pretty good.
In the studio I carry on with my idea of compiling a load of live clips of Still Friends into one video. I wanna keep the original sound from each video rather than just use the images and edit to the studio version.
I get it pretty much done but for some reason there’s an issue trying to export the final movie.
No time to mess around any more tho’ as we’re going along to Betty’s to take down her kitchen curtains and pre-dinner aperitifs.
THE phone rings while I’m in the shower…it’s Forth Valley Hospital offering me a cancellation appointment at 11am.
My dentist referred me a few months ago ’cos they’ve been concerned about a ‘thing’ on my tongue for the last few years.
I have an online guitar student at 9am but nothing else in the diary for the rest of the morning. My usual in-person student can’t come this week.
Margaret drives to the hospital and I’m seen by a specialist who reckons all’s fine and nothing to worry about. Just keep an eye on it (my tongue, that is!).
The oil light’s coming on in the car just a month after a service and a very expensive oil leak fix. We call onto Arnold Clark in Stirling where they top up the oil and book the car in for a ‘software update’ next week.
Back home I cut the grass, do some trimming then continue video editing in the studio until an occasional student arrives for a session.
After the lesson I work on a new idea for a social media ad for live shows. I wanna get an ad up and running for September’s show at The Met in Bury.
AFTER breakfast I finish off a wee keyring I’ve made for Freya’s swimming locker.
In the studio I back up my daily blog posts and pix then start looking out live videos of Still Friends. I’ve had a notion to try editing together loadsa live clips and see how it looks.
A courier delivers an Anker (C1000X) solar generator that I ordered from Costco at a bargain price. It’ll be good for our summer festival camping…and indispensable during our frequent power cuts.
I’m keen to see if it’ll power our PA system and the Quad Cortex so I take it to the studio and try it out. No problem. And it looks like it could power the entire rig for 14 or 15 hours. And unlike a petroleum generator it’s silent.
I can see us getting hold of some solar panels to charge it!
After my late afternoon guitar student leaves I get out for a wander up the lochside.
Margaret comes home with some shopping which we put away then tackle some of the Still Friends video clips in the studio. It’s gonna be a bit of a fuddle but looks like it might work 🙂
