ONCE the routine stuff’s out the way I get the bike out and take a ride to the village.
I have some stuff to drop off for Paul who’s opening a new coffee shop. We have a coffee and blether for a while then I cycle home.
The chain could do with a clean and some lube..and my gear’s are crunching so I leave the bike out to give some TLC later.
After lunch I check to see what West Highland Way Gifts’ stuff I need to add to my stock for Sunday’s event in Drymen.
I take some time to work on the bike but end up getting the chain stuck between the rear wheel and lowest gear cog. No time to sort now ‘cos I need to start prep for dinner…Betty’s coming to Jon us for butternut squash, smoked cheese and sage filo tart….
I edit up a video blog covering our flying visit to Berlin…
BURST again, but too much to do to lie around in bed.
I get some of the gear and merch tidied up and put away before my first Zoom guitar student then I start dumping the video from the Berlin trip into the video editor.
After lunch I start editing the Berlin video blog – or ‘vlog’ – and sort some merch orders that have come in.
I’m still editing when it’s time for another Zoom session with a guitar student…there’s just half an hour after that to finish the edit and get set up for the 8pm livestream. I wanna spin the video into this evening’s program.
I must have inadvertently done something to the audio interface because when I switch mics during my livestream the levels are all way too hot and the sound all distorted. I revert to plan B and finish the stream then close up the studio and go back to the house.
Our pals Billy and Dorothy are staying int he village tonight with some family and friends and pop up to see us We have a grand couple of hours catching up and making arrangements to see them again soon.
HAVING not got back to the hotel ’til 2.30am it’s no surprise we’re knackered. Just as well breakfast is ’til 11am!
Margaret also arranged a late checkout when we got back after the gig, so we’ve got the room ’til 2pm.
There’s a fair bit of re-jigging all our stuff. My gig stuff all got thrown in different bags, one guitar needs detuned and the other ‘collapsed’..and the mercy is all mixed up.
We check out at 2pm as planned and get a taxi to the airport which is about 40 minutes’ away. The promoted have paid for all out taxis, accommodation and everything!
Our flight back to Edinburgh isn’t ’til 9.40pm so there’s a fair bit of hanging around the airport. Coffee, cake…a little work followed by check in and bag drop then some dinner. The time passes pretty quick, even if our flight departure is delayed a little.
At Edinburgh airport we have to wait about 45 minutes for the bags to arrive and buy the time we’re home it’s after 2am…
AFTER a good breakfast at the hotel we go out sightseeing. Good to have time for a look around.
First stop is the Brandenburg Gate followed by the holocaust memorial, Checkpoint Charlie and some other historic spots along ‘the wall’.
We have a sandwich back at the hotel then a taxi to the venue – Capitol – which is a half-hour ride away.
Things are running a little late and I don’t get soundchecked until after all the merch is set up,
The backstage area is extremely well serviced with loads of food and drinks. We hang out for a while with the other band and special guest Mark Evans – original bassist with AC/DC who played on the first three legendary albums.
Sound on stage is a little weird but my show goes good and we sell a good load of merch.
The promoters sort a taxi and we’re back at the hotel at 2.30am. Burst.
Good to get the chance for some Berlin sightseeing 🙂
MOST of the packing was sorted last night so we don’t have too much of a panic getting ready to leave for the .
We arrive at Edinburgh airport on time and get checked in for our flight to Berlin. Security is a bit of hassle as they demand everything is taken out of my Pedaltrain bag and the Quad Cortex put in a tray on it’s own.
The flight is delayed by an hour and with the time change it after 6pm when we land – then a 40-minute taxi ride to our hotel in the city centre.
After unpacking and a wee bit of research he head out to a taco restaurant just five minutes walk from the hotel – Tacorino.
Turns out to be great choice. Margaret has chicken tacos, I have beef and we share a quesadilla. All are great. Add in the best margaritas according to Margaret and a couple of exceptional alcohol-free beers and we have a grand evening.
Leather patches and wristbands finished off for the merch table in Berlin…
ALL the raw leather merch is ready for dyeing and finishing…and I make a start on it before we head into Glasgow for our optician appointments.
It’s lunchtime before we’re back and after finishing off the leather dyeing I hit the studio and start working on the Quad Cortex patches for Saturday’s show. First up, my various guitar patches ned a bit of tweaking then levels matched and some other adjustments to maximise the sound I picked up from finally reading the manual!
Margaret comes to the studio to listen through and give her nod of approval then we getting back to packing and the merch. We leave at 10am tomorrow morning and still a load of stuff to do!
MY THURSDAY morning guitar student is coming today this week…I get some leather patches and bracelets underway in the office before she arrives.
Once the lesson is done I hit the studio and rehearse my set for Saturday nights show in Berlin then it’s back to the office not sort out merch for the trip. I also have to finish some artwork for some custom leather key fobs.
Later in the afternoon I head out for a wander up the lochside, do a couple of impromptu livestreams then carry on merch production when I get back. Still chaps to get finished before we fly to Berlin on Friday…
WE’RE off into Glasgow early. I drop Margaret off then take the car to have the windows tinted at Pentagon on the south side. This is the fifth vehicle I’ve had them do.
The car’ll take about three hours and I take a walk into the city centre. First stop is McDonalds for coffee and wifi. I get a fair bit of work done own my phone then wander to the bank and on to pick up some odourless garlic tablets for Margaret to see if they help stop the mosquitos biting her…particularly in Estonia where we go in August.
The car’s ready before midday and they’ve done a great job with the windows. I drive up to Chung Ying for some shopping, Costco for more shopping and lunch then on to Tesco. Good to get the week’s shopping out the way.
UP at the crack of dawn to get the sourdough in the oven,…Margaret’s under the weather and tried to get some more sleep.
I have a special earring order to make up and then start designing a leather patch before my first Zoom guitar student of the day.
Back in the office, I realise my patch design is a little more complex than I first thought…and my efforts are thwarted by a few computer crashes.
After lunch I edit the video for the final two songs from the Memorial Hall show to spin into tonight’s Wildcats’ livestream. Then it’s back to prototype the patch before another Zoom session with a guitar student.
When I get back to the house after the livestream Betty’s dropped in and hangs out for some dinner.
It’s kinda damp and drizzly so we take a gazebo and mange to get set up in good time for the 10am start.
Despite the weather we have a grand few hours, sell some stuff and meet some new friends. Also looks like the old Kirk might be a great venue for a future acoustic show…watch this space.
We’re home mid-afternoon and have a late lunch then I get busy editing some video in the studio. Margaret’s been feeling crap so goes for a nap.
Later on we have dinner in front of the telly and watch our pal Bill’s livestream from Florida.
