Apple Pencil is a game-changer 🙂
I WAKE up to a dozen or so emails from a web client – she’s forwarding security notifications and worried her website’s been hacked.
I have a dig about and find it’s automatic updates to the her website’s XML sitemap which is triggering the alerts. I create an exception to avoid the notifications and send her a message telling her all’s OK snd not to worry. Still, that’s an hour of my morning gone already…but she’s a good client and I don’t want to charge her.
Margaret’s embarking on a fitness program, so I head out with her and am glad to get some fresh air for half an hour. Everywhere’s still shut for the Easter weekend so things are a little more relaxed today.
In the studio I revisit the song idea I’ve been banging around for the last week. It’s on the short side, so really needs another verse and maybe a wee instrumental bit. Think I’ll wait ’til I do a songwriting livestream and get some feedback from folks while coming up with that…might be a useful experiment.
Dunno if it’s last night’s red wine excess or the fresh air earlier, but I’m knackered by late afternoon. Margaret takes a walk along to see Betty and I get some more practice in with the Apple pencil. Still infatuated with it! I download a vector drawing iPad app called Graphic which, especially when used with the pencil, is another amazing revelation.
Another air fryer experiment – I don’t usually do anything to the tofu (other than press it) before putting it in a green curry, but I decide to air fry it first. Comes out great texture, but overall the resulting curry is a bit salty. Think it must be the soy sauce in the marinade for the tofu on our next trip into the Chinese cash’n’carry.
[adsenseyu1]
Amazing tool for working out where the light’s coming from – I go back at 7.15pm to take my pix of the hall!
WE’RE not long finished breakfast when Betty and Joe drop by for a coffee.
Joe’s interested in getting an iPad and I recommend and iPad AIr 2 – it’s long been the best iPad other than the ‘pro’ versions which would be overkill for what he wants. Turns out to be perfect timing as Apple have announced a new iPad (just named “iPad”) to be made available soon, so there’s some great refurbed iPad Air 2’s via Apple. The Air 2 is lighter than the new model and more than adequate for Joe’s needs.
I’ve talked them into ordering one before they leave…I think it’ll be a game-changer for them – along the lines of their switch from PC to Mac a few years ago 🙂
I’ve got a buyer for the Zoom multi-track recorder so I get it parcelled up and take it to the post office, and plan to take some photos of the Memorial Hall (for possible album art) en route, but the car park’s full of road maintenance vehicles and the sun’s in the wrong place!
Back home I find a great online tool for working out sun angles in specific places called Photographer’s Ephemeris – it lets me work out exactly when IO need to go back to the hall to get the light I want! The desktop version is free – try it here – and they do an iOS and Android app version (paid for) too. Works a treat. I’ll go back at 7.15pm.
I get busy with other bits of planned artwork for the forthcoming album and re-string the Lowden F32 acoustic guitar I have for sale on Gumtree.
Just after 7pm I head back to Memorial Hall to take pix…I’ve just moved some bins out of shot and got set up when the Masons – who use the hall on a Monday night – start arriving. Jeez. Ah well…I manage a few snaps. And in hindsight it might be better to do them even later.
Been curious if tofu can replace our usual chicken in a green curry and tonight’s the night to try it. The tofu press is put into action – it is an amazing thing and has improved our tofu dishes tenfold. It’s so good I bought one for our pals Martyn and Louise. Check it out on Amazon here 🙂
The green curry – even with cauliflower rice – is amazing. Definitely gonna use tofu in it again.
[adsenseyu1]
No belly pork, so I fill the hirata buns with caramelised tofu, quick-pickled cucumber and chilli/spring onion sauce….
I’VE got the job of taking the car into the garage and drop it off in Maryhill just after 9am then walk into town.
It’s a lovely day again, but really cold. I’m glad of my bunnet and hood as I make my way for a coffee and wifi.
I get quite a lot of work done and then revisit the Instagram thing. I’m not convinced that creating the ad via Facebook is the best route and the stats aren;t very good. I cancel the Facebook ad and boost the post – same photo – from within Instagram. It’s a lot easier to set up…let’s see what happens…
The garage calls around midday to say the car’s ready and I wander back to pick it up, stop for a few bits of shopping then make my way home.
There’s a bunch of merch orders to pack up and some other stuff to get busy with before I try and learn some lyrics and get my ‘influences’ set together for Saturday’s unplugged show in Kirriemuir.
The fire’s roaring and it’s nice and warm when I head to the kitchen and prepare dinner – steamed hirata (bao) buns. Theres no pork belly so I slice up some tofu and dry it in cornflower before caramelising it with ginger, garlic, chillies, spring onions, rice vinegar, soy sauce and fish sauce. While the buns are in the steamer I quick-pickle some cucumber and make a chilli and spring onion sauce. They’re good. Probably even better than my normal recipe using pork belly.
After we eat we get a little more work done then open a bottle of red and chill for a while.
[adsenseyu1]
