View from Eshaness

A teaser photo for more landscape shots which I'll try and upload tomoro. We drove up to Eshaness today and spent some time walking through sheep poo to look at muckle big rock formations and go ooh and ah a lot.

More Skooty Alan

The living room and dining area. Being able to cook our own meals and sit round a table for a couple of days has been so good after a week of living out of a minibus.

Home baking

A batch of mini scones baked here at our wee hoose. They're totey wee because I had to cut them with an egg cup.
This has led to some discussion on the spelling of 'totey'.

Skooty Alan

Our self-catering flat's lovely kitchen

The Booth, Scalloway

I finally have a little bit of internet time with access to a keyboard (and not a phone handset) so it's the perfect opportunity to actually do a proper little bit of blogging.

I'm having an amazing time on this tour! It's completely knackering, but it's brilliant fun. There is no daily routine, other than:

• Get in minibus
• Travel for 4-6 hours along a variety of road types from motorway right down to single track
• Stop for supplies somewhere in the middle of nowhere
  
• Arrive at venue and nab a corner somewhere near a mirror
• Mooch about a bit
• Maybe get some food
• Maybe play with someone's dog
• Talk nonsense while putting on Vast Amounts of Make Up (VAMU)
  
• Do The Show
• Take Off VAMU (takes a good 20 minutes and a bit of turps)
  
• Pack up after the show
• Watch everyone else get drunk while I (far too sensibly) stick to fizzy water or (worse) herbal tea
• Have some nice person in the bar compliment me on my act once they realise which one I am by process of elimination and realise I look different without my VAMU
  
• Pack everything back in the van sometime around 1-2 am
• Bomb along a country road to The Accommodation with most of the crew completely steaming
• Get to bed sometime around 1.30 - 3.30am
• Get up sometime around 6 - 8 am
• Repeat from top ad infinitum (or until 25th April)

So far my favourite venue has been The Gable End on Hoy in the Orkney Islands, mainly because I made great pals with the above mentioned dog (who then very kindly pooped just inside our dressing room door, either as a token of affection, or as a post-modern commentary on Deirdre the usherette's "free shite" dispensation).

Today is a day off in Shetland so I've taken the opportunity to visit the Booth artist's studio in Scalloway, and also to give a couple of my costumes a quick wash (yep, they certainly were starting to need it!). We might go a local gig tonight where Quinn might do an impromptu acoustic set. Tomorrow we fly back to Orkney, where we have another day off (Skara Brae seems to be a popular request) then on Monday we make the long, long, long minibus journey home to Glasgow. I'll be amusing myself on that leg by using my sewing kit to "let out" Doreen Percy's pink summer dress a little (she's a chesty lady, and the strain is starting to show)

God Save The Quinn

Eine finger auf caramel...

Jazzbadger!

Dig the set man

Fairpak Convention

Kirkwall Airport

Took the short flight from Orkney to Shetland today for the last gig in this leg of the tour. It was an early start after a late night as we were at the mercy of the ferry schedule.
I'm now sitting in the snooker room at the Legion, watching the chaps play a game to pass the time- we can't soundcheck till the Bingo's finished...

Snooker Loopy

Passing time in the Legion, Lerwick, while we await the end of the Bingo

Kirkwall Airport

That's about it...

Gable End - Interior

I'm starting to forget which photos I've already uploaded, so stop me if you've heard this one before, so to speak.

Gable End Theatre

Robert Henderson, jazz legend

Say cheese

IKB on the decks!

Isambard Kingdom Brunel

Backstage at Gable End

Cabin des poopieres

Orkney's first lottery funded lavvy

Minibus pastimes

Praying to the catholic god of tourism

Inside the Italian Chapel on Orkney

Italian Chapel

Best venue ever

We're back in the minibus on the way to the Orkney ferry, and it's time to catch up on last night.
Lyth is a brilliant little venue, owned by a retired jazz musician who lives in the adjoining house. There's also a self catering house,, a true home from home with bathrobes and a fully stocked fridge. We had a great breakfast cooked by Stephen 'Eggs in the Morning' Westwater.

I love it here- really hope I can come back someday.

Future attraction at Lyth

Definitely going to get back up here for this one.

Skye

View from the hotel. Unbelievably beautiful

Highland Clearances Memorial

A Pee Sandwich on Badger

... And a side of Norman Percy, of course.

Couple o Percys

Vegas baby!

We think Dalwhinnie could be improved by an exchange trip to import some showgirls and casino tables to liven up the services area (though they do very good coffee and toasties).

Gambolling

My grand blogging plans have come undone somewhat as I foolishly didn't anticipate the lack of a 3G signal at the Back of Beyond. So this is a quick catch up from the M9.
I also didn't anticipate how tiring travelling the length of the country two days running on four hours sleep would be! It's going to be a hard fortnight.

Doreen Percy

Relaxing on the veranda

Backstage at Tromolo

East Grange