August 2013 has been filled with new musical experiences. I had a wonderful time tutoring at the Folkworks Junior Summer School - the children were just brilliant, and it was great to make new pals and catch up with some familiar faces too. I arrived back in Glasgow on the 12th. Dreams of the Summer School and even sleepwalking/teaching ensued, which just shows how much Folkworks takes a hold of you! 15th August saw an unusual last minute gig at Bellahouston Park with Admiral Fallow, opening for Kings of Leon. Special thanks to Jonny Scott of Olympic Swimmers for being our replacement drummer for the evening...

The following night I was really lucky to be involved in a special show at the Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh, with Tigerstyle's live presentation of their album Digi-Bhang. The night featured lots of great musicians, including Ishmeet Narula, Nav Sidhu, Iain MacLeod, Blair McMillan, Michael Bryan, strings from the Paragon Ensemble and more.

While Admiral Fallow were playing at Tønder Festival, I spent ten days in the northern California redwoods, at the Valley of the Moon Scottish Fiddle School. I had an amazing time, learned a lot from inspiring tutors, and don't think I've never met such a big group of genuinely nice people in one place! I'm definitely going to make a return visit one day.