A frustrating morning spent phoning people and trying to find where I could be best used today. It felt like I was at a loose end, a ball of nervous energy, just desperate to find the most effective way to spend my time.
Eventually I just picked up my phone, rang my pal Colin, and asked if he fancied meeting up to stoat around town finding strangers to talk to! In the end, that's exactly what we did, bouncing around Kilwinning main street, Ayrshire College, Kilwinning train station and finally Pennyburn, having discussions with anyone who was happy to chat about the referendum - and today, 24 hours out, that was most people we approached.
The most overwhelming experience from today wasn't the high number of yes voters - easily 80% of those who did stop to talk were YES, and many said that the majority of family/friends were the same - but the large chunk of folk we met who were still undecided with just a day to go. Loads of people still desperate for that last bit of information to knock them off the fence they were sitting on. Thankfully we were armed with The Wee Blue Book - in my opinion, the best bit of Yes literature out there - and sent them away with something to think about over a cup of tea tonight.
It was a great feeling to think we were helping these people reach their monumental and historic decision. Whether by answering their questions or just sending them away with the book, my hope is that even just one of the dozens of undecideds I spoke to elects to put an 'X' in the Yes box based on my input - although I'd much prefer all of them did!
After a few hours at that, I headed to Bourtreehill in Irvine to chap doors and - in all honesty - to get rid of the last of my leaflets! My worst fear was still having bags of leaflets/flyers/books to be chucked into the recycling on Friday morning. If sticking these bits of paper through another hundred doors helped convert even one person, it felt like it would be worth it.
Again, speaking to people in that community, from old ladies on the street to the Scottish bus driver who had lived almost all his life in London through to the Asian guy running the village shop, the overwhelming impression was of a neighbourhood that was about to go out and vote yes tomorrow.
I came home full of hope and optimism, only to receive message after message from friends that strengthened that feeling. I had spent the day texting 20-odd friends and family that I thought might be worth following up, and pinging out half a dozen private messages on Facebook to people I had had conversations with over the months.
People came back to me tonight - some with questions, which I answered as best I could - to tell me in their droves that they had decided to vote yes. Friends, family, people who I had written off as a "lost cause" as they seemed so likely to vote no. It's hard not to go into tomorrow with a lot of optimism based on these experiences.
I hope tomorrow isn't just a case of putting my X in the box then waiting for Friday. I hope to find something productive to do - whether it's taking up a spot outside the polling station and chatting to folk as they come in in one last attempt to help change minds, or going to the college to remind folk to get out and use their vote for the first time.
But either tonight or tomorrow, I'll reach a point where I know I can no longer do ANYTHING to help Scotland win its independence. And that's going to be a weird, saddening, uncomfortable moment for me, as that fight is one I've fought since I was knee high to a grasshopper.
I'm just glad that this opportunity - which I never truly thought we would have - is one that Scotland grasps. Please, let it be YES.
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