Diary Of A Busker Day 534

Diary Of A Busker Day 534 Tuesday April 1st 2014 Winchester (Opposite Bellis, Time: 1:05-3:05pm)

While I’m setting up, I see that foreign nanny sitting across the way with the little girl, Ariadne, in one of those old-fashioned looking prams that are very high. Very expensive, I reckon.

Before I start, I try and mentally prepare myself for a bad session by repeating to myself ‘I will not get depressed – well, not too depressed, I will not get angry no matter how many people walk by and ignore me…no matter how annoying the noise from the builders/buses is, etc.’

…but it goes well: I get a pound coin from Ariadne, and sell a £9 CD to an oriental lady who works up the road in the Hampshire County Council offices. The sale took awhile, though. First, she wants one of the £5 CDs but doesn’t know any of the songs apart from James Bond, so I play short bursts of each one – a sort of Stars On 45 by Marvin B. Naylor, and she finally goes for the more expensive one.

Ian comes by – I haven’t seen him in ages. About the noise from the builders, doing scaffolding and repairs a few doors down, he says ‘You should complain, although you might get a bucket load of cement dumped on your head’. I probably would. They’re not too bad, it’s mainly just short bursts of drilling now and again. I get used to it – everyone’s got a job to do, I suppose. They might hate 1950s fingerstyle guitar, who knows…

Delia comes by during Horizons, which she really likes and doesn’t know who did it, so I say ‘A rock group did it years ago. Sounds a bit like Bach, doesn’t it?’ She agrees and gives me a pound – I don’t even bother objecting anymore, that’s how well we know each other! Her leg’s not very well BUT she’s got some aniseed sweets – I don’t know what they are so she gives me one…a bit liquorice-like, I say. She disagrees, anyway her grandmother used to swear by them.

An almost amusing incident. In the middle of a song – I forget which one – a man and woman walked by. The man was wearing a Pink Floyd Dark Side Of The Moon T-shirt, so, grabbing the opportunity (being an opportunist, on occasion), I stopped the song and did the famous four-note phrase from Shine On You Crazy Diamond. The bloke looked over, didn’t smile – I mean, he could have offered some sign of acknowledgment, and walked on. Then, about half an hour later, another man, about 60, yellow jumper, red trousers, comes up and says in a German accent ‘Ah, I KNEW vat you ver playing, you know, when zat guy before? – with za Pink Floyd shirt?’ Me – ‘Oh yeah!’ Him – ‘Ya – I got it, I knew vat you ver playing’.

So, a good day for once (almost double the usual average), meaning people were generous – meaning people were generous? MEAN people were generous?! But still only a microscopic percentage…but I didn’t get depressed, which is the main thing.

Earnings: £38.63p (Including 1 £9 CD)