Diary Of A Busker Day 219 Wednesday April 4th 2012 Winchester High Street 1. Opposite British Heart Foundation, Time: 1:40-2:25pm, 2. Opposite Vodafone, Time: 2:40-3:16pm, 3. Opposite Phase Eight, Time: 3:40-4:20pm
Down near The Buttercross, I walk by the latest addition to the roster of Winchester buskers – schoolgirl Constance, known as Cossie, however, being in a somewhat uncommunicative mood today, I don’t even bid her hello. Further down, at the crossroads, there’s a Egyptian looking man, wearing a Fez and doing something with a pack of cards on a small table – there are few kids watching. So I end up quite far down, near the outside tables of the posh Maison Blanc. I’m here for forty minutes, until it starts to rain, which seems to be the order of the day – I visit three spots today and at every place, after forty minutes it starts to rain. Before it rains here, I’m surrounded by twelve French kids who, just coincidentally, turn up during La Vie En Rose, although I don’t think they know what it is. One, then two shout ‘Rak en rol! – you play rak en rol?!’ ‘No, uh…(I try and remember some useless holiday French)…pardon, no…I play this stuff, you know this? LA-VIE-EN-ROSE…you…comprehend?’ No, they don’t. ‘Bleck eye pees?!’ Black Eyed Peas – moi?! ‘No!’ I start the La Vie En Rose melody again and they look on, then two of the boys touch the guitar strings near where my right hand is and one says, ‘I play…your geetar, yeas?’ Not today he won’t – I’m not in the mood. ‘No! – I play!’ Again, I start the melody – I’m determined they WILL know it. Then, one of the girls starts ‘na, na’ -ing the melody and then (of course) they all do it. They give some change which I make sure are not euro coins – no good to me, then they’re off. I offer my sum total knowledge of the rest of my (Holiday) French – ‘Merci…uh, Mademoiselles, merci…beaucoup! Merci beaucoup…um…au revoir, Merci!…beaucoup. Au revoir! Bonjour!…No! Au revoir!’
The guy with the Fez walks by so he must have packed up, so…next place, Vodafone…where I’m visited by possibly the biggest Chet Atkins fan in Winchester, George. He’s always very cheerful and talkative – something I’m not today, for which I apologise – ‘Sorry George, I’m probably best left on my own today.’ He says something like ‘we all have our days’ and ‘don’t worry, it’s only life.’ Actually, it’s handy that he’s turned up, as I left the house with only one thumbpick – an old worn one which I’m not getting along with and George is the one person who might be able to help me out as he plays fingerstyle guitar. Has he got a spare thumbpick? Yes, he does! – a heavy one, which he apologises for but that’s fine as it won’t cut off my thumb’s circulation, which was what was happening with my own, smaller one – something I don’t need when it’s cold, as it is today.
After warming my hands under the hot tap in the toilets I go to my last post, as it were – just inside the covered bit, so I don’t get soaking wet when it starts to rain…which it will. Time goes slow and after a few minutes it’s not only my hands that are cold but my feet, which take a lot longer to warm up, then there’s my head, my whole body…
Earnings: £24.08
