Diary Of A Busker Day 282 Wednesday September 12th 2012 Winchester High Street 1. Opposite Oxfam, Time: 3:15-4:46pm, 2. Opposite Bellis, Time: 5:13-6:07pm
I walk past Frank, hard at work at The Buttercross…and I’m down at the other end. I get 2 1/2 songs into the set, then it rains so I have to take cover in the Gospel Hall doorway, where I’m joined by an American couple who were listening to my 2 1/2 songs from across the street. Actually, they’re not literally in the doorway with me, as it’s too small; they stand just outside with their umbrellas. They are Len and Nancy, and very friendly and nice and they buy a CD. I ask them to let me know what they think of it and Len says he’s sure it’s great and he asks if I’ll be here tomorrow; they’re going back home the day after. I say I’ll be either here or somewhere up the other end of the high street.
After my break, I stroll up to The Buttercross, where Frank’s just packing up. I ask how he’s done; OK, but he’s having some trouble with his accordion – ‘It doesn’t like getting wet. Something happens to the reeds…the B and G notes go flat, but only when I press them both at the same time.’ I say he needs to find someone who can fix it. ‘Nah, I’ll do it meself!’ I look at Frank’s constant companion, Kazoo, and ask if she’s alright. ‘Yeah, she just shakes herself when she gets wet, not like the accordion.’ Frank sits down on the bench across from The Buttercross, for the first bit of my set. I can see he likes my Bridge On The River Kwai; good, it took me an hour to work all that whistling out. Later, a little girl starts talking to me while I’m playing, just as Frank walks by, rolling his eyes skyward when he sees her. If there’s one thing he hates, it’s little kids coming up to him while he’s playing!
Earnings: £26.06 + 1 CD