Diary Of A Busker Day 348 Tuesday April 2nd 2013 Winchester High Street 1. Opposite Oxfam. Time: 1:15-2:15pm 2. Corner of Monsoon. Time: 3-4:30pm
That mandolin player is up at Barclays; very windy there, and there are a couple of strummers near the middle spot, so it’s down to C&H which is also very windy and cold although this is the warmest day for ages. I checked the weather website and it said the temperature was 7.3 degrees; that’s twice as much as it’s usually been, though you wouldn’t know it. It really is windy, in fact I’ve had to put my camera in my bucket to weigh it down as the five pound coins I put in at the start aren’t nearly enough and the stupid thing blew over and rolled about for a bit!
An American woman came up, waving a £10 note, so I thought ‘Great, she’s going to buy a CD’ but she said ‘Can you give me nine pounds back, please. ‘Nine pounds?’ ‘Yeaah.’ I said I wasn’t sure I had it as I only started a few minutes ago, but even so, I rummage amongst the coinage…then she says ‘Yeaah, I just need one pound thirty for the parking, see.’ ‘Oh I see, for the parking.’ ‘Yeaah, the car’s jus over there.’ So she doesn’t really want to give me anything! I count about £8.50 but say I’ve only got £7. She takes that, so I’ve got three quid – excellent!
Snobby Brian – sorry BrYan – walks by, smoking his pipe. He says ‘You’ve picked a windy spot.’ It sure is, my posh friend, but I get through an hour then take almost forty-five minutes in the bookshop, then survey the High Street…at The Buttercross there’s, of all things, a harpist. A man sitting down, harping(?) and singing. Never seen him before. Further down there’s still the two young strummers but as I turn the corner, I can’t really hear them, so I decide to set up there as I’m definitely not going back to where I was as it’s way too windy and cold.
As I start up I notice an old Raleigh bike with a front fork lock, like mine, and wonder if the owner has a key. I remember I had to send off for mine but it’s a good thing to have as no one can ride off on a bike with the front wheel locked, unless they want to go dead straight, which is impossible even on a Roman road. After half an hour, its owner turns up; an old guy and when he sees me he comes over. I think he’s probably donated before and I’m thinking this because: 1. He obviously lives here. 2. He’s old so he’ll know the stuff I play. 3. He’s friendly. Anyway, he comes over so I ask him if he’s got a key for his front fork lock. Yes, he has, then we have some bike chat; he’s got a Sturmey Archer 4-speed hub, which is quite unusual. The third old bike I had was a 4-speed. But he doesn’t know how old his is – 1960s, he thinks. Well, this provides me with the opportunity to dispense some useful information; the year of manufacture will be marked on the hub – which I would have offered to have a look at but it would have meant wiping off a lot of dirt and grease to see it. In other words, getting my hands dirty and I ain’t going that far. Apart from the bike, we’ve got something else in common. After he says ‘Well, I won’t keep you any longer,’ I ask his name – it’s Brian, and he was born in 1932. A genuinely friendly guy, and fit – riding around at 80 years old, or 80 years YOUNG. Before he rides off, Brian poses for a photo with his bike.
About halfway through, a man of about 30 who works at a shop down the road, who I occasionally say hello to, walks by. I nod in acknowledgement and he sort of stops but seems hesitant, so I say ‘You alright?’ and he says ‘Well, not really,’ so of course I have to say ‘Oh, why’s that?’ He says ‘Well, there are a couple of people in the same block where I live and they sort of look at me strange – give me weird looks, you know.’ I don’t know what else to say except (again) ‘Oh, why’s that?’ ‘I don’t know.’ (long pause) ‘Well maybe you should ask them; say “Is there something wrong?”.’ ‘Yeah, maybe I should.’ ‘Yeah…or maybe you should just ignore it. Maybe that’s the best thing.’ (another long pause) ‘Yeah, maybe I’ll do that.’ Bizarre.
Earnings: £33.04 (including one CD)