Diary Of A Busker Day 419 Saturday July 27th Winchester (1. Opposite Bellis/O2, Time: 1:40-3:08pm, 2. Opposite Oxfam, Time: 3:25-5:32pm, 3. Opposite Bellis, Time: 5:39-6:05pm).
The guy who runs Reeves bakery behind me – a nice bloke, actually – is a few feet to the right, doing well, selling stuff from a table. I reckon this is worthy of a photo. Later on, I get a photo of the sign outside the bakery, advertising their latest creation: BRAND NEW ROYAL BABY CUPCAKES – the first of two cashing-in efforts by local eateries. My handy new camera captures anything of historical significance, however mundane. In fact, the more mundane, the better.
Around the half-time mark, the money trails off, and it’s the same with the Reeves table. ‘Not very good, now’, the owner says to me. Indeed. I stop after an hour and a half and do a count-up – about £11. Not very good – and all these people about. I think most of the money was from little kids out with their parents, so mainly shrapnel – a hell of a lot of that today.
I take a 15 minute break: toilet/wash hands. I’m now so used to the hand basin arrangement, I don’t think I’ll ever go back to the other place. Not till they sort out the boiling hot water situation, anyway. I’m boycotting the place!
At Oxfam, no contributions for what seems like ages brings on a terrible depressive state, which is relieved momentarily, when after five songs, an Irish man walks by and, putting 15p (a 10p and a 5p to be precise) in, says ‘Dat’s half o’ what I got’. I think the dearth of coinage might be down to the weather, which has changed. The sky’s grey and it looks like it will rain any minute. In fact, I play The Rain Song three times today. The second time is at the end of this set, just after it did rain, and the third time – at the start of the last one.
I then get a photo of the second cashing-in-on-the-royal-baby thing. It’s a sign outside Union Jacks: WET THE BABY’S HEAD. Come in for one of out superb regal drinks:Royal Kir, Classic Pims, English white and elderflower spritzer. Only £5. They’re GEORGE-OUS.* Oh dear. Then I capture the end of the heat wave with another photo: a wet and almost deserted street.
I think doing 4 hours, 3 days in a row is catching up with me. I keep yawning, especially near the end of the second set, which I never do, normally.
Earnings: £32.76p
* On the way back, I see the cover of Private Eye in the post office window – just a plain white cover with WOMAN HAS BABY in big letters!