Diary Of A Busker Day 508 Sunday February 16th 2014 Winchester (1. Opposite Pavillion, Time: 2:18-3:47pm, 2. Opposite Bellis, Time: 4:35-5:12pm).
I hadn’t even finished setting up when I noticed a terrible smell, then saw the source: a big blob of bird shite – probably pigeon, on the bottom of my coat. Nice one. I managed to get most of it off, apart from the stuff down inbetween the furrows(?) of the corduroy. But I could still smell it for most of the session until it dried a bit.
I think I noted down about a lady in a wheelchair with Altzheimer’s (the lady, not the wheelchair), who I met at The Butter Cross a few months ago. I remember she really liked the fast one – Chinatown, My Chinatown. I’m sure it was her today – she stopped the people pushing her, as they were passing me. She must have recognised me from before, and I think she was trying to tell them something as she was pointing at me. I was doing La Vie En Rose, so when I finished, I went straight into Chinatown and her face lightened up, but after a bit, she looked like she gave up trying to tell her people whatever it was she was trying to say. Maybe they forgot she liked the song, and about stopping with her the other time. Maybe I should have gone up and said ‘I think she’s trying to say that she knows this song’, but they were fifteen feet away. I don’t know. At the end she looked sort of frustrated – like her brain could remember but she couldn’t speak.
The weather/temperature was OK – not too cold, so I was able to go for an hour and a half. The only annoyance, apart from the bird poo situation, were the cathedral bells to the right, and the rather loud rockabilly trio at The Butter Cross – a fairly minor annoyance, though. I’m always amazed that, although The Butter Cross is a very short distance away, you can barely hear anyone who’s playing there, from here, due to the buildings inbetween. It’s only the alleyway that lets the sound through.
On my way to Waterstones, I bump into Frank (so he’s still alive) at the corner of Marks & Spencer, not playing, walking about with Kazoo and another dog that looks the same as Kazoo, but younger. Frank told me the name but I’ve forgot! In fact, at first I didn’t recognise Frank, as he was without the hat he always wears. He asks me how it’s been out here – he says he hasn’t been out since Christmas. I said I’d had some good days and some bad ones. While we were talking, Mandolin John came by and asked for 20p, so Frank gave him something, then I did.
After the break, I did just over half an hour, as I’ve been trying not to overdo it by keeping it to around two hours in total. Near the end there was hardly anyone about…I was impressed by two Indian blokes, just before I packed in. They were both carrying two huge Primark shopping bags, then, just after they passed me, one of them stops, puts down all his shopping and comes back to make a donation. I was very impressed by that. Restored my faith in human kind.
Earnings: £32.64p (+ one 20 cent coin from Suid Bout(?) Afrika)