Diary Of A Busker Day 570

Diary Of A Busker Day 570 Wednesday June 11th 2014 Winchester (1. Opposite Vodafone, Time: 1:10-2:25pm, 2. Opposite Gieves & Hawkes, Time: 2:45-4:15pm, 3. Opposite Bellis, Time: 4:25-5:05pm).

I saw Delia for the first time in awhile, and I think it was the first time I’ve seen her hair, as she wasn’t wearing that scarf she’s always got. Her hair’s pretty short so I ask if she’s had a haircut. She says some others have asked her that as no one else has seen her without a scarf before! She says her hair’s thinning at the back and she thinks she looks like a man – ‘I look more of a man than you’, she says. I say she doesn’t (of course). She’s wearing a dress, which prompts a conversation  about men who wear dresses(!) Delia definitely hasn’t got time for those, or ‘women who like women’. I play the usual – Dr. Zhivago, as she goes off.

There’s a load of people about, so the takings – about £11.50p – is disappointing for an hour and fifteen minutes. I have a break by way of walking to the toilet near the bookshop, but not going up to the bookshop, then heading back, this time to Gieves & Hawkes for an hour and a half…during which I’m paid a compliment: a woman donated and said ‘You always cheer me up’.

There are a few sitting – lying would be more accurate – in the cathedral grounds, but hardly anyone walks by me, so it’s just as good (or bad) as the High Street. A guy starts drilling a hole in the wall of the pub across the road, for an ashtray to fit. That goes on for 5 minutes, then he stops but then 20 minutes later he starts drilling on the other wall, so I pack up…and wave to Glen, stuck in his posh gentlemen’s outfitters. I walk up to the Pavilion end and through the alley, and I was going to go home, as I’ve  done almost 3 hours, but changed my mind when I saw there was no one at The Butter Cross. When I first came in, there had been some young strummers with red plastic Help For Heroes collection cans, so I thought I might as well set up and clock it up to the 3 hour mark.

A funny thing happened. Earlier on, at the second spot, a little old lady contributed. Now, this same lady, I see walking towards me and I thought she must want to do it again. But when she gets a few feet from me, she must have suddenly realised she’d already donated, or recognised me from the other place, and she quickly turns around and goes back! That was quite funny, but the really funny bit was she went into the Specsavers opticians! ‘Not recognising the busker you’ve already given money to? – You need Specsavers!’ The thing is, she must have had some more change to give away – why not give it?!

Earnings: £32.74p

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