Diary Of A Busker Day 2173 Thursday June 15th 2023 Winchester High Street (in front of the Nat West Bank)
Over the past couple of months I’ve had bunches of people, mainly middle-aged women and mainly from Holland, come up and say “Our coach driver asked us to say hello to you.” It’s left me scratching my head, as in my wide and varied acquaintances, I’m sure there aren’t any coach drivers.
It happened again today. I was approached yet again by people who don’t understand it’s an unforgivable sin to interupt an “artist at work”.
Dutch woman with other dutch women, all with beaming smiles “Our coach driver says hello!”
“Right, I’ll stop playing then, shall I? WHAT?”
“Our coach driver says hello. He knows you!”
“Does he?”
“Yes, he told us to say hello to the guitar player in Winchester!”
“Right, well I don’t know HIM…but you can say hello back, ok? In fact, why don’t you take a picture of me and show it to him and see if it’s me he’s talking about.”
“Oh yes, we’ll do that!”
The other unforgivable sin is people who take up my time but don’t leave a donation. The well-known saying is TIME IS MONEY.
Ten minutes later, another bunch of middle-aged women from Holland come up and commit the first unforgivable sin…
“Our coach driver says we have to say hello to you.”
“Right, I keep having people come up to me and say this, and I don’t know any coach driver. What’s his name?”
“Patrick!”
“Right, Patrick. Ok, can you take a picture of me and show it to Patrick and see if it’s me he’s taking about?”
“Oh yes, we do that!”
They then commit the second unforgivable sin.
On the way back, bombing down Jewry Street on my (oddly enough) Dutch Batavus bike, I’m approaching a parked coach. Is this the one they’re all from? As I pass it, I can see the driver’s there and I’ve half a mind to pull over and ask if his name’s Patrick. But I really can’t be arsed!