Diary Of A Busker Day 2315 Saturday February 24th 2024 Winchester
Arriving at the Buttercross, Don Lavelle’s at work on his Winchester Bakery painting. ‘You’ve got till one o’clock til the rain starts’ he says.That means I’ve got about an hour and 20 minutes – long enough because it’s not warm and I’d need a break by then, anyway. After a bit of playing, an old guy comes over from the bench – ‘You know, not many people have CD players now but you could put all your songs on an mp3 and sell them, you know?’
‘Well, yeah, I suppose CDs are a bit old-fashioned now but there still must be people with them because I sell them!’
‘Hmm…yes, well you might sell some more is you put them on an mp3…and there are mp4’s now. You could do one of those AND have a video on that.’
‘Oh my goodness, I’m still getting used to CDs! Mp4’s? You’re joking!’
‘Well, it’s the populist, you know. Lots of people.’
‘Yeah, well I’m not very good with moving with the times but thank you, anyway.Maybe I’ll look into it.’ Yeah, maybe I’ll look into it after I get back to playing you stupid old cunt.
Well, one of the clock came and went and surprise surprise, no rain, so I kept at it. After Mr. Sandman, Don came over – ‘That was a bit…special.’
‘Special Don?’
‘Well, a bit…jazz.’
‘Jazz? Well, maybe a tiny bit. It’s a Chet Atkins arrangement. Anyway, that’s the nearest to jazz you’ll ever get from me, I’m afraid.’
After a bit, Don took a break – ‘I’m going to sit down and listen to you.’ and he sat on the bench opposite The Pentice, had some of his packed lunch, took out his sketch book and started to draw something.
I then had, in quick succession, two donations of a non-coinage nature. The first was a bar of Montezuma’s Absolute Black 100% cocoa chocolate bar, from the young bloke who works there, at Montezuma’s at the end of The Pentice. The 2nd donation was a can of Madri lager, from another young bloke, who walked by; didn’t stop, just put it down in front of the case. After I finished the song, I hid it behind the case so people wouldn’t think I was an alchy!
I manged two hours then confessed to Don ‘I’ve got to stop now Don. Fatigue!’ I said I’d go home then maybe come back, depending on how I felt and how the weather was. Before I left, I asked him if I could take a photo of his in-progress painting. The small lines on the bottom left indicate it’s his fifth day working on it. ‘It’ll take another two weeks, this one’ he says. I bid him farewell then I’m off, just as it starts raining. Good timing that was.
Two hours later, I’m back but Gareth’s there, drumming up an audience. Don’s still there – ‘I think he’s finishing up, are you going to wait here?’ ‘I don’t think so, Gareth takes quite a while finishing up!’ ‘Yeah, I think he’s more comedy act.’ I decide to go round the corner to The Square and bid Don farewell again.
There’s always a lot more mud and wetness on the ground in The Square. I think it’s to do with the way the paving stones are and people coming in from the cathedral grounds. Anyway, I’ve got my plastic covering to put under the case so it doesn’t get all muddied up.
The lady who likes purple things comes by so I ask the usual – ‘So do you fancy having a dance today?’ ‘Oh…yes, I think so, maybe just the one.’ ‘Right, slow or fast…a waltz?’ ‘Oh yes, please do.’ So she gets Je Te Veux. She seemed quite into it so at the end I asked if she’d like another one. I mean, if you don’t ask, you don’t get. But no – ‘I have to meet my husband now, down there’ she says, pointing towards the cathedral. Fair play. I did an hour and 10 minutes, so that totals up to three hours plus; enough for a Saturday afternoonwhen it’s 8 degrees!