Day 2638
Saturday January 10th 2026
Winchester
I knew the minute I got on the bike, bombing down Western Road, that I should have put one a second pair of socks and long johns…but I couldn’t be bothered turning back. The top spot was free – unusual for a Saturday afternoon but then again, at 2 degrees, it was bloody cold. The saving grace was there was zero wind.and for once no sign of rain.
Three songs in – I’m doing the Gymnopedie, and a toddler boy stands in front with his dad crouching behind him, holding on to him. The kid’s watching my right hand then comes up to investigate, or rather participate, and twangs a couple of strings. I let him. I mean what the hell, so what. It’s not the end of the world, it’s no skin off my nose and if he wants to touch the guitar, go ahead! As the dad drags him away, he says ‘Thank you.’ The dad, not the kid.
In fact, apart from those two words I don’t remember anyone else speaking to me. Life On Mars? picked up a fiver – no need to clamp it down for once, there was no way it was going anywhere. Cavatina was fine – I was worried I might forget something as I hadn’t been out since the 2nd, but no problem there. At the end of one hour and a couple of minutes, my fingers and toes had pretty much had it and I was going to stop but did one more song, Wonderful Land…then a tribute to my old bandmate, Steve from Salvation Sunday in the 1980s, who died on Monday – I did the opening riff to one of our singles, Heart In Motion, that no one would know…and then, finally, Je Te View, where two teenage girls waltzed with each other, donating another fiver at the end and that was it. I was frozen and good for nothing but the hour (and ten minutes) was profitable to the tune of £30.71.
Finally, on walking to the bike leaning against the sign describing the history of the Buttercross at the end of The Pentice, there was a dead bird lying a couple of feet from the back wheel of the bike. C’est la vie.