Day 2661

Day 2661
Wednesday February 25th 2026
Winchester

A warm sunny day – the first one of the year!…and I’m out again with the 12-string, second day on the trot. Those two Chinese girls who were in The Square recently have nabbed the top spot. Makes a change from the usual guitar-wielding suspects (Rob, Dean…and me). I was down at Nando’s yesterday so I go for the crossroads spot today.
A few songs in and it’s Cheerio and I remember his name – Andrew! And I make sure he knows I know it.
Andrew – ‘Hello, you OK?’
‘Hello Andrew, I’m fine, thank you.’
‘Looks like a sunny day, eh?’
‘Yeah, good isn’t, Andrew.’
‘So you’re OK? You been keeping well, you know?’
‘Yeah, I’m OK…well, as long as it stays like this, Andrew.’
‘Well, that’s the main thing, that you’re OK – you’re health, you know, the little thing we’ve been discussing.’
‘Yeah, I’m fine, that’s all OK…Andrew.’
‘Good…well (he holds out his hand, I offer mine and we shake) cheerio then!’
‘Cheerio ANDREW!’

Something that amused me after half an hour or so. I’ve done the whole set standing up wearing dark glasses and swaying left and right with the guitar because it’s so light and easy to swing about and I suddenly think I must look like a guitar playing, white Stevie Wonder!

Just after I was chuckling to myself about that, Don Lavelle turns up and sets up his easel across the high street from me. I was wondering what had happened to him as I hadn’t seen him in ages. After a few songs he comes across –
‘I was here the other day – I’ve also been doing a commission in St Cross, so I’ve been there a lot.’
‘Ah, I was wondering why I hadn’t seen you, Don.’
‘Yeah, anyway there was a singer out the other day – Nicola, and she had, well, A LOT in her case and I almost wish I’d taken a photo of it to show you, to encourage you.’
‘Well, thanks for letting me know about someone who’s doing a lot better than me, Don.’
‘Haha, well I didn’t mean it like that.’
‘The thing is – firstly, is she young?’
‘Yes.’
‘Right, so she’s young, she’s a girl and she’s a singer. I mean, I’m sure she’s good, is she?’
‘Oh yes.’
‘Well, that’s it, but like I said, she’s a girl, she’s young and she’s singing. She’s going to rake it in. I’M a middle-aged man playing a guitar – I’m the lowest of the low.’
‘Ah, not quite. Someone playing a bagpipe is the lowest of the low!’
‘Sorry, a bagpiper. You’re right, Don!’

Don’s a bugger, though. I made a couple of mistakes, mainly due to the lack of fret markers on the fretboard, which I’m still getting used to. Anyway, the second I made the mistakes, I get a dirty look from Don. I can’t put anything past him.

At the end, I managed two hours playing with absolutely no problem. In fact, for a few minutes I was breaking a sweat! The coinage was more or less the same as yesterday, at £21.