It’s been a while since my last post and lots and nothing going on. The day job is still on hold so busking most days with mixed returns.
Dribs and drabbs brought me very close to my €1000 target for Nepal and a guy I’m met in the Thatch a couple of weeks ago asked me to call into his adventure centre and pick up a donation. When I did, he asked what I was short and immediately wrote a cheque for the last €50 - Thanks Tommy, you are a gentleman.
When I have to go to Dublin, I like to have at least three reasons and, on Monday I was collecting my first Workaway guest from a late plane at the airport there and it was great to drop the buckets back to Concern along with the last of the money, have dinner with my daughter, a nice half hour with one of my sons and get to go to the Monday Echo at there lovely new venue - 5 things - all good.
My Workaway guest is getting to know my dog - she will be taking care of Clara and the house when I do my world tour of Copenhagen later in the month.
There’s a lovely lady who always stops when I’m in Roscommon Town playing on Fridays - market day there. Her name is Lillian and she usually has something for Clara and also puts a generous donation into my jar. She lives a bus ride away and surprised me last week when she introduced me to her son in law who is over from England - travelling around on a 900cc motorbike. Lillian, who I can only describe as a sweet old lady, had spent most of the week riding pillion and loving it.
At Carrick on Shannon farmers market last Thursday, I met an American lady who’s brother does a fair bit of songwriting and busking. We had a chat about my guitar - a Martin Cowboy IV - and today, she sent the photo her husband took and has promised to send on a video when she’s home and has better internet connection.
Busking, for me is as much about the people I meet as much as what goes into the pot and, last Saturday - playing at Boyle farmers market - I was really disappointed to find that even on a busier day than the only other time I played there - apart from the lovely ladies who run the shop and tourist office there, I hardly had eye contact, never mind a connection, with a single person over the age of 12. I don’t think it’ll be a regular in my calendar.
