Yesterday afternoon, I was walking through town when I heard buskers in the square - two young men singing a capella folk songs very well indeed. They had a hand written sign propped by their hat that said: 'Walking Around Britain Singing for our Supper'. I don't usually give to buskers in Hay (I'm a local after all, and I consider the buskers to be there to entertain the visitors) but these two were so good that I dug into my purse.
That evening, I saw them sitting outside Kilvert's - they'd obviously made enough money to buy supper there. They were singing quietly, for their own amusement and for practice, and consulting maps to see where they would go on to tomorrow.
I was at Kilvert's to meet a friend, one of the ex-employees of the Bookshop on the Pavement, for a quiet drink. Actually, I felt rather like an investigative journalist about to meet an informant! Being so recently made redundant, obviously she had an axe to grind, but I'm sure she was being truthful.
And what she told me made me wonder what the owners of the Bookshop are thinking of. I already knew that they'd got rid of just about all their experienced staff - but it seems they've also made decisions about their Amazon listings that severely reduced the number of orders they were getting.
I'm glad now that I didn't take up the offer of a part-time job there a couple of years ago, and can observe from afar!
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3 comments:
I saw those two chaps in the market square about a week or so ago. I thought their singing was superb – REAL folk song, not that finger-in-the-ear-well-I-just-come-down-from Scarborough-town sort of folk singing. And like you, I was more than happy to put a coin or two in their hat. It was a treat to stand and listen to them. Happy trails to you, as Roy Rogers once sang.
So, Trigger sees the two lads a week or so ago and you saw them Saturday.......they didn't get very far, did they? Mind you, once in Hay, who would want to go anywhere else?
Here's an update on them.
I got a copy of Positive News the other day, and there was a big article on them. Their names are Will and Ed, and they come from Kent. On their travels, they are learning nomadic skills - edible and medicinal plant lore, local history and culture. They discover songs as they go, and are constantly amazed at the kindness of people they meet - and they now have a website at www.awalkaroundbritain.com
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