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Scottish Charity Register No. SC043760

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Street scene: a cuppa and a smile

May 21 2009
Rehearsing a musical masterpiece one note at a time... Oxford Street is a favourite walking patch of mine. I find it helps to pass away some of the idle times and I visit it very often on my walkabouts. If ever you are over that way, look out for the guy who sits in his wheelchair and blows on his tin whistle. A happier character you are unlikely to come across, and considering that he has no legs, that is strange in itself. He only blows on his whistle, there is little tune to it; indeed, it has been suggested that he is preparing a musical masterpiece and is rehearsing one note at a time. On one occasion when I was passing this would-be musician he called me over to him. He would often acknowledge me on my travels, but this time I was being beckoned. He gave me a small amount of money and asked if I would go down the street to Starbucks and get him a cup of tea. I, of course, obliged him. On my return, I handed over the cup of tea, and he tried to give me the same amount of money again. "What's that for?" I enquired. "It's for you, so you can have a cup for yourself," he replied. "Why didn't you give me enough money for two cups to start with?" I asked. "If I had done that," he said, "I wouldn't have seen you again, would I? You would have run off with it." I protested, but he told me, smiling, "well, a guy the other week did." As I have said, he is a very happy sort of guy, and it again makes me wonder why I tend to see so many miserable faces about me. I guess we all have our problems, and different ways of dealing with them.
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