Soon the local branch of the bank I use will be closing down. Nothing unusual in that in itself, as it is happening all over the country, but when it inconveniences you, it brings home to you that we are rapidly descending into a cashless society.

I’m old-fashioned enough to like a bit of cash jangling in my pocket. There are certain circumstances, where my mind may not be as sound as I would wish it to be – like in a pub late at night – when having to fork out some folding stuff rather than waving a piece of plastic is likely to bring me back to my senses.

And think of the implications of our retreat from cash. Every now and again I like to salve my conscience by Throwing some coins at a local mendicant, provided, of course, he has parked his shining Beemer discretely around the corner, and to tip a busker who brightens up my day by inviting me to name that tune or identify how many correct notes they have hit. My dearth of loose change will mean my well of human charity will dry up.

But help is at hand, at least in London. As a result of an initiative between Busk in London and technology company, iZettle, buskers are being provided with card readers. They, the buskers, will pre-set the amount of the donation and all you have to do is press your card to the machine.

I suppose it might work but for me the desire was to show appreciation with the minimum of effort, fuss and human contact. Throwing some coins in a hat did that but I’m not sure that any of those objectives are met here.

Progress, eh?