Diary Of A Busker day 2506 Sunday March 16th 2025 Winchester.
As I said yesterday, I’ve come out with the Epiphone Les Paul, to give it a break from the darkness of the attic (or “loft” as it’s known over here), where it usually resides. It’s a bit heavier than the Strat but I don’t notice that on the bike, as it’s more or less balanced on the top of the case just behind me. Old Rockin’ Rob is at the top spot. He was playing here before I even started, almost 15 years ago! He didn’t have that skeleton drummer back then but I’m sure the wife was still reading a book. She must have got through hundreds of them over the years.
Like yesterday, I don’t even bother going down to the crossroads as I’m sure Meeta’s there, so I set up in The Square. Weirdly enough, although it’s Sunday, no one’s giving. In fact, I’m about to give up and pack up when an amazing occurrence occurs. A man wants to scan me a fiver and thank fuck it works because sometimes it doesn’t in this place. That was after FORTY minutes, so I was feeling pretty sorry for myself until then.
After that I got around five pound coins and that was it. I lasted an hour and 32 minutes – the cold! One thing that fucked me off a bit. There was a couple a bit older than me sitting on the bench outside the posh Rodd & Gunn shop (I think this bench is a permanent thing – it always seems to be there) and they were there the whole time I was playing and clearly enjoying at least some of it because one or other would occasionally tap their hand on their leg or tap their foot and I was convinced one of them would come over and donate when they saw me start packing up, but did they? Did they fuck!
Anyway, when I got home there was a Paypal donation of £2.50 from a certain Jason Audsley and I thought the name was familiar so I checked my Paypal history and he’s donated a few times over the last year or two, the donations now totalling £18. Good man!