Diary Of A Busker Day 2599 Sunday September 21st 2025 Winchester.
First time back for over a week, due mainly to a cough and cold. Rob is at the top spot but there’s no one round the corner at my traditional Sunday location. I didn’t know this but today is the day of the Winchester Half Marathon, which kicked off at 9 this morning. I started playing at 1 o’clock, by which time it was just the odd runner at the end (the dregs!) that were coming through The Square, past The Old Vine and turning right, down Market Street. And whenever they did, the people outside the pubs/eateries would clap and cheer, egging the poor buggers on.
At first I was wondering if it was alright for me to play but then I thought it might be nice for the last runners to have a bit of music as they neared the end of their ordeal. I suppose there would have been loads of spectators about earlier but there was hardly anyone by the time I started up. I think it was good I didn’t know about it, as I probably wouldn’t have bothered coming in, thinking there would be too many people about and they might have cordoned off The Square
I had a few curious children come up. One disabled boy wanted to stroke the guitar strings. He looked like a nice lad and I let him. For the grace of god, go I, etc. Two girls and a boy come up. One of the girls looks in my case then says ‘Are you trying to make some money?’ ‘Oh yes, I’m trying very hard to make some money!’ Them to one of the boys – ‘Do you like the guitar music?’ He nods then runs off to his parents on the bench near the museum, returning with a 50p coin. In fact, I got even luckier than that. A man sitting with his family outside Three Joes, came over with a tenner, and that equates to TWENTY 50p coins!
The temperature was 16 degrees, so not as cold as it was the last time I was at The Buttercross, but two hours was more than enough, as I was out of practice and both my arms were in a small amount of pain by the end. The takings were £29.81. Acceptable.