Diary Of A Busker Day 2602 Friday September 26th 2025 Winchester.
Started up at the top spot at 3:15, so quite late in the day. Don is down the road a bit, working on another high street scene which looks almost finished from where I am. Third time out for the Faith 12-string. It has one intriguing feature that I’ve never seen on any other guitar. There are six small screws on the battery compartment and they adjust the volume for the six string couplets. What I’ve done is turn up the volume ever so slightly for the B and high E strings because they are the ones that do the melody. I’ve always had a problem bringing those strings out so now I can do it.
I did alright during the hour and a half; sold two CDs to a girl, got a tenner and a fiver and the takings totalled £39.95. I couldn’t do anymore because my left elbow and just below, towards the hand, was hurting. In fact, it was hurting not far into the set and I’ve noticed it’s been hurting every time I’ve been out for the last couple of weeks. I hope it sorts itself out…it’s not too bad when I’m playing but it gets a lot worse when I let the arm fall from the guitar in between songs.
After I loaded up the bike, I paid Don a visit. By the marks on the bottom left of the painting, this is his 22nd day at it. I ask if he’s finished “my” painting.
‘Not yet, Marvin, because I need to put the clients in. In fact, I thought I might see them today but he hasn’t turned up.’
‘Right, so it’s a man.’
‘Yes, well a man and his wife and young daughter. In fact, YOU’RE bigger than they are! Because they’ll be further away than you are, so you’re the biggest person in the painting.’
‘Excellent Don. The only problem is it’s not my painting!’
I asked him about the clock face – they don’t show the time, not on “my” painting or this one.
‘No, I wait until the client says what time they want it to show. They often pick a birthday, you know. Or some important date. There was an American guy who wanted 9/11. A military guy, you know.’
‘Ah, right. And I see you’ve got the schoolgirls in.’ He’s got three walking towards The Buttercross, backs to the viewer.
‘Yes, they’re always in threes…with spindly legs. And you see their skirts? When they’re at school they’re longer (he points his brush a centimetre below the bottom of one of the skirts)…but when they get out, they pull them up!’
‘Yeah, that’s right! I think they’ve been doing that ad infinitum, actually.’
‘Yeah. Are you getting cold?’ He’s seen my gloves.
‘Well, I’m alright playing but I need these on the bike.’
‘Well, I’ve got my boots and thick socks, so I’m OK. I’ll be out here tomorrow. You here?’
‘I don’t know, maybe. Depends on the weather. We’ll see.’
OK, then again we’ve got the protesters out tomorrow.’
‘Protesters?’
‘Yeah, the Gaza protesters. Silent protest, with their flags. They come out Saturdays around midday.’
‘Ah yeah, I know them. They’ve got a big flag they unfurl.’
‘Yeah, anyway, might see you tomorrow.’
‘Yeah OK, see you Don. Painting looks great.’