Diary Of A Busker Day 2620 Saturday October 25th 2025 Winchester.
Here we are then, a landmark day; 15 years since I started out on this lark, on Tuesday October 25th 2010 in Southampton. I remember it was cold then and it’s just as cold today, with quite a vicious wind. The two Spanish guitar blokes are near the Buttercross so I go round to The Square and set up. After the second song that bloke with the acoustic piano suddenly appears, rolling his organ(!) up towards me –
‘There was no one here five minutes ago!’ he says.
‘No, I’ve just set up. I just need to do a few songs, if that’s alright.’ He parks his piano under the tree near the bench and goes off the way he came, down Market Street.
I managed 35 minutes before it started (the rain, of course) so I packed up. The piano bloke turned up to put a cover on the piano –
‘This wasn’t in the forecast’ he says.
‘Yeah, I know.’
As often happens, it stopped raining just as I was heading off. I went to the toilet and took advantage of the hand drier to warm the hands up because they really were cold when I left the Square.
I then set up at the Nando’s spot and saw something I’ve never seen here; some man wearing a Make America Great Again MAGA baseball cap, with Trump written on the back. He’s brave, I thought…and I found myself relieved he didn’t donate, which is a rare thing, indeed. In fact, hardly anyone did! (the total coinage was £9.86) There were two toddler girls, who came over, one picking out a pound coin – ‘I’ve had that a few times!’ I said to her dad as he told her to put it back. I said ‘I like your shoes’, then, on seeing her sister’s face, quickly added ‘And I like YOURS as well.’ I did an hour, with Life on Mars? near the end, in honour of Rick Wakeman who i’m seeing tonight in Bournemouth, the place of my glorious birth way back in 1962.