Day 2724
Thursday July 30th 2026
Winchester
Late into town…not much happening in The Square…the flower seller’s alley is free but there are three down and outs sitting on the steps inside making a bit of a racket. One is making a sort of didgeridoo noise on something. Back up to the Buttercross and I decide to set up where I’ve seen loads of people playing – in front of the Nat West, a few feet from the outside dining area of The Ivy. Bit of a stupid decision because it’s not in the shade and it’s another hot day, though a bit down from the last two days. I don’t want to do more than an hour and a half though, as it’s a 5:30 start.
A woman comes across clutching a fiver – ‘Where have you been? I haven’t seen you in a long time.’
‘I’ve been around…though not around here for a few days.’
‘Well, we’ve had some awful people playing here. There was one man, I had to come out and tell him to turn his amp down or move somewhere else. And it was 9 o’clock at night – this is a residential area, you know?’
‘Oh, do you live around here?’ I ask because I think I know who she is.
‘Yes, there’ – she points to the house across the road on the corner.’ I definitely know who she is. She’s the one who doesn’t like Gareth!
‘Well, there’s no reason for people to play loud here’ I say. ‘I mean, it’s a narrow street and the sound reverberates really well. There’s no reason to play loud. I even worry about being too loud myself.’
‘Well, they used to play down there (points to the Buttercross) but it’s all covered up.’
‘I know, it’s been like that for awhile.’
‘They’re cleaning it, aren’t they?’
‘Yeah, which is why it’s taking ages.’
‘Well, I can’t remember them ever cleaning it since I’ve been here and that’s a long time.’
‘I know, neither can I and I’ve been here thirty years!’
Ooh, I can’t wait till it’s all done and they take all the scaffolding and all the other crap off it and it’ll be all nice and clean and white!
An amazing thing occurred. During Romance de Espana, the non-appearance of a daughter or wife of a man who died twenty years ago!
I finished at 7 and all things considered (a weekday in Winchester), the takings weren’t that bad, at £19.60. I had some nice compliments, some from children – ‘We love your music!’ and a man out with his family – ‘The Faith sounds lovely!’ (He MUST be a musician. He had musician’s hair). One of his sons video’ed me. In fact, three or four people video’ed me throughout the set. There might have been one who followed through with a donation.
Oh yeah, the Arse of The Square walked by the Buttercross so he HAD to listen to me for a few seconds and I bet he loved that. Haha.