The granite sets down Abbey Close have been torn up and are being replaced by something smoother. A shame really, but people do walk down the road rather than the path.

Last week two men with a theodolite were out marking up the road. These markings outside Old Abbey House look like a new speed control.

Underneath the Abbey Archway the new York Stone has been delivered.

This is all part of the Abbey Grounds lottery funded refurbishment blogged earlier see point 8.

About half an hour into the race the leading group came past St Nics and Fat Face. 886, Colin Paton is  there with number 1061, Trevor Hunter.
This chasing group is running down East St Helens Street towards St Helens Church…
then along St Helens Wharf and past The Old Anchor Inn.

Number 608 followed a few minutes later along St Helens Wharf. The child was enjoying it so far.
Once the runners had runaway out of Abingdon toward Sutton Courtney, people needed something to eat. Crumbs did a good trade. One visitor from Slough said that Abingdon was a a good marathon as it was so flat, and his son was aiming to get under 3 hours for the first time. The cool conditions were ideal.
Anyway, here is the first man over the line. It is Colin Paton, the early leader and an army man based in Aldershot. He came in on 2 hours and 34 minutes.

Second over the line was Trevor Hunter in 2 hours and 37 minutes. Both times were well well inside last years best of 2 hours 40 minutes.

—– update —–

I spotted Andrew Ffrench, the Oxford Mail reporter, interviewing Colin Paton straight after the race. I left long before the real story broke, which Andrew has in the Oxford Mail, on a two page spread…  Colin had borrowed a colleague’s number and his re-registration was not processed properly. He was disqualified.

Rules are rules, and the judges decision was accepted with great grace by this man who will soon be going to do his duty in Iraq. So Trevor Hunter is the winner this year.

Abingdon Craft Fair happens at this time of year in the Medieval Abbey Buildings, and has done for 29 years. It continues for two weeks with a change of exhibitors in the middle, making two four day events.

Most of the grounds that are not brick and mortar (or wattle and daub in places) are covered with marquees. So that in total they have room for 75 exhibitors.

They come from all over. This man selling Pork Pies in the food tent was all the way from Michael’s of Melton Mobray. He sold pork pies and stilton cheese.

I bought a photograph album with a colourful design on the cover. The lady selling it comes from London, and she studied architecture before developing her own designs which she uses on wrapping paper, folders, gift tags, and photo albumn etc…

The show is organised for the Friends of Abingdon (who look after the buildings) by Mary Holland Craft Fairs Ltd. Adult entrance: £2.50 and slightly less for children. And if you go to the Mary Holland website and print the token you can get a free cup of tea or coffee.

Walking through the Copenhagen Drive area today, I met somebody I had not seen for ages. I could not quite place him until he asked “How’s the German?” We had done an evening course together in about 2001.

We spoke about how little we’d used our German, and then I asked about the stream I’d not noticed before.

He said it is normally just a trickle in a ditch. But because of the rain, people were out clearing away a supermarket trolley yesterday that was causing a blockage. It had been near flooding.

All down the stream water was running in from concrete irrigation pipes .

I crossed the stream near Mons Way over a makeshift bridge made from branches, an old bike, and a slab of paving (previous picture), and discovered on the other side another new water feature.

Between Rawlings Grove and Stevenson Drive a grass bottomed hollow was looking like a lake.

The final picture is Mons Way in its autumn beauty.