The first picture is of the Foxy Lady knitting display in Masons on Stert Street. There is a notice advertising a beginners knitting course. But there is also a reflection of the de paauw shop over the road.

Across the road to de paauw (Dutch for Peacock and quite a common name in Holland) where designer children’s wear is on show. The shop was opened earlier this year by a lady with de-Paauw in her name.

A few doors up is a display of second hand musical instruments in the Oxfam window. The back reflection from Prices the Stationers makes the picture looks a bit like a Picasso collage with bits of musical insrument all mixed up with the reflection. As well as the guitar and violin is a concertina and zither.

Lastly (and there are lots more interesting windows to choose from in Stert Street) is the Finishing Touch with autumnal colours.

“We plough the fields, and scatter the good seed on the land,
but it is fed and watered by God’s almighty hand:
he sends the snow in winter, the warmth to swell the grain,
the breezes, and the sunshine, and soft, refreshing rain.”

This hymn may feel like it grows out of our the soil of our English Countryside, but it was a German Peasant song discovered about 1780

The rainbow harvest table was taken at Trinity this morning.

About halfway down the Vineyard is Pedal Power the bike shop, with Mr Lee Hairdressing on one side, and a pub, converted to housing on the other.

I took my bike there last week for a new brake block. The chap went through a box of brake blocks but could not find a match. The designs change rapidly nowadays. Anyway, went back, and he had one this week. But now I need the wheel unbent. Rather stupidly, I left it locked up overnight on St Edmunds Lane and somebody has given the wheel a kick.

Pedal Power is quite traditional with a large workshop at the rear, and bikes for sale in the front, mostly Dawes and Raleigh. Then there are boxes of bike parts.

It is part of the Vineyard, a road named after the Abbey grape growing area.

Anyway, on the subjects of bikes, cycling back home tonight with the bent wheel hitting the brake blocks, I got stopped by a policeman. “Excuse me Sir? Your back lights are not showing.” True enough, the battery was getting weak.

People might be glad to know the police still do take a note of such things. Even though five minutes later I saw six young lads cycle past without a light between them, nor a policeman in sight.

Here is Abingdon’s very own Turkish Donna Kebab man with a van. He can be seen here most days at about 5:20 unlocking and locking the Market Place gates. His vehicle is the one licensed to trade there selling hot food.

Earlier this evening at about 5:25 he plugged his cooker into the market place electricity supply.

Before he has had time to even open the side-hatch of the van, a chap on a bike called across, “Mate, you got any drinks.”

So he opens up, serves the first customer and then a second customer. Only then has he time to open his first big bag of chips and start to prepare the days hot food. Top of the menu are Donna Kebabs (Döner kebab in Turkish means ‘turning kebab’ and seems to involve a hardly recognisable meat in pitta bread and salad).

Thats how most evenings start (Sundays start earlier).

The van has a relatively quiet time until people leave the pubs and its “Weerrll!! … time for a kebab!”

He asks with a broad smile “You wanna it open, for eat now?”

He doesn’t finish until about 1:30, and locks the gate behind him as he goes.