Saturday 27/05/06

Fairly early start today, certainly for mrs B. Her first set of guests leave at 6.45, the young lady who is running the half marathon leaves before 8. And I'm at breakfast at 9.15. The half marathon starts at 10.00. I encounter the first runners on South Beach Street at 10.10. They have covered 1½ miles in 10 minutes, pretty good going. Police close off the streets. The course leads round to Sandwick, Moss End, across to the Castle Grounds to finish at the Porter's Lodge opposite the Coop. At 11 o'clock, I accompany mrs B to a very limited car-boot sale outside the Young Man's club on Bayhead. Only 6 cars present, and not a lot to be had. Our return to town gets interrupted by a heavy shower. We shelter in the Red Cross charity shop. Some very old and tired books there - e.g. the Guinness Book of Records 1986. The postcards are nice. Return to Newton at 12.30. The athlete's luggage is returned at that hour, but the young lady herself doesn't appear until 15.30, some 3 hours after her promised return. Tut tut. Another beefy few downpours close the afternoon. I spend the evening watching police car chases from the US. I win nothing on the lottery. Oh, an Australian man comes to stay the weekend.