By the time you read this, Carol Ann Duffy will probaby have penned her first poem as laureate.

But I wanted to blog a brief tribute to her predecessor, Andrew Motion, who spent the last day of his 10 years as Poet Laureate visiting his old school, Radley College.

After getting myself invited on Mr Motion's school trip, I arrived slightly early at my destination, near Abingdon.

Mr Motion was getting picked up at Didcot Parkway by the English master Christopher Ellott, but his train was late.

I didn't mind because that gave allowed 20 minutes for librarian Jack Gray to give me a tour of the library, a tasteful blend of old and new architectural styles. Dotted here and there were boys doing their homework and one or two were actually reading Motion.

On leaving the library to catch up with the laureate, Mr Gray gave me a copy of Looking at Radley, a historical survey of the college's older buildings.

The detailed study by Michael Cherniavsky and Tony Money in 1981 I found most informative but it is perhaps time an updated volume was produced, to take into account some of the recent additions, including the library.

Mr Motion told me that he had visited 300 schools over the past decade to encourage young people to dabble in verse and I think that's a terrific effort.

I know the lads at Radley have already been following in his footsteps because Mr Gray showed me some of their efforts, collected for anthologies published for pupils at the school.

Mr Motion signed my copy of Ways of Life and seemed not to recognise me from our encounter in 2007, on the village green at Warborough, when he was giving a reading.

When I got home on Friday, the postman had left a card urging me to pick up a parcel at the sorting office.

I hoped it would be the book I had ordered about St Paul's Cathedral during wartime and when I opened the jiffy bag I was not disappointed.

The book, in green boards was number 1,217 of 2,000 copies and was signed by the author WR Matthews.

This first edition from 1946 is probably collectable, but I don't want to sell it because it contains a fascinating account of the efforts of the Dean of St Paul's, and his team to preserve the iconic landmark during the Blitz and beyond.

Another book about the capital was spotted by my wife in Abingdon's Oxfam.

Seeing London by Dale Maxey, printed in 1966 by Collins, is a charming guide for children, featuring some quaint illustrations. Complete with dustjacket I think it has been a little undersold.

On a bleak Bank Holiday Monday I pointed the Volvo in the direction of West Oxfordshire, and was delighted to find that the Bull at Charlbury now takes children.

The tiny but charming Evenlode Books was open, so I bought the boys a Mr Ben video, before we pushed on to Chipping Norton and feasted on the splendid cakes provided at the rather palatial Jaffe and Neale bookstore in the town centre.

I was sad to see that the second-hand store off the main drag has closed, and has now moved to a different location at 21 High Street, which to my shame, I failed to locate. Maybe next time.