2nd Abingdon Scout Group Fireworks

This firework display was in the field behind Long Furlong Community Centre. Its the tenth year the scouts have held such an event, and by the way scouts have been going for one hundred years.

Money raised from the event will go towards helping to restore the group's scout hut - which got damaged in the floods.

Wider, deeper, extra...

This is Chaunterell Way on the Ladygrove Estate where a lot of the houses have caravans in the front gardens. People use the caravans during the day, and then use their upstairs at night. Building work on flood damage continues.


Good news: there were two men from the Environment Agency clearing parts of the Ock today. But what can you do against so much water with a rake, and a saw?

There will be a public meeting about the flooding on 16th November at 7 p.m at the Guildhall.

There is a Flood protection fair (with products, ideas and advice) on 15th November from 3 - 8 p.m at the Kings Centre, Osney Mead, Oxford. Free Admission. No Parking.

The Vale District Council has recently issued its flood review. The review by the Environment Agency should be published soon. They are just doing their internal reviews.

My big worry is that each council and agency are only focusing on what they can do within their powers, and not on the bigger picture - how to protect those 380 homes and affected businesses next time. We need something wider, or deeper, or extra to take the water next time. Wider, deeper, extra...

There must be More to Life...

Approaching Abingdon Lock from Oxford you see these old hulks. I'm not sure they get used that much - given one has trees growing inside.

The black and white markers guide boats towards the Lock rather than the weir - always a good idea.

The locks on our patch of the Thames all seem to have a keepers cottage, and an office. The lock keeper's most important duty is tending the weir, but we all know him as the Lock Keeper.

For more information on the Thames try the Visit Thames website. It has a piece on Roger Steere, who has lived in the Lock House since 1984. Roger and his wife, Gillian, agree that running this lock has been 'extremely rewarding.' A former programmer, Roger says, 'When I was in computers, I thought ,"there must be more to life than this" so I became a lock keeper'.

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween from Birthdays in the precinct.


Some claim this Abingdon

is turning into

a ghost town.

The Odd One Out

So which out of these is the odd one out?

a) The Geese

b) The Ducks

c) The Swan

d) The shopping Trolley

The majority of trolleys stay well within the Tesco carpark. Just the odd one gets out, and it usually ends tragically.

Extra Sports Facilities

Work continues on the new sports facilities for Abingdon School.

An eight lane swimming pool with curving roof, a climbing wall, squash courts, and more classrooms are a part of the project which is likely to be completed during 2008.

Not sure if that tree will have to go or stay.

Banksy in Abingdon?

Abingdon Artists have just had an exhibition in St Nic's church. But not all Abingdon artists belong to that group.

It was reported a couple of days ago that 11 pieces of grafitti by Banksy from Bristol sold for half a million. So could any of our local graffiti be by Banksy?

The turntable outside the Kings Head and Bell? 'Not sure...'

This bus queue along Winsmore Lane 'Mmm Possibly!'