French Market

Abingdon's French Twin Town, Argentan, are holding a French Market on the Market Place yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

There was French Pick a Mix...

nuts, seeds, dates, and cakes...

The new Leader of the Vale of White Horse District Council, among others, was there outside Le Boulanger...

There was also bread...

cheese...

and french sunshine (I did say earlier it was from Argntan. It was supposed to be. But I am now told it was another commercial French Market.)

Desperate Times

Somebody did say that I must have been hard up for pictures the day I featured an Electricity Sub Station.

Well finally, I must admit I am getting desperate. Tonight I have been trying to get pictures of Public Conveniences.

This lot near the Charter Carpark are all locked up. No use banging to get in.

And these at the Abbey Meadows are just closing. The cleaner has just knocked to make sure nobody will get locked inside.

A letter to the Abingdon Herald lifted the lid on the topic of public toilets in Abingdon a few weeks back, and since then it has been all Cisterns go. Last night the Town Council tabled a motion on improving toilet provision in town. The motion was passed but it did include a large number of inadvertent and deliberate puns.

One councillor said "The new leader of the district council is already on the job." Another had to be excused.

Finally, a loo, near the cricket ground, that is open any time.

Well, thats a relief anyway!!!

Red Kite

I spotted a large hawk over Gainsborough Green in South Abingdon. I remember on the Blue Peter children's programme, in years gone by, how they monitored the last pair of breeding Kites on an isolated Scottish Loch.

I said to one lady "Have you seen that"

She just said "Oh he's often here now"

Red Kites have been re-introduced (for that is what I think it is) and they thrive over the land near Didcot Power Station. They even come scouting over Abingdon.

More Happenings on Conduit Road

Beneath the Trinity steeple

there was a triple golden wedding celebration - three couples from Trinity celebrating their golden wedding anniversaries together. The picture is of tea on the lawn afterwards.

Rev. Malcolm Atherton returned to conduct the celebration service . He is a much missed former minister who left Abingdon about four years ago to look after three churches in Warrington, Cheshire.

This is not really Malcolm's removal lorry but one I chanced to see yesterday. If it had been Malcolm's, it would have been full of water pumps, pond liners, and tanks brimming with Carp.

Happenings on Conduit Road

They pulled down the corrugated chapel of rest at the back of the funeral directors. A new brick one has been built as an extension to the main building. The vacated land is being used for housing.

Builders vans are also there to put up scaffolding and green nets for the Tomkins Almshouses over the road.

Froth on the River

There has been an awful lot of froth floating downstream from Oxford.

The froth did not stop the enjoyment of the crowds on the Abingdon Riviera (but may have neutered some unsuspecting fish).

Co-op Crane removal

I wondered how they were going to remove the crane from behind the Co-op: well

Kingerlee, the construction company, got an even bigger crane

and lifted the crane a part at a time. This is the biggest most-spectacular part.

They slowly moved it round, and lowered it carefully onto the back of lorry - less care and these pictures could have been far more spectacular.

One big question now remains - why have they bricked up all the shop windows.