Co-op Building July Progress

Not much to report. I think the flats are getting worked on inside. Outside the path was dug up, and those pictures, that once decorated the hoardings, have reappeared as window recesses. Possible October Opening.

Abingdon Pigeons in July

This pigeon has got the best roost in town.

This Pigeon hangs out at the railings on Wilsham Road near where humankind throw bread to the ducks.

This Pigeon has taken to the other bank where there are new rich pickings. Over there, the caravan club of Great Britain eat outdoors.

If you like pigeons and are not easily offended by fowl language then try the Pigeon Blog.

Mayor's Sponsored Climb

The Mayor of Abingdon successfully completed his Sponsored Ascent of Wittenham Clumps, not just once, but 25 times, covering 1375 metres (more than the height of Ben Nevis) in 5 ½ hours. The money raised will go to the Mayor's charities which are Abingdon Hospital League of Friends and Abingdon's Charities Working Together.

Abingdon Charities Working Together have a sponsored swim in September, so if you can swim and want to help, here is your chance. Listen to Radio Abingdon for more.

Plug for Heritage Day

The County Hall soon after dawn.

On Heritage Day on Saturday 13th September this year the roof is open for free. See Abingdonheritage.co.uk for other details.

Radley Lake - Campaign Progress

Radley Lakes were seen recently in the paper under the headline of Campaigners Claim Victory.

The Sutton Courtney Waste Recycling Group (WRG), who could also build a new waste incinerator in Sutton Coutrney, need Fuel Ash to cover waste tips, and they are wanting to stockpile the ash to guarantee they have enough for the future - after the Coal burning power station at Didcot closes.

So WRG and nPower just need to sign an agreement, and that will reduce the future prospect of any fuel ash being dumped at Radley Lakes. However fund raising continues, and there was a Sale and tombola yesterday, for the impending judicial review.

Abingdon's Got Talent - Final

Not everybody could win, however good...

The judges had to make the final decision and pick three winners. The judges were:

Julia Howson, Stagecoach Theatre Arts, Abingdon
Geraldine Peers, BBC South
Mary Green, ITV Thames Valley
The Mayor of Abingdon
Eileen Bagshawe, Abingdon Drama Club

In the youngest group, they chose this harpest to win. She came back early from a holiday in Holland to compete.

In the middle age range they chose this magician.

And in the upper age range they chose this singer. He can sometimes be heard performing Karaoke at the Plough.

The winners will be invited back to perform at Fun in the Parks, and to turn on the Christmas Lights this year. Paul Mayhew-Archer (co-author of the Vicar of Dibley) was the master of ceremonies.

Bridge Left Open

I'm not sure if there has been an official opening, but the fence that barred the far end has been removed.

It has taken a long time to open the bridge. The date kept getting put back - possibly because building work continues nearby.

The bridge can now be viewed close-up

and from any angle.

More Balloons

There were more hot-air balloons this evening. They came in low over the river and Abbey Meadows.

The balloons had to burn gas to get up over the trees in the Abbey Meadows

After the fly past they went their way.

It was after all the start of school holidays today.

Balloons

Some hot-air balloons passed overhead this evening.

The balloons crossed a bright yellow field behind Kingfisher Barn.

After they were gone I waited a few minutes for the sunset.

New Town Entry Sign

The new town entry sign on the side of the Broad Face says ' Abingdon on Thames - A Fairtrade Town Since March 2007'

Moving Centre of Gravity

It looks as thought the Old Ambulance Station development off the Wootton Road is complete, and the Old Crossroads Garage development is underway.

Cranbourne Homes had their offices on Ock Street, but the Twickenham House / Old Gaol development has seen them moving some of their operations towards East St Helen Street -

into Twickenham House.

Celebrating the Return of the Sun

The sun rose soon after 5 AM

Boats moored by St Helen's Wharf were lit up by the early sun light

as was the underside of the bridge.

Boxing Club Fete

The fete on the Market Place was a rare chance to throw wet sponges at volunteers in the stocks

and to throw the odd punch or two.

There was also the usual fete activities like Face Painting

Tombolas and Raffle.

All done, in best possible taste, to raise funds, and awareness for a Boxing Club gym in Abingdon.

Swan Upping / One year On

The Swan Upping was scheduled to arrive at approximately 17:30 but really arrived at about 15:45. So apologies to anybody who went down and missed it having seen this blog. I was just too late as well. There were quite a few disappointed people about.

There were not enough young swans on the Thames to keep the crews busy. They did catch the large brood by the Marina, but a lot of nests got washed away by the high water earlier in the year.

At Wilsham Road there was a camera crew and local reporter doing a piece on Abingdon one year on. It is a year to the day since the July floods.

A town of two Co-ops

The building of the new Co-op was put back many months when two Co-operative Societies merged to form the Mid Counties Co-operative. They are now based in Oxford and Walsall.

Yesterday the UK's largest co-operative, the Co-operative Group based in Manchester, made a successful bid to take over Somerfield for a reported £1.57 Bn.

Horse Chestnuts not looking pretty

From this in May

to this two months later.

The Horse Chestnut trees along the Ock Valley walk were in a worse state than those alongside Caldecott Rec. The one above is from Ock Valley, and the one below from Caldecott Rec.

So what is doing it?

It is definitely not drought this year. It could be a very serious condition called Bleeding Canker which kills the tree off under the bark. More likely, for most trees (and I say this after having done a few minutes research on the internet), a moth called the horse chestnut leaf miner has laid its larvae within the leaves. The leaves eventually shrivel and drop off prematurely, but grow again the following year.

Optician Alley

Scrivens, the new optician on the precinct, is really Russel Caulton under new national management. They moved from the Market Place to the precinct. Their new shop is between Adams Kids and Bakers Oven.

At the other side of Adams Kids is the Abingdon Eye Centre.

At the other side of Bakers Oven is Specsavers.

Abingdon town centre has five opticians in all, three of them now close neighbours on the precinct. The precinct used to be Shoe Parade, then Greeting Card Row, and now it has become Optician Alley.

A Big Cheque

The South Wales MGF Car Club came to Abingdon with a big cheque - a £500 donation for the MG Room Appeal.

Abingdon's most well known MG expert, and former MG employee, Brian Moylan, was there to welcome them and show them round.

Bank Closes

This Abingdon bank has closed.

Back in February came the news that the company would stop lending. "Losses from loans made to lower-income consumers made its business model unsustainable." Then came the news that they were trying to raise money by selling more shares to keep the business going. Since then bits of the business have been sold to raise capital, and now the really big news - The Abingdon branch has closed.

Random Jottings

Crimes of Passion by Joe Orton will be on at the Unicorn Theatre next week from Wed 16th - Sat 19th July (8pm start). The Old Gaol Theatre Company site has the details.

Ms Indiana Jones was out with her trowel promoting an Open Day at the Romana-British dig near Marcham on Sunday 20th July from 10 am - 4pm. They have a web site with a map but I'm told its off the A338 behind Noah's Ark.

In shop windows: posters say that Abingdon Town Boxing Club are holding a fete on the Market Place next Saturday to raise money for the new gym in South Abingdon. Tomorrow the boxing club are taking part at Play 2 Give at Oxford City F C.

B&B on Thames Abingdon

Norah g has recently had a refit, and been turned into a floating Bed & Breakfast. She is to be found on the Wilsham Road currently, but will be moving round.

Tithe Farm and Ladygrove Newsletter

The Tithe Farm and Ladygrove newsletter plopped onto the mat this morning bringing with it concerns about kids riding motorbikes round the fields behind Ladygrove, and asking for information about who had scratched 'XXX loves YY' on a car. It had a report on 'My year as Mayor' by last years mayor, and a page long report on options to protect Abingdon from future floods.

As the rain fell all yesterday, work to waterproof St Helen's Mill is evident.

Other less costly options that are more like to happen include:

• Remove the unused St Helen's Mill bridge - a bottleneck.
• Install flap valves on all pipes running into the Ock

More expensive options that are less likely to happen include:

• Build embankments and walls along the River Ock floodplain from the A34 to the Drayton Road Bridge
• Flood storage area upstream of the A34

Another option which could get the go ahead in ten years or so should the Abingdon Reservoir get built:

• Use the reservoir emergency relief channel to the River Thames to divert excess River Ock water, bypassing Abingdon.

Tattoos and Smoking Tat Too

Its about two years since Skin Obsession - Abingdon's previous Tattoo Parlour - closed, and now a new tattoo place has opened up on Ock Street. Not only do they do Tattoos and body piercing, but they also sell a range of Smoking Tat Too - pipes and bongs...

Polish Grocery Shelves

There are two stacks of shelves dedicated to Polish Groceries in the Tesco World Foods Aisle. As you can see at the end of the day the popular products continue to sell.

However, the remaining groceries from Poldeli are in boxes. I guess they are moving out, maybe going home...

Less reason to be here, as house prices drop, and the economy slows here in the UK. I am told that in Poland , on the other hand, wages are steadily rising.

A lift up

Under the arches of the County Hall, the Alzheimer's Society were raising funds. One lady came pushing her husband in a wheelchair, and asked some young men to lift the chair up to look round the white elephant stalls. The County Hall is about the least wheelchair friendly building you could find.

A new lift will remedy that. It will take wheelchairs from ground level to undercroft, then up to the main museum sessions hall, or down to the basement. As can be seen the design (or this early mock up) has changed as a result of consultation with people in Abingdon, and English Heritage. It will be partly stone clad, and not go so high as the one that displeased Private Eye. Glazing in of the arches has also been ruled out Private Eye will be glad to learn.

The national lottery has given £2M towards the scheme that will create this new lift. Other changes include improvements to basement and sessions hall. This could be ready in time for the bun throwing to celebrate the Queens diamond jubliee in 2012. Perhaps Her Majesty could be persuaded to view another bun throwing, and use the new lift.

Isis Chamber Orchestra

This evening in St Helens Church there was a concert by the Isis Chamber Orchestra:

Vaughan Williams - Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
Tchaikovsky - Violin Concerto
Schumann - Symphony No. 3 (The Rhenish)

This is the Mayor with Lorraine - local musician and a well known face in the Abingdon information centre.

The violin soloist was Caroline Duffner.

Harley Davidsons on the Market

About twenty Harley Davidson bikes were on the Market Place this morning.

All shining in the sun.

Visions - Part Time Art

Art from another exhibition at Abingdon College. This time it's by the part time, first year, students... Called Visions. They each tried to show the spiritual in art.

Suspended globes and photograms.

Labels describing a person. They come together to show the image of the artist.

A wire man holding up the Astral Sphere

An image taken at Dartmoor

New Beds for Old

Oxford Beds are closing their Abingdon town centre shop, and relocating.

Meanwhile out on the Marcham Road....

and in front of the County Hall there are new flower beds. The Britain in Bloom judges will be round next Monday.

The Boys' Brigade Abingdon Mystery

In the top room of Abingdon Museum is an exhibition about The Boys' Brigade in Oxfordshire 1888 - 2008 (120 years).

There was once an Abingdon Company - the 1st Abingdon - who met at the Congregational Church. That is the classical building beginning to be cleared and redeveloped to become an Ask Restaurant.

The 1st Abingdon Company were in existence from 13th February 1926 to some time in 1928. To quote the Boys' Brigade Website "Little is known about the Abingdon Boys Life Brigade Company. Were you or a relative a member of this Boys’ Brigade Company? Or do you have any details that you could share. If so please contact us at oxfordshire@boys-brigade.org.uk"

It may be just one of those things that will remain shrouded in mystery.

Co-op Building - June Progress

Hardly had the ink dried on the 'Co-op Building - May Progress' post, and they were taking down the scaffolding.

So what do people think now it can be seen as a building? I have heard one complaint from more than two people 'Those drainpipes were not like that on the plan. '

We now await false shop windows and Co-op sign.