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.