Scout Fireworks

It was raining, and I was being careful of the camera, and so these firework photos may look a bit like modern art as a consequence.

There was a good crowd despite the rain. The display is hosted by the scouts who are raising funds for a new scout hut roof. Alison Rooke the chair of VWHDC (Vale of White Horse District Council) led the countdown to the display.

Is everybody wet!!!

Yeahhh!! You bet!

Happy Birthday The Bookstore

Happy Birthday to the Bookstore who celebrate ten years today.

Local children's author, David Melling, was there among all the balloons, doing a picture. I think there were three different book signings.

Martin Clunes at Mostly Books

Martin Clunes was in town signing copies of his book - A Dog's Life. Here he is with Mark from Mostly Books.

(Harry has a canine perspective on his doggy bloggy, and the full story is now on the Mostly Books blog.)

How doth the little Busy Bee?

"How doth the little busy bee
Improve each shining hour,
And gather honey all the day
From every opening flower"!

At the end of January 2008 the Busy Bee newsagents closed because trade was not that good down West Saint Helen Street.

The Co-op building is nearing completion, and things are stirring inside the nearby Busy Bee. Not newspapers this time. There could be a clue in the verse above.

Ladbrokes Relocating

The premises was the Venue bar and more recently it has been vacant, and soon it will be a betting and gaming office.

Ladbrokes are relocating to Bath Street. There is currently a Ladbrokes in Stert Street and another in Ock street. (What I don't know is which is moving. )

Fireworks on November 5th

There were no large public firework displays advertised on November 5th. (There are two on Saturday: one at Dalton Barracks, and one near Long Furlong Community Centre.)

There are some new Christmas Lights on the Market Place that look a bit like fireworks.

The Millenium needle does look like a Roman Candle, and there were plenty of distant explosions in the night sky.

Waitrose could have been one huge bonfire - using a long exposure.

And HSBC may well have been on fire. One of the fire engines stayed for a couple of hours.

Temporary Footpath Closure

The footpath over one side of the Drayton Road has been closed for a few days.

A new road junction is being created.

This is where the Esso Service Station and Cross Roads Garage once stood. The planned housing on the site were probably put back by the aftermath of the floods last year.

The side view of the same development, taken from near the River Ock, shows that the floor level should be above any future flooding.

Bahá'í Faith

In the front room of St Ethelwold's, on East St Helen Street, there has been a display about the Bahá'í Faith.

Transformations

The last few days have seen a variety of contractors coming to play their part in the transformation of this shop on the Market Place. In the last twenty four hours the sign 'COFFEE REPUBLIC' has gone up.

It was once an Estate Agent's.

Kitchen and Bathroom Transformations have just moved in to one of the front units at Coxeters. They were previously round the corner but have expanded.

It was Oxford Beds.