Abingdon Arts Festival 2008 and 2009

Do you remember this picture from March 2008? Twenty five artists each painted a 2 feet x 2 feet portion of Holbein's 'The ambassadors'.

On 21st March 2009 twenty five artists are needed to paint a 2 feet x 2 feet portion of Vermeer’s ‘The Art of Painting’.

If you would like a chance to paint part of a masterpiece, send your name, address, telephone number and/or e:mail address to: info@jennifergerardgallery.com Entry is a ￡10 donation to Marie Curie Cancer Care and the 25 lucky artists will draw their section of masterpiece at random on the day!

For photographers, there is an Arts Festival photography competition. Entries to be submitted by 4th March 2009. Entry forms are available from the Abingdon Town Council information centre.

Change at the Precinct

Scottish Widows, a company providing Life Assurance, pensions and investment products, and owned by Lloyds TSB, have taken over the precinct from Threadneedle properties. Threadneedle had not managed to get the precinct development underway after getting planning permission. The hope now is that Scottish Widows, the new owner, will be able to take this further.

(By the way I don't usually frig images as I don't have photoshop. This was just done with paint.)

Happy Christmas Radley Lakes

Just one week to go...

It was a good day for Thrupp Lake, the lake at the centre of the 'Save Radley Lakes' campaign. The announcement was made that it has been saved for good.

It was a good day for the Water Vole. In future the lake will be kept for the benefit of the wild life, and local people.

It should have been a good day for the man from npower, and the Save Radley Lakes campaigners. Finally they could agree about the lake's future.

It was also a good day for the house called Sandles. First it had been home to Eco Warriers, then a barracks for security men: finally it can become a wildlife education centre.

All the fly ash from Didcot Power Station is to be used by WRG (Waste Recyling Group) for covering and treating their waste, rather than filling in the lake. The man from npower said it was "Win, win all round... and a Happy Christmas present for everybody concerned with Radley Lakes.'

Two small txts

11:50 pm yesterday

RADLEY LAKES WON!! Npower announcing that lake will not be used and will be donated to the community. Deal struck to dispose of more than enough ash elsewhere. This is from reliable sources. PRESS CONFERENCE AT LAKES 2PM (wed) for those who can make it. NICE ONE!!!

8:30 am today

How about the Precinct announcement for your blog?

Change at the Broad Face

The catering awards, and large fair trade signs have gone from the side of the Broad Face now that Mellie and Robin are no longer there in charge.

Together they have done a lot for Abingdon. They ran a popular pub, serving good food, which always seemed to be doing well. It was Mellie that led the bid to get Abingdon Fairtrade status.

I expect the tradition of good food, and fairtrade coffee, will continue at the Broad Face, as most of the staff are the same. Sadly, not all!

New Lights - Town Centre

The curtain of lights in the museum windows have just appeared for the first time.

The lights along High Street are the same as previous years.

The candles round the Market Place are also new.

The River Ock Today

There is an 'Ock Valley Walk' information board at both ends of the walk, since the recent addition of this board at the Drayton Road end.

The river is riding high.

Here is the confluence of the two streams, close to where they merge into the River Thames.

The Honey Pot

The new florist in West Saint Helen Street, the Honey Pot, opened this morning, where the Busy Bee newsagent used to be.

As well as flowers, there were also Beeswax Candles, teddy bears, whicker baskets, flowers vases... Mum, and daughter ,are here serving together, and celebrating the opening with a bottle of Buchs Fizz. It is their dream to have a flower shop.