The Abingdon Blog

The Abingdon Blog is a photo record of events and places in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, started on January 1st 2006.

Saturday, 10 October 2009

Signs of Fall


Thanks to David for the sudden flurry of comments on this and the Harry Dog Blog. This is Beth Fleming, David's wife.

Beth is currently Vice Chairman of the Vale of White Horse District Council. She has crutches because she broke her leg (David says in comment badly sprained with chipped bone) at the fair earlier in the week. It was not on any of the really fast rides. Not even on the Galloping Horses. No she tripped on a hole in the road. There is a bit more to it involving looking after her children etc etc but I'll keep it simple...

Get Well Soon!

Friday, 9 October 2009

Signs of Autumn


Thanks to Pat for this picture of some fungi growing in a rotten tree in the Abbey Fish Pond nature reserve off Radley Road. It is the sort of fungi I would NOT eat without expert advice. So anybody know what it is, and how it got to be so big.

There was a chill in the air tonight.

Blog Action Day is a yearly event when bloggers try to do a blog on the same topic - world wide. The day this year is October 15th. The URL to register is http://www.blogactionday.org . This year the topic is climate change. I will try to think of something in Abingdon...

Thursday, 8 October 2009

The Osborne Backdop : Abingdon


The Financial Times Blog points out that the backdrop for The Key Note Speech, at this years Conservative Party Conference, by the Shadow Chancellor, was Abingdon.

The blogger begins... "What patch of Middle England did they chose? Well we can reveal that it is the fine Oxfordshire market town of Abingdon, home of Radiohead. Forget pebble-dash voters. Osborne placed himself firmly in the shires.....Labour will be delighted. It neatly fits into their attempt to define the Tory “North Oxfordshire set”"

But then somebody called John commented "Abingdon is south of the Thames (it used to be the county town of Berkshire) so it is hardly "north Oxfordshire" and was the home of the MG factory that made the iconic MGB, among others. It is now the home to some of the highest-technology workers in the world as Harwell and Culham (the home of the Joint European Torus) are both within walking distance (but for Harwell cycling is preferable) . So less the bucolic past that your anonymous minster would like your readers to believe, more the high-tech future."

Well Put! But I'm not sure about South of The Thames. How does that work? Also anyone know where in Abingdon it is. The only building it looks like to me is St Helen and St Katherine School.

Wednesday, 7 October 2009

A few more Fair Shots

The Fair has gone now, and the bin men have been to collect our rubbish one day later than usual.

A few more pictures of the Fair...

Another prize has just been won.

Candy Floss, Toffee Apples, and Jumbo Hot Dogs.

Amusements.

The Bungee Ball.

This one is just a Blurr....

Storm.

Tuesday, 6 October 2009

All The Fun of The Fair


Here is the Abingdon Michaelmas Fair with the County Hall as a backdrop.

There seemed to be a lot of spider men about this year - as prizes. Here is just one at the bottom of Stratton Way.

Dodgems...

Rides ...

The Fair Operators look nonchalant. They have seen it all before.

Quite late, there was a bit of a confrontation between two groups of lads. But plenty of police were on the spot, and I hope not much came of it.

Finally a Swing Roundabout with Bellingers, the Abingdon Vauxhall dealer, in the background.

Monday, 5 October 2009

Fair Service

You will have to see the Harry Dog Blog to see Harry getting blessed as part of a Vicar of Dibley Style animal Service at St Edmund's.

But Harry is not the only one got blessed. The Fair also got blessed at the annual Fair Service.

Revd Richard Bittleston from Trinity led the proceedings.

The Abingdon Town Band led the hymns which were all old favourites of mine.

Thanks to Anne - who borrowed my camera - for these pictures. Here is the Mayor, Patricia Hobby, with Nigel Warner, the Town Clerk.

Sunday, 4 October 2009

Abindon Street Fair 2009 - Set Up


These two were having a Lib Dem / Conservative debate as the fair got set up around them.

Town Council workmen were manning the barriers.

As always there were the kids on the bikes having a look round.

All run by Bob Wilson and his wife. Sorry I have not got a picture of the great couple.

But here at least is one of their stall holders, about to drive into the Baptist Church carpark now the service is over.

And here is Revd David Fleming, himself, Abingdon's second longest serving church Minister at 8 years. He has seen that same man with his lorry take the same pitch in front of the church for 8 years now, and it has always worked out well.

Finally Steve Rich, Town Council Technical Officer, and Nigel Warner, Town Clerk. This is a busy three days for them. They have a final inspection with Bob Wilson this evening.