Ock Valley Tree Work

It is the tree chopping season. There is lots of evidence of work on the trees at the town end of the Ock Valley Walk. There are the mounds of wood chip

...

and the piles of wood left over from pollarded willows.

After such a clearance new vistas open up - like this one across towards the Brewery Development.

Flood Action and Action 4 Abingdon

This is the scene looking up Caldecott Road today. One of the drainage ditches - put there to prevent flooding - is looking a little clogged up and far worse round the corner where there looks to have been a mudslide.

Tonight (Friday) a new group is meeting at Preston Road Community Centre at 7:30 PM. It is called the Ock Valley Flood Group and I would not be surprised if they push for action on drainage ditches. People at risk of flooding by the Ock should have been invited, but if not - communication is not always brilliant in Abingdon - all are welcome.

Meanwhile a happy second birthday to Action 4 Abingdon - set up just two years ago today.

I did not find many pictures on the forum but did borrow this one with the caption ... "After many months of deliberation, the traffic scheme group came up with a new layout that was sure to please everyone."

The latest big issue is the future of the Chamber of Commerce as a new group is set up. Everyone wants a group that represents ALL town businesses but not everyone appears agreed about who should run it. The Heralds front page story this week is 'Traders Set up new town body.'

New Build Blog

Thanks to Brigid for news of her new blog. The blog follows the destruction of the family home, and the build of a new eco-friendly replacment. You can follow it at Blog My Ecobuild. The pictures are all hers, although I hope to visit in April when she predicts an exciting time. Link added at the side

Last Tuesday they saw the bungalow being dismantled...

and this week it has been taken away.

By the way, this blog will be changing before the deadline of March 26th. Blogger are removing support for the way I have been doing it up to now (using FTP). They say "only .5% of active blogs are published via FTP — yet the percentage of our engineering resources devoted to supporting FTP vastly exceeds that. " In other words, more trouble than we are worth. So I will be forced to find another way - a new build.

All Future Gigs Cancelled

It is a great shame to see that all future Music-at-The-Unicorn gigs are cancelled. Over recent years Pam, who organised it all, arranged some very good gigs. It was something very good in Abingdon.

Last year, for example, there was ...
Friday 27 February 2009 - Eddie Walker and Fraser Speirs
Saturday 7 March - Loves Holyday
Saturday 18 March - Bob Fox

Tuesday 26 April - Judith Owen
Friday 12th June - Steve Tilston
Thursday 9th July - Carmina

Thursday 6 August - Blackheart
Friday 11 September - Reg Meuross
Thursday 1 October - Show of Hands
Friday 6 November - Spiers and Boden

Friday 11th December - Dylan Project...

An amazing effort!

February Begins Cold

There was a layer of powdery snow as the second cold spell of the year continued into February. This is the top of West St Helen Street at about 7:40.

At that time the fruit and vedge stall, on the Monday Market, was already serving customers, wheras most of the stalls were still setting up.

The paths beside and down to the River Thames from Abingdon Bridge were white. There could be more snow on the way, but this lot was soon gone.

Brewery Artwork

It looks like there has always been a double yellow line along Cooper's Lane, in the brewery development,

but it is a recent paint job

and wasn't there last week.

The sculpture shown in both pictures is by artist Walter Jack and is made of identical iron planks welded together and called 'barrel' - something once common on this site. It weighs nearly one and a half tons.

Sunday Working

Yesterday seemed to be a day of rest for the workers repaving the High Street.

Today the workers, from Drayton Construction, were back at work, probably making up for what has been a difficult January.