Monthly Archives: January 2012
Joint Environmental Trust – Not Quite So Joint
Good to see the ex Hathaways shop is now in a fit state to become a shop again. Looks like Connells next door is also being refurbished.
Grants from the Joint Environmental Trust (JET) can be used towards shop window improvements.
Its seems as if the Joint Environmental Trust is no longer quite so joint. It was set up as a partnership between district and town council – a way to work together to improve the town. Last year it was handed over for the town council to run. This year the leader of the district council said “We’re taking away the blanket grant to Town Council in favour of considering funding for appropriate projects on a case by case basis.“
Mud Trending
There has been talk of mud on twitter this weekend and I became very aware of mud on the dog walk today …
The area that looks like the pigs’ play puddle is the pedestrian route to Tesco from Chaunterell Way.
The route was created when Tesco first opened in the early 1980s (corrected from 70s after comment). There is a picture in the library local studies section of a bridge at the Tesco end of the path being lowered into position in 1983. Not only is the path muddy a lot of the year, but the fence is falling down.
Lots of birds tweeting in Abingdon this weekend
This weekend the RSPB are asking people to count birds in their gardens as part of a national survey. The winter has been mild so far. I have read newspaper reports suggesting that as a result birds have not needed to come to gardens for emergency food and that could skew the RSPB survey results. There are lots of birds about in Abingdon, but not many come to our garden, but then we have a cat, and so don’t feed them.
None of these birds were seen in our garden. The chaffinch was near the River Ock.
A blackbird was nearby.
Two magpies in the Abbey Gardens.
Robins are to be heard at regular intervals along the Ock Valley Walk and the Abbey Mill Stream.
This Kingfisher did not stop long enough for me to get a clear shot but it did rest for a moment by the River Ock before speeding low along the river.