This Abingdon

Royal Fly Pass

noreply@blogger.com (Backstreeter) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 23:59:00 +0000

There were more hot-air balloons this evening. They came in low over the river.

The balloons had to burn a lot of gas to get up over the trees in the Abbey Meadows

Then they gained a safer altitude after the Royal Fly Pass.

Balloons before Sunset

noreply@blogger.com (Backstreeter) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 23:10:00 +0000

Some hot-air balloons passed overhead this evening.

The balloons crossed a bright yellow field behind Kingfisher Barn.

After they were gone I waited a few minutes for the sunset.

The spire of St Helen's is on the left, and Trinity in the centre. The sun needs no introduction to anybody.

New Town Entry Sign

noreply@blogger.com (Backstreeter) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 23:06:00 +0000

The new town entry sign on the side of the Broad Face says ' Abingdon on Thames - A Fairtrade Town Since March 2007'

Moving Centre of Gravity

noreply@blogger.com (Backstreeter) — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 23:29:00 +0000

It looks as thought the Old Ambulance Station development off the Wootton Road is complete, and the Old Crossroads Garage development is underway.

Cranbourne Homes had their offices on Ock Street, but the Twickenham House / Old Gaol development has seen them moving some of their operations towards East St Helen Street -

into Twickenham House.

Celebrating the Return of the Sun

noreply@blogger.com (Backstreeter) — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 04:40:00 +0000

The sun rose soon after 5 AM

Boats moored by St Helen's Wharf were lit up by the early sun light

as was the underside of the bridge.

Boxing Club Fete

noreply@blogger.com (Backstreeter) — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 16:47:00 +0000

The fete on the Market Place was a rare chance to throw wet sponges at volunteers in the stocks

and to throw the odd punch or two.

There was also the usual fete activities like Face Painting

Tombolas and Raffle.

All done, in best possible taste, to raise funds, and awareness for a Boxing Club gym in Abingdon.

Swan Upping / One year On

noreply@blogger.com (Backstreeter) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 16:35:00 +0000

The Swan Upping was scheduled to arrive at approximately 17:30 but really arrived at about 15:45. So apologies to anybody who went down and missed it having seen this blog. I was just too late as well. There were quite a few disappointed people about.

There were not enough young swans on the Thames to keep the crews busy. They did catch the large brood by the Marina, but a lot of nests got washed away by the high water earlier in the year.

At Wilsham Road there was a camera crew and local reporter doing a piece on Abingdon one year on. It is a year to the day since the July floods.

A town of two Co-ops

noreply@blogger.com (Backstreeter) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 23:02:00 +0000

The building of the new Co-op was put back many months when two Co-operative Societies merged to form the Mid Counties Co-operative. They are now based in Oxford and Walsall.

Yesterday the UK's largest co-operative, the Co-operative Group based in Manchester, made a successful bid to take over Somerfield for a reported £1.57 Bn.

Horse Chestnuts not looking pretty

noreply@blogger.com (Backstreeter) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 23:30:00 +0000

From this in May

to this two months later.

The Horse Chestnut trees along the Ock Valley walk were in a worse state than those alongside Caldecott Rec. The one above is from Ock Valley, and the one below from Caldecott Rec.

So what is doing it?

It is definitely not drought this year. It could be a very serious condition called Bleeding Canker which kills the tree off under the bark. More likely, for most trees (and I say this after having done a few minutes research on the internet), a moth called the horse chestnut leaf miner has laid its larvae within the leaves. The leaves eventually shrivel and drop off prematurely, but grow again the following year.

Optician Alley

noreply@blogger.com (Backstreeter) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 23:16:00 +0000

Scrivens, the new optician on the precinct, is really Russel Caulton under new national management. They moved from the Market Place to the precinct. Their new shop is between Adams Kids and Bakers Oven.

At the other side of Adams Kids is the Abingdon Eye Centre.

At the other side of Bakers Oven is Specsavers.

Abingdon town centre has five opticians in all, three of them now close neighbours on the precinct. The precinct used to be Shoe Parade, then Greeting Card Row, and now it has become Optician Alley.

A Big Cheque

noreply@blogger.com (Backstreeter) — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 23:51:00 +0000

The South Wales MGF Car Club came to Abingdon with a big cheque - a £500 donation for the MG Room Appeal.

Abingdon's most well known MG expert, and former MG employee, Brian Moylan, was there to welcome them and show them round.

Bank Closes

noreply@blogger.com (Backstreeter) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 23:13:00 +0000

This Abingdon bank has closed.

Back in February came the news that the company would stop lending. "Losses from loans made to lower-income consumers made its business model unsustainable." Then came the news that they were trying to raise money by selling more shares to keep the business going. Since then bits of the business have been sold to raise capital, and now the really big news - The Abingdon branch has closed.

Random Jottings

noreply@blogger.com (Backstreeter) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 12:46:00 +0000

Crimes of Passion by Joe Orton will be on at the Unicorn Theatre next week from Wed 16th - Sat 19th July (8pm start). The Old Gaol Theatre Company site has the details.

Ms Indiana Jones was out with her trowel promoting an Open Day at the Romana-British dig near Marcham on Sunday 20th July from 10 am - 4pm. They have a web site with a map but I'm told its off the A338 behind Noah's Ark.

In shop windows: posters say that Abingdon Town Boxing Club are holding a fete on the Market Place next Saturday to raise money for the new gym in South Abingdon. Tomorrow the boxing club are taking part at Play 2 Give at Oxford City F C.

B&B on Thames Abingdon

noreply@blogger.com (Backstreeter) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 23:54:00 +0000

Norah g has recently had a refit, and been turned into a floating Bed & Breakfast. She is to be found on the Wilsham Road currently, but will be moving round.

Tithe Farm and Ladygrove Newsletter

noreply@blogger.com (Backstreeter) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 23:50:00 +0000

The Tithe Farm and Ladygrove newsletter plopped onto the mat this morning bringing with it concerns about kids riding motorbikes round the fields behind Ladygrove, and asking for information about who had scratched 'XXX loves YY' on a car. It had a report on 'My year as Mayor' by last years mayor, and a page long report on options to protect Abingdon from future floods.

As the rain fell all yesterday, work to waterproof St Helen's Mill is evident.

Other less costly options that are more like to happen include:

Remove the unused St Helen's Mill bridge - a bottleneck.
Install flap valves on all pipes running into the Ock

More expensive options that are less likely to happen include:

Build embankments and walls along the River Ock floodplain from the A34 to the Drayton Road Bridge
Flood storage area upstream of the A34

Another option which could get the go ahead in ten years or so should the Abingdon Reservoir get built:

Use the reservoir emergency relief channel to the River Thames to divert excess River Ock water, bypassing Abingdon.

Tattoos and Smoking Tat Too

noreply@blogger.com (Backstreeter) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 23:03:00 +0000

Its about two years since Skin Obsession - Abingdon's previous Tattoo Parlour - closed, and now a new tattoo place has opened up on Ock Street. Not only do they do Tattoos and body piercing, but they also sell a range of Smoking Tat Too - pipes and bongs...

Polish Grocery Shelves

noreply@blogger.com (Backstreeter) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 23:10:00 +0000

There are two stacks of shelves dedicated to Polish Groceries in the Tesco World Foods Aisle. As you can see at the end of the day the popular products continue to sell.

However, the remaining groceries from Poldeli are in boxes. I guess they are moving out, maybe going home...

Less reason to be here, as house prices drop, and the economy slows here in the UK. I am told that in Poland , on the other hand, wages are steadily rising.

A lift up

noreply@blogger.com (Backstreeter) — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 23:41:00 +0000

Under the arches of the County Hall, the Alzheimer's Society were raising funds. One lady came pushing her husband in a wheelchair, and asked some young men to lift the chair up to look round the white elephant stalls. The County Hall is about the least wheelchair friendly building you could find.

A new lift will remedy that. It will take wheelchairs from ground level to undercroft, then up to the main museum sessions hall, or down to the basement. As can be seen the design (or this early mock up) has changed as a result of consultation with people in Abingdon, and English Heritage. It will be partly stone clad, and not go so high as the one that displeased Private Eye. Glazing in of the arches has also been ruled out Private Eye will be glad to learn.

The national lottery has given £2M towards the scheme that will create this new lift. Other changes include improvements to basement and sessions hall. This could be ready in time for the bun throwing to celebrate the Queens diamond jubliee in 2012. Perhaps Her Majesty could be persuaded to view another bun throwing, and use the new lift.

Isis Chamber Orchestra

noreply@blogger.com (Backstreeter) — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 23:35:00 +0000

This evening in St Helens Church there was a concert by the Isis Chamber Orchestra:

Vaughan Williams - Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
Tchaikovsky - Violin Concerto
Schumann - Symphony No. 3 (The Rhenish)

This is the Mayor with Lorraine - local musician and a well known face in the Abingdon information centre.

The violin soloist was Caroline Duffner.

Harley Davidsons on the Market

noreply@blogger.com (Backstreeter) — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 11:59:00 +0000

About twenty Harley Davidson bikes were on the Market Place this morning.

All shining in the sun.

Visions - Part Time Art

noreply@blogger.com (Backstreeter) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 23:24:00 +0000

Art from another exhibition at Abingdon College. This time it's by the part time, first year, students... Called Visions. They each tried to show the spiritual in art.

Suspended globes and photograms.

Labels describing a person. They come together to show the image of the artist.

A wire man holding up the Astral Sphere

An image taken at Dartmoor

New Beds for Old

noreply@blogger.com (Backstreeter) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 23:01:00 +0000

Oxford Beds are closing their Abingdon town centre shop, and relocating.

Meanwhile out on the Marcham Road....

and in front of the County Hall there are new flower beds. The Britain in Bloom judges will be round next Monday.

The Boys' Brigade Abingdon Mystery

noreply@blogger.com (Backstreeter) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 23:45:00 +0000

In the top room of Abingdon Museum is an exhibition about The Boys' Brigade in Oxfordshire 1888 - 2008 (120 years).

There was once an Abingdon Company - the 1st Abingdon - who met at the Congregational Church. That is the classical building beginning to be cleared and redeveloped to become an Ask Restaurant.

The 1st Abingdon Company were in existence from 13th February 1926 to some time in 1928. To quote the Boys' Brigade Website "Little is known about the Abingdon Boys Life Brigade Company. Were you or a relative a member of this Boys’ Brigade Company? Or do you have any details that you could share. If so please contact us at oxfordshire@boys-brigade.org.uk"

It may be just one of those things that will remain shrouded in mystery.

Co-op Building - June Progress

noreply@blogger.com (Backstreeter) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 23:22:00 +0000

Hardly had the ink dried on the 'Co-op Building - May Progress' post, and they were taking down the scaffolding.

So what do people think now it can be seen as a building? I have heard one complaint from more than two people 'Those drainpipes were not like that on the plan. '

We now await false shop windows and Co-op sign.

Half Mast for a Past Mayor

noreply@blogger.com (Backstreeter) — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 23:56:00 +0000

The Abingdon Flag has replaced the Union Jack for a day, and has been flown at half mast on top of the County Hall. This is because a former Mayor of Abingdon - Ada Dyson, aged 92 - has recently passed away.