Abbey Millstream Through the Year: October 2026

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October ended with a sunny day. The millstream trees had turned to yellows and red.

Fallen leaves added to the colour. It was near the end of half term. Children were in the wonderful Abbey Meadow Playpark. Lots of people were out walking.

This male Mallard among the autumn leaves is regaining his breeding colours after the summer molt.

The usual water birds (swans, mallard ducks and moorhen)

had been joined by black-headed gulls. They have mostly lost their dark summer heads for the winter. They sit lightly on the water, floating like paper boats.

Hawthorn berries are an important autumn food for wildlife. They often remain well into winter.

And as the sun went down the red sky in the west gave the Millstream a fiery glow.

More on Halloween

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Pikachu, the Pokémon character, was outside the Clockwork Dragon this morning, along with the Town Crier.

Children arriving at the shop in costume received a Halloween goodie bag.

The Local Excellence Market was also on today. Martin’s Abingdon Calendar has all the dates of the Local Excellence Markets in 2027 marked.

The market had some Halloween items, including pumpkins and gourds. I was told that everywhere else in Abingdon had sold out.

There were also plenty of sweets, cakes and biscuits made to look scary for the occasion.

The loud fireworks in the town centre this evening made me wonder whether Halloween is no longer just about adopting the American tradition of dressing up, but also beginning to take over from the November 5th fireworks.

P.S. October Millstream pictures to follow soon.

Halloween Flower Display

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Fabulous Flowers have a colourful autumn display around the shop door.

The display of flowers and foliage in autumn colours: reds, pinks, browns and greens, has skeletons poking out near the top.

Pumpkins and gourds are displayed around the shop. There are also pumpkin and gourd vases holding floral displays,

St Frideswide’s Way: Orwellian Warnings and a Cow in the Dark

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The second day of the St Frideswide’s Way began in Abingdon, following the Thames Path towards Culham. The river at Abingdon was like a mirror.

At Culham, I made a diversion to the church, only to find it locked. Looking at the empty noticeboard, I wondered whether it ever opened.

I had high hopes for All Saints’ in Sutton Courtenay, which has always been open on previous visits.

This time, however, a notice on the door said that it was closed because of the Abingdon Drama Club’s production of 1984 (at the church where the author George Orwell is buried).

Rather than following the Thames Path, the way kept south of the River Thames in order to visit the churches at Appleford and Long Wittenham.

Along the way, the route passed the site of the new river crossing being built between Culham and Didcot.

The surroundings had an Orwellian feel, with the land scoured to make a new road and notices at the nearby quarry warning: “Property under constant surveillance” and “Keep Out”.

Things improved as the walk went through Appleford and Long Wittenham, on to Clifton Hampden, and along an interesting stretch of the Thames Path between Clifton Hampden and Dorchester, looked after by the Earth Trust.

There was, however, one final encounter to enliven the walk, as it grew dark. A cow had found its way to my side of an electric fence and ran around me in a semicircle, thudding the ground. In the gloom, I wondered whether it might be a bull. Fortunately, the situation never developed into anything like Orwell’s Animal Farm where the animals take over.