There has not been much activity at the local skin treatment specialist, in West St Helen Street, for some time now.

Notices have appeared in the windows that there is a planning application to change the building’s use to residential.

So too late to get a Botox, or dermal filler.

The new Polish Food shop at the top of West St Helen Street has started to stock the shelves. I am not sure how many Polish people live in Abingdon, but as always we locals are up for giving it a go.

Using Google Translate I see:
Polish Food Shop = Polski Sklep Food
You’re Welcome = Serdecznie Zapraszamy
Opening Soon !!! = Wkrótce Otwarcie !!!

Some other useful vocabulary:
Yes: Tak (as in tick-‘tack’)
No: Nie (as in ‘nyeh’-nyeh-na-na-na)
OK: Dobrze (‘dough’ plus a ‘b’ then ‘she’)

Good day: Dzien dobry (‘jean’ and ‘dough’ plus ‘bree’ like the cheese)
Hi: Czesc (use this one on friends only: ‘che sh ch’ but run it all together as one sound)
Bye: Czesc (works like ‘aloha’ or ‘ciao’ or ‘salut’, making informal comings and goings easy)
Good bye: Do widzenia (‘dough’ and ‘wid zen ya’ comes close enough)

White Horse Exotics opened this morning.

They have many small and exotic animals in the back together with the vivariums, food, lighting, heatpads and other paraphnalia that goes with keeping small reptiles and insects.

There are also toy reptiles in the window display.

The shop is opposite Oxfam, on Stert Street, which also has an exotic window display.

Also of interest to lovers of the exotic east is the opening of The Oriental Food Markt on West St Helen Street.

Also, and I am not sure how exotic this will be, at the Northcourt Centre, Northcourt Road, Abingdon there is an Open Afternoon this Sunday, July 19th from 2.30 – 5 . 30 pm. Entry free! There will be demonstrations, fundraising, teas, and you can find out about the groups and clubs that use the Centre. You can also visit a local garden. ( £ 5 including tea and garden ). I will try to let you know on tomorrow’s blog.

The last of the shelves are piled in a Sims Metal Management container. Everything else has goes into the Chilton Waste container.

In just a few days the Bury Street store has been emptied of shelves and cabinets. The speed makes me wonder whether there is somebody already lined up willing to pay a higher rent – another supermarket.

I remember Aldi did want to open at Fairacres, but because of the Fairacres covenant were not allowed.

In their place there is a B&M who sell, among all their other household goods, a limited range of groceries – crisps, cereal, confectionery, and tins. Nothing fresh chilled or frozen.