On Tuesday evening I went for a walk by Abingdon Lock.
Richard, the lock keeper, said hello. The Kingfisher Canoe club were out doing a training session. I took a few pictures of the meadow that leads to Swift Ditch. It was full of tall buttercups, ox-eye daisies and purple clover.
Walking back, one of the boat travellers said he was about to watch the programme about the River Thames with Richard, the Abingdon lock keeper. By the time I got home the programme had gone beyond Abingdon and we saw them exploring a 21st Century sewage works that ferments and creates energy from Reading poo.
So we watched it on Channel 5 catch up which involves watching a few adverts first.
Richard did really well explaining to Tony Robinson, the presenter, how the lock worked and the weir. Frank was there as well, greeting people and operating the other lock gate. They gave a very good impression of Abingdon. It can be seen at the start of https://www.my5.tv/the-thames-britains-great-river-with-tony-robinson/season-1/episode-2
Marianne Vos had to retire from the 2019 Women’s Tour (a cycle race for those not ‘in the ‘know’) when she hit a pothole during sprint near Didcot. She was leading the Tour at the time.
https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/racing/race-leader-marianne-vos-abandons-womens-tour-2019-high-speed-crash-426898
She’s a top lady cyclist and I hope she recovers asap. Apparently, the injuries weren’t too bad, but, then again, cyclists have to be a tough bunch and they don’t ‘act up’ like little girls as Premiership footballers do when they’re brought down just outside the penalty area. Nevertheless, the incident finished her race.
I’d heard the The council had paid about £1,000,000 to have a Tour stage go through Oxfordshire for three consecutive Tours so too ‘showcase’ the county. Well … everyone now knows we’ve got potholes … this was on the tele …
Put gun in hand, point at foot, pull trigger.
Perhaps the lazy sods might now get off their arses and fix the county’s potholes.
I didn’t see this on the Tele newcomer. What did the flowers look like?
Marianne is Dutch, Daniel, so you’d expect the flowers to be stupendous and I understand they were … especially if you like tulips.
Nice to have that sort of dosh swilling around. Was that a misprint or did the Council really blow £1M on a PR ‘guff’ ?
Perhaps some functionary decided that the potholes could be filled with Lycra.
Did a bit of digging, Spike, and it looks as though Oxfordshire gets the race for three years for a bargain £525,000. How wrong could I have been … this is just pocket change for our political masters.
See bottom of this article:
https://www.jack2.com/news/oxfordshire-news/oxfordshire-plays-host-to-uks-most-prestigious-womens-cycle-race/
Nope not a clue what the comments have to do about the Blog
Everything Chris John…
blog
/blɒɡ/
noun
1.
a regularly updated website or web page, typically one run by an individual or small group, that is written in an informal or conversational style.
verb
1.
add new material to or regularly update a blog.
Oh so the comments section is nothing to do about what’s actually written then, perhaps it shouldn’t be called comments and should be called write what you want!
…it’s the best way to reach people across the town Chris John….so yes, I’d agree!!
And, should Backstreeter not want the traffic it brings I’m sure he’d remove it!