If this glorious weather continues …

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Air and Country Show
If this glorious weather continues until Sunday this could be one of the great Abingdon Air & Country Shows.
Air and Country Show
Flying Displays:
* DC3 Dakota
* P51 Mustang (Hangar 11′s)
* Gnat
* RV8tors display team (2x RV8)
* Bulldog
* Silence Twister solo
* Breitling Wingwalkers x2
* Royal Air Force Battle of Britain Memorial * Flight Avro Lancaster
* North American T28 Fennec
* Thames Valley & Chiltern Air Ambulance EC-135 * Helicopter Flythru.
* Army Air Corp Lynx
* Hurricane Mk1 (Peter Vachers)
* Royal Air Force Tristar tanker (216sqn, RAF * Brize Norton)
* Harvard
* Jet Provost T5

Ground Displays:
* Farms2Ewe (includes an assortment of animals!)
* Tank Rides on the rough terrain course
* Williams Formula One FW35 Showcar (non runner)
* Hawkwalk Falconry (static and demonstration of various English birds)
* Dogs Trust ‘Dogmobile’ (with 2 Dogs to view from the Hampstead Marshal rehoming centre )
* Ex Military Vehicles (Military Vehicle Trust)
* Avon Valley Ferrets
* RAF Tornado Flight Simulator (RAFA Experience)
* Kennesaw Confederates” 1860s re-enactment group
* Abingdon Town Crier Peter Green (ex Vulcan aircrew!)
* Viv O Gara Irish Dancers
* English School of Falconry static display (from * Owls to the Bald Eagle!)
* Abbey Brass Band
* Reptiles & Creepy Crawlies Stall.
* Red Arrows Flight Simulator
* Heyford Park Playbus
* Portsmouth Model Boat Display Team (selection of static model boats)
* US / British Army / Homeguard Soldier Re-Enactors
* Spitfire to sit in the cockpit (Spit4hire)
* Skyangels International Rescue attending with a King Air aircraft (or similar type) kitted out as a hospital, & / or an Air Ambulance helicopter, & support Vehicles & crews
* Vale Islanders Medieval Dancers
* National Sports Association mini air rifle range
* Trade Stalls containing various items to view / purchase
* Vintage Vehicles (includes: Jaguar E Types, Morgan 4/4, MGs, Morris Minors, 1964 Ford F100, 1941 Bedford MW, Triumphs, Landrover 101/109, Ford Mustangs, Minis, 1949 Dodge Coronet to name a few).
* Steam Engines – 4″ / 5″ scale Foster Engines, 4″ scale Hind Steam Engine.
* Royal Air Force 4624 Auxillary Sqn (from RAF Brize Norton)
* Army Air Corp Apache Helicopter Flight

They just go on and on.

abingdonairandcountry.co.uk to see more.

£15 on the day or £12 if you get an advance ticket locally. It is already too late to purchase on line.

Air and Country Show
Sponsored by local businesses. Chancellors for example have distributed 10,000 leaflets to promote the air show and displayed promotional boards throughout the local area.

Profits go to Air Ambulance.

QS – End of Lease – Everything must go

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qs - End of Lease
The ‘qs’ shop on Abingdon’s High street has had a closing down sale for the last couple of weeks.
qs - End of Lease
‘qs’ were a chain of discount clothing stores, that were taken over and rebranded as ‘Store Twenty One’ in 2007.

Since then at least 75% of the stores now carry the ‘Store Twenty One’ name but not the Abingdon store which is still ‘qs’.

This Independent newspaper report says that Store Twenty One has not paid rent on some of its loss making stores and as a result “encounter a high degree of hostility from landlords”.

An Abingdon wind farm

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Windmills
A couple of years ago I went to talk to the Abingdon artisan who recyles all sorts of cast offs to make windmills. It gives him and passers-by at Withington Court great pleasure.
Windmills
This evening it was good to see as many windmills as ever.
 
Here is a short video to show how wind can be harnessed for fun.

(Often at the start of the month I join with bloggers worldwide to do something on a joint theme which is for May 1st creative artisans.)

The County Council Elections – Abingdon Candidates on the internet

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Abingdon East has a fascinating contest for their next County Councillor this coming Election Thursday. But will you vote?
Candidates
Count Nikolai Tolstoy is one of the candidates – representing UKIP (the UK Independence Party). UKIP are fielding candidate for the first time in every Abingdon ward. He currently lives in Southmoor a few miles outside Abingdon, but has Russian origins.
Candidates
He will be up against Mike Badcock, former two time Mayor of Abingdon, representing the Conservative Party. Mike was instrumental in renaming Abingdon to Abingdon-on-Thames and instigating the bun throwing contest.
Candidates
Alison Rooke, another former Mayor, is the Lib-Dem Party candidate. She helped lead a campaign while Mayor to save Abingdon Community hospital from closure, and after experience of looking after her dad suffering from dementia will do all she can to improve care services.

Julius Bullock is the Green Party Candidate for Abingdon East, and an engineer at the Rutherford Labs. His Bio says “He knows Abingdon East well and will take an engineer’s problem-solving approach to its problems of flooding, traffic and lack of affordable housing.”

The Abingdon Labour Party candidate is Mike Gould.
Candidates
The new Abingdon South boundaries, redrawn in 2012, has confused people, particularly those living in the Fitzharris Estate. Up to now they never considered themselves to be Abingdon South but they are now. They too have an enthralling contest, but without a UKIP aristocrat, …
Candidates
Marilyn Badcock, a former Mayor, and partner of Mike Badcock, is the Conservative Party Candidate. In her bio she says “Abingdon-on-Thames is a thriving community, and it is a privilege to serve as a town, district and county councillor, working for local people.”
Candidates
In the write up for Neil Fawcett, a former County Councillor, and candidate for the Lib-Dems, it says “As County Councillor he won major investment in Thameside and Caldecott Schools, helped put together the plan that led to the new Family Centre and got the classrooms that now house Riverside Pre-School on the Thameside site.”
Candidates
Carolyn Guillot, the Green candidate says “I feel Abingdon South needs development particularly in the area of schooling, traffic congestion and amenities for the young and protection from further housing development unless the above issues are resolved.”
Candidates
Chewe Munkonge ‏has been campaigning in Abingdon South for the Labour Party. A few weeks ago one person told me he was the first person they’d seen on the doorstep. Also saw him at a flood meeting.

Candidates
David Weaver is the UKIP candidate. He send me his profile. Here is an extract … “I was a Parish Councillor for 13yrs with Cholsey Parish Council, Deputy Chair for 2yrs and Chair for 3yrs.

I was one of the 70,000 volunteers chosen for the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Why UKIP? From my early teen’s I have believed that elected Members of Parliament and local Councillors are there to do the bidding of the
electorate, they are, the servants of the people. UKIP is unique in local government, because we do not ‘whip’ our councillors to follow party diktats, or toe the party line. Instead, we expect our councillors to represent the wishes of the electors at all times….”

Finally North Abingdon where
Candidates
Chris Caddy is standing for the Greens. Chris has a rich portfolio. He was a senior manager at the Vale of White Horse District Council and since retiring has achieved much with various voluntary organisations.

Tom Fleming is standing for UKIP but I have found no information about him on the internet.
Candidates
The Conservative Candidate is Sandy Lovatt, the current leader of the town council. He is a campaigner for small business. He says “The cost of running council services can and must be kept efficient without damaging essential services. The Conservatives have already proven that they deliver proper planning and value for money.”
Candidates
Helen Pighills is the Lib-Dem candidate. Her party aims, if elected, are “Halt the four-fold rise in Day Centre charges for elderly people; Increase funding for the youth service; and Increase funding for flood prevention and road repairs.”

George Ryall is the Labour candidate.

The Oxford Mail did much better and got submissions from most candidates which were printed last week. I’ll update this if people point me at the info and send comments.