Jan 21st – 2 months before the official start of Spring and I saw my first daffodil outside the bowling green at the Albert Park. Plenty more look to be on their way. Maybe time to start cutting that grass.
The former Ox Public House opened as a Tesco Express yesterday. Tesco staff held a small opening ceremony.
I have a comment from Sri from Best One next door. I hope he does not mind me repeating it here …
“I hope all of you have a very good start in 2012. As you know, I am the owner of the Best One shop that just opened last year in January. And have built a very successful business and customer relationship. Today is 20/01/2012. The Tesco express opening day. I can’t describe my feelings and stress. So you can imagine it’s not a good start of the year 2012. However my lovely local customers have encouraged me with support. Today I have seen in my shop, most of the customers who are very close. All said to me ‘Stay steady and we will support you’. I think it is extra ordinary… Thankyou … Sri”
Thanks to Peter for this picture of the deer at Wick Hall through the trees from Radley lakes. He says these countryside walks start only a few hundred yards from the Peachcroft/Audlett Drive estates.
The hide on the Abingdon side of Radley lakes has a large poster of birds on the wall and on Peter’s visit he identified several species of duck and other water birds eg different gulls, grebes and cormorant. He says “Who knows what you might see. (Take your binoculars though!). There is a claim of someone seeing an osprey last autumn! The path around the lake is easy to follow and well worth a visit. The Earth Trust have done a marvellous job so far and I hope they raise the funds to build a visitor centre.“
I often pass these flats and read the two large address plates on the back saying that this is “The Old Mayor’s House”.
Today I read about that building in Historic Abingdon, Fifty-six articles by Agnes C Baker. On the 18th April 1952 she wrote “The house breakers are at work in Abingdon … at No 9, High Street … workmen hurl down masonry … just as close on 400 years ago the house was build.”
Number 9, The High Street, was once the house of Richard Mayott, the first Mayor of Abingdon – 1556. He was also Mayor 1568-69, and for the third time in 1578, during which time he died.
Miss Baker writes that elaborate carving have been discovered on the back of one stone fireplace, and says that people conjecture that the stone is from Abingdon Abbey.
Back then the building was being rebuilt to provide better premises for the Co-operative Society.
That same shop is currently To Let. Two letting agents seem to be involved – one of whose sign fell down at the end of November, and is still to be seen in a heap on the ground.