At lunchtime on New Years Day there was dancing in the undercroft of the County Hall in Abingdon. The Old Speckled Hen Morris dancers,
and the Abingdon Traditional Morris Dancers were dancing.
The old year had died on December 31st, and January 1st was a new chance to dance and bring life to the new year. There was more dancing at the Broad Face and music for most of the afternoon.
According to the Lunar Glow-in-the-dark calendar for 2018, that I got for a Christmas present, January 2018 brings us a month of extreme lunar phenomena. The Full Moon on New Year’s Day is the largest of the year, with the moon coming to it closest approach to Earth all year, when its distance will be 356,565 kilometres (221,559 miles) at perigee.
The first picture shows the moon shining through cloud as viewed from St Helen’s Wharf.
In the second picture taken from St Helen’s Churchyard, the moon is hidden by the central aisle of St Helen’s Church.
As the skies cleared, the moon was clearly visible from Abingdon – as seen here above the Christmas Candles round the Market Place.
I was amazed by the detail I could see using a compact camera with optical zoom. The image was even clearer than this in the camera screen as the camera rested on one of the Market Place bollards.
This evening, of the 2nd January, as the moon becomes ‘waning gibbous’ the skies are cloudy and rain is falling.
The moon will be the farthest from the earth all year on 15th January. There will be another full moon on 31st January (the first blue moon since July 2015). That full moon will be in total eclipse for 1 hour 16 minutes across Asia, Australia, and western North America.
The annual January 1st Christian Aid Sponsored Walk met at St Helen’s church centre. For the first time the eight mile walk was entirely in Abingdon. It began by going round South Abingdon, and then went round part of North Abingdon.
Cliff Marshall, the co-ordinator, gave instructions and reminded people that the government would double all the sponsorship money they raised for Christian Aid.
An hour later, at 11 am, on the Market Place, participants of the Boundary Walk were photographed for the Oxford Mail / Abingdon Herald before leaving on the 4 mile walk round the 1556 Abingdon Borough boundary.
Councillor Helen Pighills, a former Mayor of Abingdon, led the walk, helped by Patrick Bird, of the Guild of Abingdon Town Criers.
Because the Ock Valley walk is still closed the Boundary Walk had to be diverted down Caldecott Road, along the route of the former canal. There they met the Christian Aid walk coming the other way.
Soon after that it rained heavily on both walks for about twenty minutes. But spirits were not dampened. Patrick Bird invited anybody listening to come and join the boundary walk, despite the rain.
Happy New Year!
2017 was not such a good year with more business losses than gains in Abingdon town centre . But then 2 businesses will open early in the new year and are being kitted out
Press on Changes in 2017 for a bigger (pdf) version of the map showing the changes.
Key:
Green is a shop that was vacant at the start of the year which is now occupied.
Yellow means a change of business.
Red is a vacant shop premises that was occupied at the start of the year.
Change in 2007 ( 6 green, 5 yellow, 10 red ) – Net Loss 4
Change in 2008 ( 10 green, 8 yellow, 13 red ) – Net Loss 3
Change in 2009 ( 9 green, 6 yellow, 6 red ) – Net Gain 3
Change in 2010 ( 9 green, 6 yellow, 5 red ) – Net Gain 4
Change in 2011 ( 2 green, 8 yellow, 5 red ) – Net Loss 3
Change in 2012 ( 6 green, 1 yellow, 7 red ) – Net Loss 1
Change in 2013 ( 6 green, 8 yellow, 6 red ) – Net Change 0
Change in 2014 ( 6 green, 8 yellow, 6 red ) – Net Change 0
Change in 2015 ( 6 green, 8 yellow, 6 red ) – Net Change 0
Change in 2016 ( 10 green, 5 yellow, 5 red ) – Net Gain 5
Change in 2017 ( 3 green, 6 yellow, 7 red ) – Net Loss 4
Welcome to:
Annie at the Boathouse
Costa (in front of the Old Gaol – late 2016 but forgot to add to map in 2016)
Delicious Abi
Papa Johns
Sean Antony (second shop)
Willow’s Shakeshop
Goodbye to:
AAH Printer Solutions
Acacia UK – until rebuilt after fire damage
Chinese Kitchen – work to reopen as new business in progress
Dapper Street
Kemp & Kemp
Marie
Patisserie Pascal
Outdoor Traders – work to reopen as new business in progress
Smarts
Valentina
White Horse Exotics
Move to new premises:
Polski Skleb Zubr
Change to similar business in same premises:
Eboni Marni (replaces Velvet Creations)
Helen’s Beauty (replaces Retreet)
(let me know any mistakes in this annual roundup)
