Author Archives: Backstreeter

Shadows and Highlights

The theme for the City Daily Photo Blog community for June is “Shadows And Highlights” and I have picked a picture from a walk beside the Mill Stream, in the Abbey Meadows, on a sunny Sunday morning in May, showing the dappled sunlight under the new leaves.

I had idly watched, and photographed, some moorhen chicks just before taking this picture. Afterwards I found that the River Thames was closed because police divers were searching the river near the Marina. While I had been enjoying the spring sunshine, other people were in the middle of a personal tragedy.

More pictures of Shadows and Highlights from around the world are HERE to see.

Medieval Graffiti

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Medieval Graffiti
There were a lot of walks put on by the Friends of Abingdon yesterday. They included the Ock Valley Walk,

and boundary walk. It is always a surprise to go on any of these walks to find how many new things you can discover about Abingdon when shown by an expert.

I went on the Lost Abbey Walk which ended at the Old Abbey Buildings – now maintained by the Friends of Abingdon. Somebody has recently discovered some medieval grafitti on a chimney breast,

It shows what looks like a portcullis, and they think it is the symbol of a family who stayed there in the 15th Century.

The same chimney breast has also more recent grafitti such as this name from 1931. If anybody knows of other medieval graffiti in Abingdon I would be interested to know. It could make an interesting tour.

Bun Throwing World Championship

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The Bun Throwing World Championship took place this afternoon at Abingdon Vale Cricket Club. The record set back in 2012 was 222 feet.
It was going to be a tall order to beat that. It was more windy this time and the wind was often in the wrong direction

Pictured is the women’s winner from 2012, who I believe retained the title. (correct me if wrong)

There was a new winner of the men’s competition. There were a few throws over 150 feet and the best throw was 156′ 4”. The best 4 throwers will be invited to help throw buns at the bun throwing on the Queen’s 90th Birthday.

The Market Place is by my reckoning about 200 feet across. Buns are thrown from the top of the County Hall and so there should be some buns getting to the people at the back. Arrive early, stand near the front, and you have even more chance of getting a bun.

The Bun Throwing World Championship was the first time that some of us have been competitors in a real world championship event. A good time was had by all, and the proceeds from the event go to the Mayor’s Charities – it was £1 a go.

There are more pictures on the Abingdon Blog Facebook Page.

New Houses to the South of Abingdon

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New Houses
The first of the new dwellings on the Morland Gardens development in South Abingdon are built and a sales office has opened. They are just off the, often congested, Drayton Road.

In Drayton, another development called Walnut Meadow is being built on the Abingdon Road (other end of same road).

Most of the villages around Abingdon have fought and failed to stop developments in the last 5 or 6 years since the government changed the rules. Just south of Drayton, residents of Milton Village are currently fighting 50+ new houses.