At the corner of Spring Road and Edward Street a new pharmacy is preparing to open. They describe themselve as ‘a new extended hours pharmacy close to the Community Hospital, with strong links to local health carers.‘

The shop use to be creative corner – now moved down to near the double roundabout at the bottom of Spring Road, where the model shop used to be. The model shop also originally came from Edward Street but I don’t know where it went.

I did mention the new pharmacy to two Ock Street residents, who don’t have a car, and they said they’d rather have somewhere they could buy bread and a pint of milk – lots of takeaways and pubs down that way but no convenience store. Even the Off-Licence has stopped doing milk because not enough people used it.

Thanks to Carl for these pictures of Abingdon. He, and his wife, come over for the summer months every year or so and then live is Florida for the rest of the time.

As you can see from this picture he has a ring side seat looking onto the centre of Abingdon.

I hope there will be more from Carl before he goes back.

The school holidays have begun.

Through the rain you can just about make out the digger, and cones already to start work. Trinity is getting some drainage work done, involving a trench across the road. It has been planned for the school holidays when it should cause least disruption.

At the top of Coopers Lane it looks like there is a lot of surface water as the rain comes down which reminds me, it is two years since the floods. It began on Saturday 21st July 2007, and people woke up early on Sunday 22nd July to flooded houses.

The Town Clerk writes on abingdon.gov.uk :

‘It is with great sadness that I write to inform you of the death of William (Bill) Wivell, former Mayor of Abingdon 1992 to 1993. Bill passed away on Monday 13th evening. His funeral is to be held at Oxford Crematorium at 12.45 pm on Monday 20th July. This will be followed at a later date by a service of thanksgiving…

As a former Mayor of the Town, the Town flag is now being flown at half-mast as a mark of respect and will do so until and including the day of the funeral, as well as on the day of the thanksgiving service.’

The Abingdon herald have a full report.