The footpath along Caldecott Road, near where the canal once ran, is getting remade. The work started during the school holidays. Caldecott School is nearby.

Queues stretch back to the Drayton Road.

Workmen are connecting sewers under the Marcham Road, and will be for another few days. But no sign of the proposed Marcham Road Jet Lane (aka dualling) yet.

In March 2008, an article in the Oxford Mail said that Oxfordshire County Council had a large drop in road funding from central government “County Hall confirmed that major schemes outside Oxford would also be indefinitely postponed, including the dualling of Marcham Road.“

However, central government said “We do not recognise the claims Oxfordshire County Council is making in terms of reduction in funding.”

Reading between the lines, the Jet Lane could still go ahead. The traffic hold ups caused by these minor sewer works are a sign of more prolonged hold ups to come.

There appears to be a lot of earth movement going on at the new housing development on the Drayton Road. This picture was taken a week ago.

On Sunday morning it looked like this.

but all that snow soon thawed away leaving the final lay of the land to be worked upon.

The developers of the site may have had delicate negotiations with the Environment Agency before proceeding with the earth movements. They will need to ramp up the new houses above the risk of flooding.

Behind are bungalows flooded last July. The elderly people will move back in by about May at the latest estimate.

At the Bookstore last Saturday, Meg Harper was signing books. Here she is with her two most recent children’s books: Fur and Piper.

Also at the Bookstore you can meet Horrid Henry. Henry’s best subject at school is lunchtime, but its the start of the spring school holidays and there will be stories, face masks, badges, and general mayhem at the Bookstore from 11 A.M today.