Category Archives: weather

Winter Solstice and Jupiter+Saturn not seen from Abingdon Market Place

Solstice
At 8 am the Abingdon Monday MarketĀ  was ready for customers. The morning started cloudy with light rain. There was not much chance of seeing the sun rise on the Winter Solstice.

This morning we learned that a lot of countries had blocked entry to UK people and lorries after the news that a more contagious strain of Covid-19 has taken hold here. There were suggestions that if the blockade continued then fresh produce from the continent would be in short supply.

There was a large queue outside Waitrose most of the morning.
Solstice
At 4 pm the sky was overcast and there was not any chance of seeing the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in the South West. The only star visible was on the Christmas Tree.
SolsticeGifts and Gallery has 50% off. They have been in Abingdon since 1985 and, sadly, will be closing on Christmas Eve.

New home of the Kingfisher Canoe Club with canoes and sunset

Stratton Way Square
Recently there has been a piling barge near Abingdon Lock, and it was there again this evening.
Stratton Way Square
The new home of the Kingfisher Canoe Club is taking shape on the land between lock and weir.
Stratton Way Square
Some canoeists were paddling in the surf near Abingdon Weir as the sun went down.
Stratton Way Square
They paddled back towards Abingdon Bridge as the setting sun turned the sky purple and pink.

Rain, sunshine, and intermittent showers

Bright Sun
This Sunday morning started off wet and windy.
Bright Sun
Then the sun came through. Lots of people were enjoying the sunshine, seen here as a dazzling white from Margaret Brown Gardens
Bright Sun
and blue sky and water looking back from Wilsham Road.
Bright Sun
There was a notice on a capsized boat that said the owner was aware. They did not need telling again. So not everybody was enjoying today.
Bright Sun
A line of pigeons on the Wilsham Road railings came down as a flock. They kept jostling and trying to find the best position. Some flew off again in search of something better.

Later on, the sky clouded over, and there were intermittent showers.

Driving home to Abingdon with historic rainbow

Back Home
Driving home to Abingdon, after coming off the M4, there was a spectacular double rainbow above the A34. It stayed ahead of us, all the way, until we saw the new houses of Great Western Park, Didcot (no longer dominated by the Didcot Power Station cooling towers).

I have never seen a full rainbow for quite so long, or ever been so close to a rainbow. The arc in the sky appeared, closeby, in the spray thrown by passing cars.
Back Home
Back home in Abingdon, there was bright sunshine at St Helen’s Wharf, and a quarter rainbow above Abingdon Bridge.