Peter sent me a picture a few days back of “a fallen tree in the public park in Lambrick Way. Incidently the sky over the Marina was thick with swifts. They must have got a free trip up here on the strong winds. Also the Thames path is flooded at the little bridge over the mill stream near the lock.”

Spike sent me a picture at water level of the high water on the River Thames – from his canoe.

I also got a message that the Fair had made a bit of a mess trying to leave the land by the River Ock.  It looks like the Circus did not even try to compound the problem, and have bypassed Abingdon.

Water levels are now going down.  Winds have dropped. We just need some warm weather in order to reinforce the government message that we are in a drought.

There was not only a lot of rain last night, there was also a strong wind. All sorts of things were blown down.

A lot of branches had been torn from trees in the Abbey Meadows. Trees and fences came down in other parts of Abingdon.

My mind went back to October 1987, the night of the big storm. That was the time when Michael Fish on the BBC weather said “Apparently a woman rang the BBC to say there is a hurricane on the way. Don’t worry! There isn’t...”  
There was devastation the morning after.

It rained through the day and the night and water levels are beginning to get high – although not yet overflowing the river banks. April has been cool and showery, and there has been more sustained rain of late.

Yesterday the brave souls from the St Helen’s scout group were trying to hold a book sale / tombola etc. on the Market Place. They had a trailer load of books they had not dry room to unpack. There was also a St Helen’s church book sale and coffee morning in the church centre.

We did not get a huge turn out to the SARP event at Preston Road, although there is another next Saturday at the rugby club (10-1). The picture shows Aidan Melville, Abingdon’s first ever Labour Councillor for many years, and one of the newer Conservative Councillors, Holly Holman.

I follow 180 different feeds on Twitter. Many of them are Abingdon based.

Some people who used to do blogs have moved over to twitter. Last week I read from, one such, @nbthegreenman, ” of the frozen canal, and then a little later …

“It’s minus 8 outside already. Has someone stolen the Gulf Stream?”

Things were touch and go over coverage of a Rugby Football match at The Kings Head and Bell @KingsAbingdon , last night.

“Everyone lost the rugby? Or just us?”.

Then a few minutes later “SIX NATIONS France v Ireland postponed moments before scheduled 2000 GMT kick-off because of a frozen pitch” now it all makes sense.”

Every evening I get a tweet from Oxfordshire County Council “Salting update: gritters will be out across the county from 7pm this evening.” At first it seemed a OTT, but not for the last week. Even the new grit bins have been opened, and are being used.

From Abingdon Camera Club @AbingdonCamera … “Next meeting 16th February, Felicity will talk about Photos by the Riverside, followed by Chris on DSLR exposure. Come and bring a friend.”

The Camera Club run the annual Abingdon Arts Festival photo competition, where there is also an under age 16 section. Closing date 3rd March. Entry forms and rules are available at Abingdon Camera Club .

Soon at the Broad Face @TheBroadFace there will be “live entertainment with Roy Alvin’s Reeds United.”

Lots more where these come from.