Daniel sent me a picture of a notice that has been put up at the permissive entrances to Drayton Field.

DEFRA’s Environmental Stewardship conservation scheme is run by Natural England, a government body. The scheme pays landowners for conserving the environment. In the case of this field it meant that the meadow grass and flowers were allowed to grow, and people were permitted to walk round the field.

After it became permissive, gates were put in at the bottom end. There were also maps and information about the permissive access.

Most people access the field from a gap in the fence from Masefield Crescent Play Park.

Before access became permissive, the fence was continually being mended and broken down. It would probably take a developer building houses on this field to stop dog walkers. This field is not in the local plan so there is not immediate chance of this.

The most interesting feature of the field is the small wood at the south west corner.

There are good views from that corner. You can see the Old Gaol and St Helen’s Church.

A recent change is that the Morland Gardens estate can be seen to the east.

Another recent change is that Drayton village is visible to the south.

Abingdon-on-Thames Town Council have identified this field as a possible site for a new cemetery.

A few days ago Extinction Rebellion Abingdon were giving out free fruit and vegetables and talking to people about the urgency of the climate emergency.

This was something that other environmental groups could easily have been doing to raise public awareness.

Local councils have declared a climate emergency and are trying to find ways to put that emergency into practise.

A day or so later Extinction Rebellion Abingdon were in London, with XR groups from other places, in an act of peaceful civil disobedience thinking much bigger actions were needed to tackle the climate emergency. All the other environmental groups had failed to halt the climate emergency. People had to realise this was serious.

Landfilling at the Sutton Wick site was completed in 2005. Commercial waste lorries used to drive round and up the incline, full of rubbish, and come back empty. Signs round the site have the letters EX – explosive atmosphere.

The area was approximately 120,000 m² and the methane and carbon dioxide flow, produced by bacteria decomposing the waste, was initially expected to be 300 m³ per hour.

Planning permission was granted in 2005 for an electricity generating plant. The only worry at the time was whether it would be noisy. There is a sighing sound every few minutes like letting off steam.

Trees were planted as part of the landscaping, and the land was left to wildlife. I saw a lot of ragwort and teasel when visiting this evening, and rabbits chasing each other

The footpath round the site starts at Peep-o-Day Lane and goes to Drayton. Most of the land is out of bounds, behind barbed-wire topped fences.

There is also a lake with some wildfowl but without public access.

Electricity transmission lines from Didcot Power Station pass overhead. The skyline no longer has the large cooling towers of Didcot ‘A’ Power Station. They have been demolished since the last time I wrote about this nature reserve.

Three plots in the centre of Abingdon have been created for Edible Abingdon by Abingdon Carbon Cutters. The prime site is in the Abbey Gardens.

The sunflowers there are not only stunning, their seeds give us good fats, vitamins and nutrients.

Chard is a shiny green vegetable that can be eaten in salads or stir fried.

In the second Edible Abingdon plot, by the open air swimming pool, the plants include Climbing French Beans.

The third plot, by Old Station House, has plants grown in rectangular recycle boxes. These boxes were used for recycling waste in Abingdon before the green wheelie bins.