The weather today was changeable.  We went for a walk out to Radley Lakes and took the anti-clockwise route. The first view of Thrupp Lake, during a shower, looked a bit like the Amazon.

Back in 2007, I watched the battle of Radley Lakes. It was between campaigners, and security guards with face masks. A lot of trees were cut down in preparation for filling the lake with ash from Didcot Power Station.

The campaigners won and that never happened. Trees are growing back and creating new mini islands.

Another Radley Lake, that did get filled with ash, is full of trees that are now ten to fifteen years old.

In another fifty years the trees could take over Thrupp Lake as well.

The Vale of White Horse District Council sent out a press release last week to remind residents not to contaminate their green recycling bin with rubbish.

The recycling crew check the top of the green wheelie bin, and sometimes slap a sticker on it and leave it unemptied. (The truck-load could be rejected at the recycling centre if any rubbish got noticed there.)

In the Vale of White Horse District – two weeks ago, out of 63,000 bins, 2,211 got a contamination sticker:
* Black bags/coloured bags – 1078
* Food – 331
* Textiles – 206
* Other – 596

We have two bins in our kitchen, one recyclable, and one not. When I transfer the recyclable bin to the green bin, I sometimes notice a jay cloth and put it in the black wheelie bin. On other occasions I save a glass jar and put it in the green wheelie bin.

The local cycle route – called the Hanson Way – runs from Oxford to Didcot via Abingdon and is part of Sustrans national route 5 which stretches 381 miles from Reading to North Wales. The work to upgrade part of the cycle route between Sutton Courtney and Abingdon is now complete and fully reopened.

The cycleway is now wider and smoother and free from overhanging trees. There are also bright spots in the tarmac which will make it safer when cycling in the dark.

It is a safer route for cycles than the roads, and is a more direct cycle route, than the roads, between Abingdon and Milton Park – where many people work, and from Abingdon to Didcot train station – for people who cycle and commute to London.