The weir walkway has been closed, much to the disappointment of many Abingdon residents and regular walkers. The closure was for safety reasons, after corrosion was found in the steelwork supporting the structure. The Environment Agency are investigating. A diversion is in place until 15 November 2025. There’s still hope it might reopen sooner.

While people are kept away, the local wildlife is enjoying the peace. A heron fishes in the churning waters beneath the weir.

The 1st of July is “Theme Day” in the City Daily Photo blogging circle, and this month’s theme is Bubbles. At Abingdon Weir, the heron fishes in a froth of them.

Every second, the water falling through the sluices creates countless bubbles — expanding, bursting, and vanishing.

Stripes can be found in nature and design. While zebras have stripes for camouflage, Zebra Crossings are designed to stand out. They are paired with Belisha beacons which were introduced in the 1930s at road crossings. The zebra markings were added in 1951 to make the crossing stand out (according to Wikipedia at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zebra_crossing).

This crossing is outside John Mason School in Abingdon. Hundreds of students cross it each day.

Famous former pupils who crossed here include West End actor and singer Oliver Tompsett, BBC and Channel 5 news presenter Katie Ledger and Dr Mike Leahy of the TV program ‘Bite Me’. The ex teacher Paul Mayhew Archer (co writer of The Vicar of Dibley) may have shepherded students crossing here.

This is for April’s City Daily Photo theme of ‘Stripes.’

For more entries on the theme visit https://citydailyphoto.org/2025/03/25/april-gallery-stripes/

The City Daily Photo group’s theme for February is “Motors”.

Here in Abingdon, only one motor car dealership sells new motors. A few years ago, I could have bought a new Vauxhall at Bellingers and Fiat or Ford at Hartwell. Bellingers has since moved to nearby Didcot, and the models at Hartwell have changed. They still sell Fords but have introduced some new models: GWM, OMODA and JAECOO.

GWM, or Great Wall Motor, is one of China’s leading car makers. OMODA and JAECOO are new brands, both subsidiaries of Chery, another Chinese car maker.

Vehicles destined for the UK market are made in Chinese factories. However, Chery are preparing to make cars in Spain to avoid EU tariffs, with the UK under consideration for another factory. See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c74jgk1kw87o.