Walking back beside the Thames at Culham Reach we saw rowing boats ready for the next effort, Canada Geese, and fishermen. There was a cool wind and occasional showers.
The rowers came past encouraged by the cox who said ‘half way’. After that the path got muddy.
The river itself was a muddle of reflections and looked bluer than the sky.
Back in Abingdon, the bells of St Helen’s were sounding the 70th anniversary.
Category Archives: River Thames
The Seven Wonders of Abingdon
The City Daily Photo Theme for February was power but I am too late for that. It is February 3rd and entries have now closed.
The weir is one of the seven wonders of Abingdon and could potentially generate several hundred horse power. A weir is a barrier built across a river to raise the water level on the upstream side, allowing water to flow steadily over. On the River Thames weirs are alongside locks, to let boats pass, and fish passes.
My seven wonders of Abingdon are:
* Abingdon Weir
* The County Hall
* Abingdon Bridge
* St Helen’s Church
* Long Alley Almshouse
* Abbey Buildings
* Albert Park
Here is a short video of the weir to show it deserves to be in the top seven.
Registering craft and swans on the River Thames
Down at Abingdon Marina,
by the slipway, is a notice that says all craft need to be registered.
Swans are the only birds that are routinely registered with a ring. The Swan Uppers have not been to Abingdon for the last two years. There are more unregistered swans than usual.
Most of St Helen’s Wharf seems to be used by registered carft.
There was music coming from The Old Anchor Inn.
Hippy Haze may have been rehearsing. They are next performing on 6th February.
The pigeons had all been listening from the chimneys until they all flew off.
More pigeons flew down from the steeple at St Helen’s Church. All those pigeons were just waiting for the moment somebody started throwing bread into the river.
Sheep, Crocodile, Tree Clearing, and Leaf Clearing
Anybody walking along the road to Abingdon Lock will see sheep are grazing. There are a lot of them.
The crocodile has grown scales since last time I looked.
Over the other side of the River Thames, in the Abbey Meadows, workmen were chopping a poplar that had fallen.
The paths in the Abbey Gardens seem clear of fallen leaves somehow.