River Ock – October 2023

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The water churned after it came over the River Ock weir. It was the brown of tea and full of muddy particles. A stream of bubbles flowed down the other stream, caused by the turbulence from the other weir further up.

With fewer leaves on the trees, the birds are becoming easier to spot. A kingfisher flew upstream, and a diving bird torpedoed downstream, both moving too quickly for me to get a good look at. But I did manage to see a moorhen.

The paddling area (from yesterday’s raffle painting) is now too deep to paddle, and the rope swing is submerged. The river level was at its highest yesterday, but it’s still high today.

The footpath to Tesco has become a watery cul-de-sac, after the flooding.

The field between the River Ock and the A34 has been flooded.

Lots of gulls have come in to enjoy the new temporary flooded field.

The water has washed over many of the reeds, leaving the river looking more like its old self.

Showcasing the Artistic Spirit of Abingdon

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The Abingdon Artists’ Autumn Exhibition 2023 kicked off with a preview event for friends and family of the participating artists on Monday, October 23rd. The exhibition will be open to the public from Tuesday, 24th to Saturday, October 28th at Christchurch Barn, Northcourt Road (10 am to 4:30 pm).

The Autumn Exhibition features a diverse range of artworks, with many members exhibiting up to three pieces each.

Jonathan Leach, Co-chair of Abingdon Artists, said, ‘We don’t judge what you see. The paintings have been selected by the people themselves. So there’s no committee standing in judgment saying, “You’re you’re good enough. You’re not!” We are a very democratic organisation, and people make their own choices. And I think we look around, you will see the standard is fantastic.’

‘We have about 90 members. It’s thriving, and we are just the tip of the iceberg because when we’re out sketching in the town centre, often other people come up and say “I’m interested. I do a bit of art as well.”‘

Organising an exhibition on this scale requires dedication and teamwork. Jonathon expressed his gratitude to the numerous individuals who contributed to the event’s success.

Visitors to the exhibition can not only admire the diverse artworks on display but also purchase original paintings, cards, and the annual Abingdon Artists Calendar. A raffle featuring a painting of the River Ock, at the paddling area beside Ock Meadow, offers an opportunity to support the group’s endeavours.

Abingdon Artists is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting art and providing a platform for local artists to showcase their work. The group organizes regular exhibitions, workshops,  sketching sessions, and lectures.

Abingdon Marathon 2023

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I am back in Abingdon in time for the Abingdon Marathon. The Caution Runners signs were in place last night when I got home, and this morning the Abingdon Marathon started at Tilsley Park at 9 a.m.

Near the Oxford Road roundabout, three minutes into the race, the first runner, Alex Teuten of Southampton AC, already had a good lead over the other runners. He went on to win in a time of 2 hours 19 minutes and 22 seconds. The fastest ever time in 1986 was 2 hours 19 minutes and 7 seconds (ref 1). So this is the second fastest time and the record for the current course (used since 2016).

The sun was shining at the start and stayed dry throughout, which was a change from recent wet weather.

There were 738 competitors at the start line, and they took a few minutes to all get started.

On Abingdon Market Place (nearly 5 miles into the race), there was a good crowd of spectators to cheer the competitors on.

After the 5-mile mark at St Helen’s Wharf one of the marshals congratulated each of the competitor by name. He sounded like their personal coach. ‘Well done Mike. You are running well Tina & etc.’

I asked him how he knew so many of the runners and he said, their names are on their shirts. It’s an example of the incredible volunteers and marshals who line the course and make this such a fine community marathon.

The event is organised by Abingdon AC and volunteers from clubs across Oxfordshire.

The marathon also helps raise money for good causes, and fosters good relations. Scott was one person fostering good relations and making people smile. He is a Joggler (jogs and juggles) and finished with a time of 4 hours 23 minutes and 12 seconds. He has a Sanctuary vest. Sanctuary runners bring people together in communities, especially, asylum seekers and refugees.

ref 1: https://abingdonmarathon.org.uk/history.php

Back to Normal

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During the fair, we had the rare sight of West St Helen Street with no parked or moving cars. While East St Helen Street was far busier than usual. But things were back to normal today now the fair has gone.

The scarecrow that was perched on top of the postbox during most of the fair was gone this evening.

Hopefully, somebody has second thoughts and returns him.

I am reminded that the runaway fair will be here next weekend.