St Ethelwold’s House Garden bedded down for winter


The garden at St Ethelwold’s House is now ready for the winter. The annuals and leaves have been tidied and a lot are now on the compost heap. There are still a few flowers and vegetables.

The perennials are dormant.  Nutrients and carbohydrates are down in their roots to keep them going during the winter months and to help them regrow next spring.

Some evergreen  cuttings are available for people to use for their Christmas decorations with a box for donations.

The front door has a wreath.

Father Christmas was in Abingdon today


The Abingdon Lions asked Father Christmas to be in their grotto on the Market Place in Abingdon today. He was giving little presents to children. He will be back on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day morning to fill stockings.

Somebody had made a Christmas decoration from wool on the post office box. There were also lots of stalls selling things that would make good presents for Christmas.

There were also decorations made of leaves to make houses and doors look Christmassy without using lights or blow up snowmen.

After Christmas there will be a pantomime about ‘Dick Whittington’ who had a cat. She is the best cat in all Abingdon at catching mice. You will have to go and watch to see what happens when they go to London. The Abingdon Drama Club are selling tickets.

Abingdon Community Fridge and Larder


Abingdon Community Fridge will be at Hadland Road Community Centre on Saturday from 10:30-11:30. Just turn up armed with your mask and bags.

This is helping us as a community to save food waste. There is no membership fee but lots of helpful volunteers trying to get the food to you before it is wasted. (Also Monday 5 – 5:30 pm and Thursday sessions 1 – 2 pm.) Occasionally there is not enough waste and the session is called off – maybe that is good thing. You may have to check Facebook to be sure at other times.

There is also Abingdon Community Larder at Trinity Church Hall on Friday 2 – 4 pm. They are part of https://www.sofea.uk.com/, providing food that would otherwise go to waste to people at a reduced cost. For this you pay a small membership fee. Members are not means tested, and generally people join to get low cost food of high quality.

Today the tree was decorated


Today the tree on the Market Place was decorated and the festive candles were put up.

Across the Market Place, work is underway to create a Starbucks where M&Co once were.

On Stert Street, Missing Bean were moving in rails of clothes and have put up a notice that says ‘Take – two : New & preloved boutique.’

Some of the town lights came on this evening and the rest will soon follow.

P.S. A sign in the window says that “take-two” is a pop-up shop open every Thursday from 5 to 8pm. Thanks to Martin for pointing that out.