The River Ock looks browner than usual

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I went out quite early to collect some post from the Abingdon sorting office with the red slip the postman had left. Pre lockdown they would be open most of the day for collection. That was changed to 7-9am on weekdays and a bit longer on Saturday, and now it has changed again to 8-10 am on weekdays.
Brown Ock
At 8:10 am traffic going into town stretched most of the way back along Ock Street.

I walked back by the Ock Valley Walk. The water level has gone down from a week ago, but the water looks browner than usual.

There must be a lot more sediment being carried down from the Vale of White Horse.

In Town Today – Market Place, Hedgehogs, and Country Market

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Leaves are turning red on the Market Place. Lots of people were out in the open, drinking coffee.

Hedgehogs were this weeks cause for the XR Abingdon group. The group will be promoting a number of causes in coming weeks and months. Several small changes in people’s behaviour add up to a big change.

They were giving away bags of hedgehog food and information about how to help hedgehogs. To avoid the danger of roads, hedgehogs need to move between back gardens. They suggested opening holes under fences – big enough for hedgehogs to squeeze through.

Abingdon Country Market have moved their market to the yard outside the Salvation Army – rather than inside. They had a one way system, and track and trace.

I was not the only photographer taking pictures. Somebody thought the other chap was doing the Abingdon Blog. He has actually been taking pictures of Abingdon much longer than me. They are very good. One day we may see more.

Closing Down M&Co and Peacocks

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Going into town today people will have noticed that two major clothing shops in Abingdon have closing down sales. M&Co announced in August that they were shutting 47 stores. M&Co will be closing their Abingdon, Market Place, store in about four weeks time.

The Edinburgh Woollen Mill Group, which includes Peacocks, called in the administrator yesterday. The Abingdon shop now has Closing Down Sale signs.

Both retailers have found the past seven months very difficult. They had to shut their stores in March due to the pandemic. M&Co reopened in June, and Peacocks in August – later than most shops.

Abingdon Share a Poem – Autumn

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Yesterday the Abingdon Share a Poem group met via zoom and read poems on the theme of Autumn.
Remembrance
Before lockdown, these meetings took place in the Hearth Room at St Ethelwold’s House, and we each paid £5 towards the hire of the room. Now the meeting are free and St Ethelwold’s House is not getting the income.

Most poems were by established poets, but some people read their own poems, and they were very enjoyable.
Remembrance
Pauline, who leads the group, read a poem she had written about Venus – the planet, seen early one morning. Justin read a poem about swallows preparing to leave. David read one on roasting chestnuts.

The garden at St Ethelwold’s is looking autumnal, but a lot of flowers still remain,
Remembrance
and there are vegetables ready to be dug.

After two poems on blackberry picking (Blackberry-Picking by Seamus Heaney and Blackberrying by Sylvia Plath), we got talking about the farm, on Milton Heights, where Pauline’s daughter had picked a lot of cherries this year. That reminded me I took two pictures through the hedge at that farm: one of blossoms in the spring, and one a few days ago, at the same location. It doesn’t look like the plums will be picked this year.