Bakehouse Strummers Bring Joy to the Phab Club

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The Phab Club had a great time last night at Christchurch, Abingdon, thanks to the Bakehouse Strummers. The band play easy to sing along songs that sound good strummed on the ukulele – mostly from the early 1960s.

The Bakehouse Strummers got their name from “The Old Bakehouse” in Abingdon where one of their leaders lives and where they first met to play. They are usually busy over the Christmas period and will play at the Mayor’s Christmas Party for people over 75.

At the end, the audience called for an encore, which the band wasn’t used to. So they played again the song they started with – something good by Hermon’s Hermits

P.S. Hermon’s Hermits are on their 60th anniversary tour in 2024. From their early beginnings in Manchester in 1964, the band have chalked up 23 hit singles.

Clubs and Societies – Looking for a Speaker?

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Trinity Evergreens hosted a talk on Monday by Ann and John Ford, a couple whose lives have been taken over by their Morris Minors. The talk, called “Morris Minors in the Media”, began when they took a Morris Minor to a car show and discovered a business card on their windscreen asking if it could be hired for a film.

From that beginning, their interest in Morris Minors developed into a business, and they built up a collection of Morris Minors. They helped supply a fleet of 32 cars for the film “The Borrowers.” Their vehicles have been featured in commercials, fashion shoots, weddings, and TV series. Mr. Ford became friendly with Anthony Hopkins, and used to get him a newspaper and read him the news and drive the Morris Minor during filming of “Shadowlands.” They appeared with Fiona Bruce in Antiques Road Show.

Trinity Evergreens (at Trinity Church) have other interesting speakers booked for the upcoming year. There is a waiting list to join the club. Ann and John Ford are available for public speaking engagements. Try aandj.ford2019 at gmail.com or 07831 519 478. (The picture is from Clubs and Societies Day in Abingdon in 2023.)

What’s On: Art, Craft, Theater, and Fireworks

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Discover the latest works from dozens of Abingdon Artists (including my wife) at the Abingdon Artists’ Autumn Exhibition (includes a range of original art and cards, and live demonstrations).

Browse the handmade crafts at the Abingdon Traditional Craft Fair in the Abbey Buildings (with 69 artisans).

There will be Ukrainian arts and crafts at St Ethelwold’s House.

Join the Abingdon Operatic Society for a performance of “Guys and Dolls” at the Amey Theatre.

There are three public firework displays being advertised around town. The Nags Head also has an event with a light show and fireworks on November 1st.

The clocks will go back in the UK on 27 October 2024 at 2am
Half Term is 28 October – 1 November.
Halloween is Thursday, 31 October 2024.

The Fall and Clearing of Leaves in Abingdon Town Centre

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The winds and rain on Sunday brought a lot of leaves down on the Market Place resulting in piles of wet leaves during the Abingdon Marathon and Monday Market. However, today, the town council staff cleared away the fallen leaves on the Market Place, which is their land.

There is a regular litter sweeper near the town centre, probably employed by the district council. Additional staff members have been deployed to assist with the sweeping and clearing operations with the extra task of fallen leaves.

There are not as many leaves underfoot at St Helen’s Wharf today as during the marathon on Sunday. But leaves continue to fall, and there are lots more to follow.

How Leaves Fall in Autumn
After the tree re-absorbs nutrients from its leaves, hormones cause a corky layer of cells, called the abscission layer, to form at the base of the leaf stem. This weakens the leaf’s connection to the tree. Eventually, a leaf falls due to its weight or helped by wind and rain and frost. Leaf fall helps trees save energy during the winter.