We saw Frank and other volunteers at Abingdon Lock today. Frank said that every day he sees somebody or a boat, that he has not seen since the first lockdown.
Salter Steamers are no longer running the daily Oxford to Abingdon service. They only come to Abingdon if they get a party booking. The Salter Steamer website says they only run the Oxford – Abingdon service if they get Pre Booked Groups of 40 or more. They seem to be running more round trips centered on Oxford including the Alice in Wonderland Cruise – a 2.5-hour round trip taking in views of Iffley Lock and Port Meadow.
There are lots of boats passing through Abingdon Lock. Last weekend they had 19 boats meeting near the Lock – all of the same boat type. Frank did say but my memory is not sure. It could have been Fairline.
Upstream from Abingdon Lock, a boat that sank over nine months ago is still there as a floating island.
Walking back along the track towards Abingdon the harvest happened early in August and the straw has been baled and taken away.
A crop of beans has been left unharvested. There is probably a very good reason for this. Beans help fix nitrates in the soil for the next crop.
The fields of beans between Abingdon and Radley were harvested yesterday so it seems that the farmer waits until the beans are really dark.
I walked by that field at the weekend and wondered what on earth the blackened things were – now I know. The blog is a mine of information!
Field bean pods change colour from lush green to almost black as they ripen through August
Though so many of the beans that had looked to be growing so well, and that covered that huge field at Rye Farm, would seem to have not just grown black, but to have withered away entirely?