It is always good to see Hugh and Elizabeth’s back window crib in East St Helen Street.

This is the window of The Salvation Army showing their crib with real straw.

At 4:30 PM on Christmas Eve at St Helen’s Church there was a Christingle Service. This is just about a quarter of the Christingles on offer. They are oranges with candles and other things stuck into them and have a religious significance.

The Crib at St Helen’s is only about half finished. During the Christingle Service Mary and Joseph and The Baby Jesus are carried into position, but they will have to wait a few more days for the Wisemen to arrive at Epiphany.

A little earlier, at 4 PM, as shops began to close, the St Nicolas Church bells were rung out to call people to their Crib Service. At Trinity there was a Torchlit service at the same time. Many churches have something similar – very popular with young families.

I read the front page story in the Abingdon Herald, about how the swimming pool had re-opened, now they have managed to fix it after a month long closure, and decided to go down for a morning dip…

But when I got there there were no signs of life at all… not a life guard in sight!

The Ice Cream Kiosk wasn’t even open.

Wrong Pool!

When I checked the Herald article, it was about the indoor pool at the White Horse Leisure Centre!!!

The Yellow Town bus can be seen here going under our window in the early morning. It took over from the A1,2,3 and the 44 routes nearly four years, and since it is a subsidised service the County Council are now consulting over its future. So if you have any comments about frequency, start and finish times, stops or anything else contact john.wood@oxfordshire.gov.uk or telephone 01865 815 802. Same applies to the 4B to Cumnor.

The waiting is nearly over… Today the Abingdon Advent Calendar 2009 has a window on Abingdon Bridge so only one more window still to open tomorrow…

24. Prince Albert

Advent Calendars don’t do 25.

Another good display down Saxton Road this year.

This is another view from near the top end of Saxton Road.

These deer are on the Tithe Farm Estate – on the other side of the Drayton Road from Saxton Road.