During his talk, last Thursday, Griff Rhys Jones was encouraging people to use the waterways, and said it is wonderful to go along small rivers where everything is unspoilt…

Today in such a spirit we went for a walk down towards swift ditch, but couldn’t get through the usual way from Abingdon Lock because the environment agency are reinforcing some of the river bank.

Having gone the long way round guided by the many diversion signs we did eventually get there…

There was evidence of more repairs about to happen on the railway sleeper bridge over the first swift ditch channel.

When we reached the second channel, the one that passes through the original pound lock, we saw not just one or two boats…

They just kept coming…

Harry and me counted at least ten boats going under the footbridge. Could this be Griff’s Legacy?

Thanks to Tim who e-mailed me about this event… The rugby was fast and thrilling.

It was the 53rd running of the Abingdon Rugby Sevens pre season tournament. The first one in 1956 was held to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the town receiving its Royal Charter.

Abingdon RFC can be seen here in Black with Emerald / Gold chestband against Blue Boar in Navy Blue and White hoops. There were 16 teams in all.

Gary Linneker was quoted this week in the Radio Times as saying “Parents shouting at kids from the touchline is my pet hate.’ I wonder what he would have made of this scene.

I was very impressed watching the Kamikaze Sevens from south Wales. They seemed to throw the ball in ways I’d never seen done before – like harlem globe trotters rather than your average rugby players. Here they are bringing in another try.

Lastly, I did not see this team play, but was very interested in the strip of the Cheeky Ladies rugby team. They started life at Newcastle University, and appear to want to make rugby look more sexy.

On a windy day in Abingdon today I met up with one of the men involved in the remake of the film: Clash of the Titans. He was hired partly for his fine beard. Trying to fake one like that can be very expensive. The term extra went out some time ago. Supporting artist is the preferred term nowadays.

While I was away I got a few e-mails which have given me a few ideas for future posts. Take this… “Would you happen to know if number 19 Bath Street is still there & whether it’s a house or a house over a shop now? “

In the 1953 Abingdon Who’s Who The Black Swan is described as being on one corner of Bury Street which leads me to believe that 19 Bath Street was on the facing corner…

where those red bags are, near where Woolworths deliveries used to come in.

19 Bath Street disappeared from the Abingdon Who’s Who Directory between 1967 and 1969. In 1967 it was Jeanettes, a ladies hairdresser, and some time before that it had been sometimes dual occupancy and sometimes single occupancy.

People like Jackie Smith, our town archivist, contactable through the town council, and our other notable local historians, and many of our lifelong Abingdonians, could probably tell you more…