Farmers’ Market – 3rd Friday of the Month

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The Abingdon Farmers’ Market was held today (Friday 15th July) from 8.30am until 1.30pm in Abingdon Market Place.
I counted fifteen stalls. The Farmer’s Market is held on the third Friday of each month, so the 15th is the earliest day it can be.

One well know stall is Busby’s Bees. Here are two Busbys. The younger one runs Busby Dance classes, and the older one runs Busby Bees.

I saw these two books next to each other in the library and, hoping to learn more about bees, borrowed them.

The Steam Plough and steam ploughing

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The pioneer of the steam plough was John Fowler of Leeds, according to wikipedia, who used steam engines and a winch from 1850 to mechanise agriculture. One steam engine pulled a plough across a field using a wound cable, and another steam engine pulled the plough back. In the early twentieth century, steam ploughs were superseded by tractors, powered by internal combustion engines. They are more like horses or oxen.

The Steam Plough pub in Abingdon was opened around 1873 and closed in the 1920s. The pub’s era fits within the age of steam ploughing.

The Steam Plough’s extrovert brickwork wants to be noticed. The Victorian-era brick patterning off Broad Street in Abingdon is called Victoria House and is at Number 10 Broad Street.

Summer Reading Challenge (and writing challenge)

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Since 1999, Abingdon Library has encouraged children to participate in the summer reading challenge, keeping children reading during the summer holidays. In 2020 the theme was Silly Squad. In 2021 it was Wild World Challenge. This is the twentieth year, and the theme ‘Gadgeteers’ will spark children’s curiosity about the world around us. For more information visit https://summerreadingchallenge.org.uk/.

Could I also suggest a writing challenge?

It was so hot at the Monday Market yesterday that many stall holders left early. The meat man went before the meat mutated. The baker left before the bread got toasted. The egg stall left before all the eggs hatched.

The flower stall left before the plants wilted.

Even the card shop left before the cards went white.

If anybody is up for a summer writing challenge, send something interesting about Abingdon to backstreet60@gmail.com.

Flowers and art in St Ethelwolds garden

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Visitors are usually welcome to look around the garden and relax. There is a blaze of firey colour along the wall at St Ethelwolds.

Looking back at the house, the flowers are a foaming sea of lilac and pink.

Last weekend three artists had a display of pictures in the outhouse. Dougie Simpson, Caroline Ritson and Marion Owen are regular art exhibitors in St Ethelwold’s garden.

Here are a few of Dougie’s pictures of Abingdon, Venice, and Florence.