Ice and Birds

1 Reply

Ice and Birds
Temperatures have not gone much over freezing since Sunday’s snow. There are still places where it is icy and slippery under foot and where caution is required. I have had many unexpected slips on ice in the past, starting with a broken arm falling off my tricycle – aged four.

Yesterday we walked through the Abbey Gardens and along the Mill Stream and beyond.
Ice and Birds
There were two swans near the concrete bridge near the swimming pool.

A heron was stood further along, partly hidden.

At Barton Fields there were lots of small birds on the bird feeders.

Robins were singing along most of the route. One at Radley Lakes stayed long enough for a picture.
Ice and Birds
Most of the birds were some way away at Thrupp Lake but the ice did mean the very muddy parts were not quite so muddy.

Coming back along the cycle way, a red sign indicated Abingdon as 1.75 miles away. So that made yesterday’s walk about 4 miles and we got home without falling.

Abingdon Peace Group celebrates UN treaty to ban nuclear weapons

2 Replies

Last Friday the first-ever UN treaty to ban nuclear weapons came into effect. The day was marked on Abingdon Market Place by the Abingdon Peace Group.

The treaty prohibits signatories from producing, stockpiling, selling and using nuclear weapons. The treaty was passed by the UN in 2017, with 123 countries voting for and 38 voting against. It has so far been ratified by 52 states and others are in the process. Signatories are mostly from Africa, Latin America and Asia.
ban nuclear weapons
They include some European nations including Ireland. Will the UK follow? The archbishops of Canterbury and York, and many bishops of both Anglican and Catholic dioceses have publicly called on the UK government to sign it.

There are an estimated 13,400 nuclear weapons worldwide. Such weapons are overwhelmingly owned by the USA, and Russia. Other countries with nuclear weapons include: China, France, UK, Pakistan, India, North Korea and probably Israel. Signatories do not include any countries that own these nuclear weapons or any Nato members.

Thankyou to Feng Ho for the pictures.

More Snow in Abingdon

1 Reply

More Snow in Abingdon
Daniel has taken more amazing aerial views of Abingdon.

Tim sent me pictures of a lot of the snow people in his street. Some melted before he could get to them. This one appears to be supported by the wheelie bin.

Michael visited the Albert Park and sent one of the more exotic snow people

Snow in Abingdon

6 Replies

Snow in Abingdon
We woke sometime after 9am to see that the Velux window was covered in snow. We breakfasted fairly quickly, but not as quickly as a lot of young families. By the time we got out there were lots of other people out and about at St Helen’s Wharf.

The snow had been falling until about 10 am and was still in the branches of trees.
Snow in Abingdon
There were quite a few people walking the Ock Valley Walk.

It was like Narnia (a winter wonderland). Beautiful.

Then round to Albert Park where the snow was less virginal. There were nearly as many snowmen as people.

I have tried to blur the faces so not nobody is too recognisable in these days of GDPR but it is a shame not to show a little bit of the fun.
Snow in Abingdon
Here are three snowmen with a snow dog. It looked more like a dog than the snowmen looked like people.

It was a chance to bring out those sledges even without the slopes.

Prince Albert who was featured in yesterday’s post would have recognized what was happening.

Walking home by Abingdon School we saw one snow man in the grounds.