One thing has been puzzling us on our lockdown walks. Why have we not seen any ducklings on the River Ock and the millstream
Somebody tonight told us that in the last two years mink have become so rife that they are eating the ducklings, and the young of other native species.
In West St Helen Street there was a good turn out for the final Thursday 8 PM celebration of carers. Every Thursday people are encouraged onto the doorsteps by a member of the Oxford Caledonian Pipe Band with a drum
In Thesiger Road, George Haslam has been playing the clarinet on Thursdays at 8pm, and on this final week he appeared with a saxophone to play Over the Rainbow.
There will be other ways to show our appreciation to carers like making sure they are paid fittingly for their heroic efforts in future.
We can also find new ways to come together as a community. One such is Abingdon Zoo Day this coming Sunday.
Flying must be easy when you are a bird. You just open your wings
and glide.
Bees need to buzz a lot more.
They also need frequent nectar stops.
The birds were seen by the Millstream in Abingdon.
The bees were in Old Abbey House gardens this evening. This was part of a walk after work.
Riding back from work at about 3:30pm I saw a long queue at the Drayton Recycling Centre. They are using the golf area next door to queue cars rather than the main road. The process is slower as only half the bays are in use for social distancing reasons. There is also a big demand for the dump after the shutdown for a couple of months.
The Vale of White Horse District Council (VWHDC) had an online planning meeting this morning using Microsoft Teams.
On the agenda was the Old Gaol proposed change of use (for one unit) from restaurant to dental surgery.
Abingdon-on-Thames Town Council can also hold internet meetings and they started last week with the Guildhall Meeting on 21st May. They are using WebEX.
Abingdon-on-Thames Town Council have also started the process of the Neighbourhood Plan. In the short to medium term the consultation process will have to use the internet rather than round table discussions.
There are more details at https://abingdon.gov.uk/neighbourhood-plan.
If the plan is agreed by over 50% of those in Abingdon, that can vote, then Abingdon will have more control over its own destiny.
Abingdon cannot change the number of houses to be built as decided by VWHDC in their local plan, but can get more control how the CIL (Community Infrastructure Levy) is spent.