A smart new restaurant will soon be opening on West St Helen Street. The window whitener has been removed, revealing decorative lights inside, and a row of neatly topiary trees now stands outside the window.
A French restaurant has been expected at this site, and with the frontage now looking finished, the opening will not be far away.
It is where Rosie’s Tea Room once operated, and before that Frugal Food.
Martin pointed out that some recent work has been carried out along the edge of Thrupp Lake. It appears to be aimed at keeping people to the paths so that vegetation has a chance to recover and grow. At the south-west end, what looks like a hedge has been planted between the gravel path and the vehicle track to discourage people from straying off the route.
At the north-west end, a low fence now guides walkers onto a narrower route. Although there is a canopy of trees here and little currently growing beneath them, a notice explains the reason for the change:
‘Historic data shows that White Helleborine used to grow along this tree line. We’re hoping by fencing it off, this plant will start to reappear.’
The gravel path around the lakes is also more extensive than I remember and new fences have been added in places.
Meanwhile, old features from the lake’s previous life such as the old boathouse are becoming more dilapidated.
I filmed a full walk around Thrupp and Bullfield Lakes this morning using time-lapse to show just how much of the route has a gravel path. The result is like a roller-coaster ride. See
https://youtu.be/3aNWqWPfD7M
Thameside Primary School in South Abingdon has won a Bronze Award for using the myHappymind programme. This shows that the school cares a lot about helping children feel happy and confident.
In the picture, you can see some of Thameside’s Happiness Heroes, who help other children look after themselves.
Headteacher Laura Youngman said: ‘We are really proud to get the Bronze myHappymind Award. It helps children and families learn important skills for life.’
This award shows how Thameside lives by its motto: ‘Every Child, Every Chance, Every Day.’ by helping every child both academically and emotionally.
More on the myHappymind programme: myHappymind Schools Programme.
The Mayor of Abingdon, Cllr Rawda Jehanli, opened the Abingdon Artists Spring Exhibition at St Helen’s Church. In her remarks, the Mayor said that Abingdon has many talented artists. Many of them were present for the preview – each exhibiting up to three artworks.
Livio Lobo is pictured with his three works: Fruit of the Wine – Cheers, Fabulous Flowers Abingdon and Boxing Day MG Meet in Abingdon.
When the exhibition opened to the public on Monday, one of the first works to be sold was Fabulous Flowers Abingdon. It was bought by Gary, the owner of the Fabulous Flowers shop, who has a collection of paintings of his shop – a popular subject for artists.
One artist missed at this exhibition is Dougie Simpson, a well-known Abingdon artist who died in December 2025. A painting of Venice by Dougie was on display at the exhibition. A gathering of artists in Dougie’s honour will take place on Saturday, when they will draw and paint together.
The exhibition runs until Saturday.