Reminder

Don't forget the 2 excellent competitions in the recent newsletter too!!

The adults Hidden Christmas Words - entries to be submitted by 5th January, and entries for the childrens Colouring Competition to be submitted by the 22nd December.

Pop both of them into 18 Mill Road!!!  Prizes for both.

Gardening - The Garden in December

Martin Gulliver writes:  So ... Christmas in the garden, eh??  Let's face it no one wants to garden over Christmas, unless it's digging up fresh parsnips on the day, which I did a few years ago - they tasted fab.  However you will have need to have sown those back in March - so where were you??  How about making a centrepiece for the table?  Buy a small piece of oasis from the flower shop and then cover it in bits and pieces from the garden.  Ivy is a good cover-all, and then add anything with berries...holly, pyracantha, cotoneaster...get them before the birds do!!  Leave the arrangement in a saucer of water so that the oasis soaks it up, and it should last well.

If you really need to get some Boxing day exercise, you can always check the garden over for broken branches that need trimming, weeds that need pulling, empty any bird boxes, and keep bird baths, seed and nut feeders full.

Talking of birds, they will enjoy bacon fat and rind, as well as pieces of cheese - they adore stilton but nothing too salty.  A stroll down to the river on Boxing Day is also nice - feeding the ducks, swans, moorhens...and by the way - if it has red on its beak it's a moorhen, if white, it's a coot.

Finally, if you really want to stay in, at least look out at the garden and make any plans for the new year - what to move, plant, repair, dig up...and make a careful note.

Merry Christmas!

Marcham Road crossing update

Here's the latest update on the Marcham Road crossing, taken from The Abingdon blog:

Councillor Neil Fawcett tweeted today:

Sadly the County Council Cabinet voted unanimously to allow the moving of the Marcham Road crossings in Abingdon

The lights will be moved and was proposed by the developers as a traffic mitigation measure in view of the 159 dwellings on Drayton Road.

For a full report, please visit The Abingdon blog.

Ann Goddard

We're very sad to announce that resident Ann Goddard from Bridges Close, passed away towards the end of last year.  She was a well known and familiar figure on Tithe Farm, where she'd lived for over 20 years, and was often seen around walking her little dog JJ.  Ann was a retired school teacher who previously lived in Drayton, and was the Residents' Association Treasurer until ill health prevented this.  She will be missed.

Abingdon Minor Injuries Unit

A slight change to the latest Newsletter posted recently:

Abingdon Minor Injuries Units times are 8am to 10.30pm - note this is from Saturday 1st November and is for the winter months only.  This service is available 7 days a week.

X-ray opening times at this MIU are as follows: Monday to Friday 9am to 6.30pm, Saturday 10am to 6.30pm and Sunday 10am to 5pm.

AGM - 18th November 2014

Our next newsletter has now gone out and some of you may have already had your copy.  We look forward to receiving your entries for the 2 Christmas competitions!

The last Residents' Association meeting in November was our AGM.  In line with the constitution, all residents who come to the meetings make up the committee.  We should also elect a Chair, a Vice-Chair, a Treasurer and a Newsletter Editor.  Maureen Buckingham will be our Chair, Lorna Downs our Vice-Chair, Anita Wickens the Treasurer and Kay White the Newsletter/Blog Editor.

If anyone should want to see the accounts for last year, these are available by contacting the Treasurer.  Contact details are on the blog and in the newsletter.

We look forward to being able to carry on with our successful revival of the newsletter plus the TFLRA blog.

Christmas Lights

The festive Abingdon lights were turned on at the Extravaganza on Sunday - by Elianne from Mill Road, who was chosen to do the honours from a draw.  Well done Elianne ..... Abingdon will certainly now look pretty for Christmas!!

Gardening - The Garden in October and November

We are well and truly into Autumn now and time to put the garden to bed - to a certain extent.  You can happily cut back herbaceous perennials hard to tidy up the garden, but there is no harm in leaving them as sometimes seed heads can be attractive, especially after a frost, and it gives small insects somewhere to hide.  If you cut back herbaceous geraniums sooner rather than later, they may put on new growth that will last through the winter.

Annuals can be cleared as they start to fade, and replaced with winter flowering pansies, violas, heathers and berried shrubs.  It is worth popping to the garden centre to see what is colourful now - especially berries and leaves - and fill the gaps.  Shrubs will give year round interest if they have berries as well as flowers, ideal for small gardens.  Now is a good time to plant shrubs as the autumnal warmth will settle them in before winter. 

If you have a greenhouse, clean the glass after removing all shading and give the whole structure a good wash and repair, before replacing any plants.  You will be surprised what will survive in an unheated greenhouse, and it is often worth potting up a few tender plants to see if they will last a bit longer under glass.

Lawns can be cut up until the first frost, and Ivy can be pruned.  Bulbs can still be planted, and November is the time for tulips to be planted.

While it is still warm, keep up the weeding and don't forget to water and feed pots and baskets that you have planted for the winter.

Chaunterell Way play area

We had a letter from a resident on Ladygrove:

I am concerned about the childrens play area behind Chaunterell Way.  I take my young grandchildren there most weeks and every time we visit we find that the gate has been left open.  The whole point of it being enclosed is for the safety of the children and also to keep out any dogs that might be out unaccompanied!!

Seems obvious to me that if there is a gate then it should be closed!!

Also a couple of weeks ago I had to clear up a lot of broken glass (bottles) from around the slide and climbing frame.  If a child had fallen over they could have had a very nasty injury.  I don't know how we can stop this happening unless the community police officers maybe patrol a bit more often or maybe residents could keep an eye out and contact the police if there is anyone there making a nuisance of themselves.

Well done on the revised newsletter.

kind regards

The TFLRA have since contacted the Town Council asking if someone could look into this, and maybe put a notice on the gate, and are waiting to hear from them.  We've also asked if the Community Police would like to come to our next meeting.  We will keep you posted.

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Update - reply from the Town Council

The Town Council replied to us, and have agreed to put a notice on the gate to remind users to close it behind them.  They will also check that the gate is easy to close.  They confirm that they litter pick the area 4 or 5 times a week and say that they should be able to respond to reports of dangerous items within 24 hours or sooner.  They ask also for the co-operation of the community in all this.  The Community Police have agreed to pay attention to the area on their patrols.

Kevin-the-postman

Farewell to Kevin-the-Postman!!  Kevin of Coleridge Drive is retiring at the end of November after delivering mail for 35 years, the last 25 years of which doing the Ladygrove and Tithe Farm deliveries.  We shall miss his cheery daily presence but wish him well for his retirement.