Bikezone Moving

I have heard that Bikezone in Market Street is moving in the next couple of weeks. I am not sure how long Bikezone have been at the current location, but I have been a customer for a number of years, as it is the only city centre bike store in Oxford. It has always been a very busy store so maybe they are moving to larger location, hope they keep there great staff.

European Trade Union Day of Action Oxford

Across Europe today trade unions are gathering together to protest against cuts and privatisation of essential public services. UNISON's Oxford supporters gathered in Cornmarket central Oxford, supporting unionists across Europe, among those protesting this afternoon where nurses from Oxford NHS Trust. It has been reported this week in the local media that up 1900 posts from the Trust could go as part of the Governments public spending reduction.

Oxford Streets Are Steam Cleaned

This afternoon on the way home I noticed that the pavements in Queen Street where being high pressured steam cleaned by Oxford City Council. The equipment they where using was a very high tech little buggy with this cleaning extension that the operator used to clean the stone pavement. I think the worse thing about the streets of Oxford is all the chewing gum, the council do a good job of keeping the rubbish away, but the gum needs this steam cleaning to remove it. More photo's here.

Moscow State Circus Setting Up

This morning I drove past an empty recreation ground on Oxpens Road, this afternoon when I was coming home, there was the Moscow State Circus all but set up ready for opening night on Wednesday. These guys know how to set up quickly, I wander if the packing up takes longer. Anyway, I think I might have a look one evening this week for another photo. My last photo of this touring circus was in October 2008, click here

Rowers On The Thames

Lot of rowing activity on the River this weekend, more that I have seen in awhile, I guess that all the students are starting to filter back in to Oxford after the summer break, and they are straight out into the waters making up for lost time.

Sorry about the lack of posts, the last couple of days, I have been away in Nottingham for a couple of days to see Grinderman! Great gig.

Just Having A Chat

Not sure what I can say about this photo, I just saw these two chatting in Bonn Square and thought that the image portrayed a message of friendship across the ages and abilities. I don't have a lot of people photo's on ODP which I might try and change, as it is the people of Oxford that make this city what it really is. I also think it is harder to take photo's of people.

World Car Free Day

Today is World Car Free Day, so I decided to go down to St Aldates to see if there was an increase in commuters catching the City's buses today. The bus stops were busy with people waiting but I no more than usual, when I asked a couple of drivers if they where busier because it was Car Free Day, they said not really. Oxford City Council had a campaign to try and encourage us not to use the car to get to work today, I was lucky today as I was on a course in the city centre, so had no need to use the car today.

Spider Season Has Started

Spider season is comes around once a year, like Freshers week in Oxford, and at the moment, just before Freshers it is spider season. I am not sure why, but at the moment there are more spiders and there webs around that you get at other times of the year, and with the cooler mornings you can see some very nice webs with the due on them. Took this photo on the outskirts of Oxford this morning, which was a bit foggy in Oxford today and I was trying to get the due on it, not sure if it worked that well. Anyway, look out for those Spider Webs when you are out early.

Diana Bell's The Big Book

If you walked past Bonn Square this weekend you may have seen a very large book, it is 2.2metres high, and been invited to add a comment on what you Imagine about Oxford. It is Oxford artist Diana Bells latest art project, and will be in Bonn Square till Monday. So far she has had eleven pages of her book filled with what the public have imagined or are imagining, and I am sure she would love to see you in Bonn Square till Monday evening if you would like to add anything to her art project. Have a look at her website.

Oxford Food and Wine Festival

The Oxford Food and Wine Festival is on all weekend in and around the Oxford Castle complex with loads of stalls from local business selling and sampling there wears. I sat and watched these two chefs from the Malmaison Hotel demonstrate how to make a quick hollandaise sauce, so lots going on down at the Castle this weekend.

St John's College

Just out and about in city centre this afternoon, and liked this typical street scene in St Giles. You have the Lamb and Flag pub, the Red English telephone box in front of St John's College, which is in the sun. To me this photo just says, Oxford.

Origin Of Species Monument

I was at the Natural History Museum over the weekend have not been in this part of Oxford for a good while and I noticed right at the front doors a new monument. Last year was the 150th anniversary of the Charles Darwin's Origin of The Species, and from the inscription on the monument where was a debate in Oxford within six months of this. Thomas Henry Huxley argued in favour of Darwin and Samuel Wilberforce who was the Bishop of Oxford at the time set his case against Darwin's theories. I think we are still debating Darwin's writings today in society.

Unforgettable Moments

New store just about to open in Cornmarket next to KFC, Pandora which is a jewellery store with a difference. From what I understand and I could be wrong this store allows you to custom design your pieces. I have just popped onto there website and they have a nice video/advert on the home page. I am just glad this new store was not a fast food store.....

Open Doors On The Oxford Canal

Another great day for the Open Doors programme that I photographed yesterday. Today I headed out to the start or end of the Oxford Canal where as part of the Open Doors weekend British Waterways had free 40 min canal boat rides up the Oxford Canal. I arrived about 11am and the line was already about 50 long, so this event was going to be very popular for the rest of the day I am sure. Photographed here is one of the three canal boats operating the free rides returning for more passengers.

Open Doors Oxford 2010

This weekend across Oxford and in many other cities around the country, buildings that are not normally open to the public open there doors an allow the public to have a little look behind those closed doors. I love this event, because apart from getting access to places that you normally don't get the opportunity to see, there is lots of historical information about events that took place in or around the buildings.

Open Doors has a very good website with more information on what will be open and from what time, I managed only a few of the places that I wanted to visit today, so I will be back out tomorrow with the camera looking behind those doors.

Todays photo was taken at County Hall, built in 1841 and looking like a Norman Castle. As apart of Open Doors a tour of the building run for about 20min where you could see the council chambers and court room that is still being used today. The highlight for me was really seeing the underground tunnel from the court room straight into the prison that was behind the building, I have a photo of this that I will post later, unless you want to see it on the additional pages?

Camping In Oxford - Site Full

Accommodation in Oxford is aften expensive in Oxford, even in at the YHA Hostel in Oxford the prices can be a little higher than other city's around the UK. However if you have a caravan or a tent, did you know that in Oxford we have a very centrally located Caravan Park at the end of the Abingdon Road. I am not sure of the prices of the park, but it must be reasonable as this afternoon I noticed this sign staying that "Sorry Site Full"

Obesity Bill Doubles In Size

Thanks Tim for looking after the ODP blog while I had a week or so off cycling around France, the photo's were great, and you get more comments than I do!!

Just popped up to the High Street this afternoon for a few basics and spotted this advert for todays Oxford Mail, which caught my eye, very eye catching headline.

We will remember them

Today exactly 70 years ago the sustained bombing of Britain by the Germans, also callled the Blitz, began in London. Between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941 almost 43,000 civilians in the UK were killed and more than a million houses were destroyed or damaged in London alone. Lots of other important cities in the United Kingdom were also bombed but Oxford was spared. Hitler wanted Oxford to be his capital once he had captured Britain and bombing that city wouldn't be a smart choice. Who knows what would have been left of this city today if he hadn't made that choice? I guess Oxford has been "lucky", unlike the people who got killed and their loved ones. I think it's a good thing that we don't forget these people, we will remember them through stories, memorial stones and other items such as this cushion that can be used when you're praying on a kneeler in a church. This one can be found in the St. Mary Magdalene Church in Woodstock (I know that's not within 5 km of Carfax Tower but I think the photo is special enough to post it today, forgive me for that).

Now that's what I call a cake!

People who often visit the Covered Market in Oxford's city centre will probably have seen this cake before. It's been there for about a couple of weeks and every time I see this one and the other cakes at the Oxford Cake Shop, I admire the creative talent of the people who make them. If you haven't been there before, do so! You can watch how the cakes are made and the Covered Market has many other shops worth paying a visit. Just because I couldn't choose which photo to post today, I'm giving you another great example made by the Oxford Cake Shop:

St. Giles Fair

I'm having severe problems with my internet connection since Friday. That's why I haven't been able to post any new photo's. On Monday and Tuesday the St. Giles Fair will take place in Oxford. Passed by this night and I saw a wide range of attractions for people of all ages. Freak shows, roundabouts, cake-walks and so on. So I would say: choose whatever you like, folks!

Open air opera at Oxford Castle

Yesterday evening I passed by Oxford Castle during a performance by the Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company. Until Sunday they are playing "the Yeomen of the Guard". Unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me yesterday evening so I wasn't able to take a picture by night but I took one this afternoon. With Oxford Castle as dramatic background for this Savoy opera they made a good choice, I think. It looked amazing last night with all the lights on and it sounded great. They have an alternative venue in case of inclement weather (it's an open air production) but let's hope they won't need it. So far, the weather forecast looks good, hopefully it will stay that way....

Done or not done?

Words like classic, full of history and old are typical used to describe Oxford's city centre. For today's post I have chosen quite the opposite to all those words: some graffiti art on Cowley Road. In general I'm not a big fan, but in some cases artists do a great job in creating something special. I would like to know what you think about something "modern", like the creations above, in a city with so much history like Oxford. Do you like it, or is it "not done"?