Water Levels At Victoria Arms Marston

Well the water levels of all the rivers in and around Oxford are very high at the moment, and this is what it is like along the River Cherwell in front of the Victoria Arms at Marston.  During the summer I remember meeting friends who had just punted up to this popular outdoor beer garden from central Oxford. They had stopped off to celebrate a couple of birthdays and an annual punting trip, where we had lunch is now well and truly underwater.

River Thames Flooding At Shillingford

I am breaking my own rules of all photo's on this blog are within 5 km's of Carfax, I am sorry.  In the 5 years that I have been doing this photo blog of Oxford I think this will be only the second time I have taken and posted a photo further than the 5 km's.
I was in Wallingford this afternoon and on the way back into Oxford I stopped off at the Bridge Hotel next to the Shillingford Bridge to have a look at the flooding of the Thames in this area.  The River is very high at the moment, as you can see from this photo.  The boat is moored along side what would have been the normal river bank, and the building on is on the other side of the River Thames.  The river is flowing very fast at the moment, and I have a couple of additional photo's and a video on the making of site, here.
I know that the residents along Abingdon Road have been given sandbags last night as the water was rising along this area of Oxford, so we are all hoping for no more rain over night.

Closed Boxing Day Open 27th December

For a large international brand, I was so pleased to see this sign in the window of Pandora this afternoon telling the public that the company values family time.  Imagine how the employees of Pandora must feel to be work for a company that appreciates time with family over Christmas, so rare these days for a large company to take a stance like this.  Well done Pandora!

And Now The Sales Start In Oxford

Just when you thought you were all shopped out, the Boxing Day sales start! Where do we put all this stuff that we are constantly buying?

Merry Oxford Christmas

Wishing all the readers of the Oxford Daily Photo posts, a very very Merry Christmas.  Thanks for stopping by this year, and I hope to be able to bring you more photos of Oxford during 2013.  Thanks for all your comments, and emails.

Lonely Doggy

I had a nice Christmas tree photo for today, but just as I was walking around Summertown this evening I spotted this lonely little dog all in the cold waiting....
Not sure how long it had been waiting, but it just looked so wanting, and I am hoping that none of the readers of this blog are alone this Christmas.  I know that I have been a little slack over the last few weeks, sorry for that.  Merry Christmas to you all, and I hope you are surrounded by those you love this Christmas.

National Postal Workers Day

Today is National Postal Workers Day, and I have been told is also one of the busiest days for Royal Mail and your local postie.  The Royal Mail is one of those national institutions that has served the nation proudly for over 350 years, and I am hoping will be around for many years to come. I am however not sure that those in power understand how important the Post Office and Royal Mail are to everyone in the UK, the politicians talk about protecting there local post office in the press, but in practise it is another thing, just look at the recent Early Day Motion 818, only 39 signatures on this motion to protect the Universal Service to everyone across the UK.

Santa's On The Run In Oxford

Trying out a new camera today, think I need to adjust the date setting?  Well didn't we have a lot of Santa's in town this morning for the Santa's On The Run 2012.  Think there was more than last year, and lucky I arrived when I did cause I think it may have started a minute or so early. Still nice to see so many people out enjoying the run, and it was not to cold.

Water Over The Railway Line South Oxford

Parts of Oxford have flooded this morning and there are lots of roads closed around the city causing a lot of congestion on the other routes not effected by flood waters.  I know that the Abingdon Road is closed for all traffic today which is making getting in to Oxford from the South very difficult.  Today I was not in Oxford till late afternoon returning by train around the Redbridge park'n'ride you could see water over the tracks.  This photo was taken out the window of the train as we crawled towards the Oxford Station, about 40minutes late.

Flooded Oxford Cricket Ground

Brasenose College Cricket pavilion is completely surrounded by water this evening as water from the River Thames engulfs the grounds.  There is a lot of water around Oxford at the moment, and I think my photos for the next few days are going to be of this flood.  It did not rain a lot today, however the forecast for tomorrow is more rain, so this is not going to help.  I heard that those in the Botley area have been advised to move items of value to higher parts of your house, that is not a good sign.

River Cherwell Is High At The Moment

This might be one of those photo's that you will have to click on to see it in it's full scale, cause the River Cherwell this morning was very high.  I took this photo this morning while out jogging with my iPhone I could not believe how much water was around Oxford at the moment.  I know other parts of the county are experiencing flooding at the moment, however I think if we get more rain in Oxford our Rivers will also start to become dangerously close to causing property damage.

Free NHS Dental Check Up's

I have never seen this type of mobile dental service before.  In Broad Street today, you can wonder in to a free NHS mobile dental clinic and have a check up, no appointment or charge.  WOW, we doing really have a great public health service in the UK.  Not sure how long this clinic is going to be on site, but if your in Oxford today this might be worth a go if you have not been to the dentist in awhile.

@TheDuck42

I am not sure what all this all means, this is @TheDuck42 so I am assuming that there could be another 41 ducks around Oxford, maybe it is part of a treasure hunt? I did not see any other ducks and have not seen any before, so maybe it was just a one day event.  Strange?

Bananaman Helps Children In Need

Over the last couple of days in Oxford and around the country people have been up to all sorts of weird and imaginative activities to raise money for the BBC's Children in Need appeal.  This morning in Cornmarket I spotted "Banana Man" shaking a bucket and promoting the super hero powers of Banana Man.  I must admit that I had not heard of Banana Man before today!

Gaza Under Attack

This evening in Cornmarket Street there was a small demonstration against the attacks on Gaza yesterday.  It was a very low key event, with those concerned handing out information to shoppers and those going home at the end of the day, about the events that had taken place less then 24 hours before.

World Kindness Day

Well todays post is the first non photograph of the life of the blog, which is about 5 years now.  Today is World Kindness Day, which is part of the World Kindness Week, and it was not that I could not get a photo of Kindness in Oxford cause like most city's you often see random acts of kindness taking place, I just could not get the camera out in time.  It is hard when you have a little point and shoot camera to get a good shot, so I am sorry for just posting the logo for World Kindness Day, but I fully support small daily acts of kindness.

Bollard People

I have always been very confused by the word "Bollard" and here I see it on the side of a van in Cornmarket Street.  I am not sure where the word "Bollard" came from but I do find it a strange word.  I think these guys were fixing the rising bollard to stop unauthorised traffic from entering Cornmarket.

British Legion Poppy Appeal

Every year in November the Royal British Legion holds it's annual fundraising appeal, the Poppy Appeal.  This annual drive for funds could not be as successful as it is without the 1000's of volunteers up and down the country, like this gentleman outside Marks and Spencer in Summertown with this Poppy's.

Starbuck's Red Christmas Cups?

Now I am not sure why some people get excited about Starbucks changing there take away cup from white to red, but people do.  Outside every Starbucks in Oxford this week they have been advertising that this weekend you will start to see the "Red Cups" and to celebrate between 2-5pm you are able to take advantage of a BOGOF offer.  I think it has something to do with Christmas?

Mole Holes In The Church Yard

I was in North Hinskey this afternoon and could not help but notice all the little mole holes around the church yard at St Laurence Church.  I am not sure if moles are more active at this time of the year or if I have not noticed them about before.  I have never ever seen a mole in the real, but I have seen where they have been.  Anyone having Mole problems at the moment?

It Was A Little Cool This Morning

This morning was very frosty in Oxford when I was riding to work, but the sky was so clear the light was amazing.  I was not sure how this photo would turn out as I was taking the photo into the sun, but the little Panasonic camera that I use for all my photos managed to capture the moment.  I think I need to get the gloves out now! That's the John Radcliffe Hospital in the background.

Sweaty Betty Opens In Rainy Oxford

We have a new store on the High Street, Sweaty Betty has opened up in what used to be Odd Bins store.  Not exactly sure what this store is about, looks like a women's exercises clothing store, didn't go in but from the outside looks like it will be popular in Oxford.

Graffiti or Art?

This is a new one that has just popped up this week.  It is on the side of the Dukes Cut on Park End Street, but the question that I need to ask is would this be called Graffiti or Street Art?  I like it personally and I would call it Street Art, we do not have a lot of this type of thing in the centre of Oxford, and when I spotted this no offensive tag on the side of the pub I liked it straight away.  Think it has been well done, let me know what you think. List of other Graffiti Posts 

Jobs In Oxford

I have been meaning to do this for awhile now but have not had the time, and that is to walk around the city centre and photograph all the "Wanted" sign's in store windows.  I have started to see a lot in the last couple of weeks, this maybe cause we are starting to get towards Christmas, I still hope to do this and post on my other site.  Virgin Media have taken this window advertising to the next level by placing one of those A frames out the front of there Cornmarket store advertising Full Time Sales Executives with a salary of £14866 plus benefits.

Down By The Oxford Canal

Just took this while out on a ride around Oxford, the canal looks wonderful at this time of year.  The traffic on the canal slows down a lot over the winter period with boats not being able to get on to the River Thames.  This stillness coupled with the trees turning Yellow and Orange make the area very special.  I am not sure what I like more, the Winter or the Summer on the canal?

Silver Blackbirds Leys Road

This is a colour photo, taken just after the morning rain into the sun while out walking around Oxford, I was up on the Blackbird Leys Road near Sandy Lane and decided that this would be a nice photo.  I was trying to get a photo of the welcome to Blackbird Leys sign but the sun was in the wrong place.  This photo was just a snap, but when I got home I really like it. No traffic, that was hard to get.

iDrink Festival

Nice use of the Apple logo to promote a Cider Festival, at Far From The Maddening Crowd.  I think I might have seen this use before, but I am not exactly sure.  This must be the time for drinking cider, as there are a lot of cider events taking place around this period.

New H&M Store In Clarendon Centre

Oxford is going to get a H&M store in the Clarendon Centre, in the space that used to be Curry's before they moved across the mall.  Now I am not sure when this store will open but it looks like that it could be a little while with the amount of boards and scaffolding around.  Now I have need told that Oxford had a H&M store once before, any idea's when and where?

Start Of The Oxford Half Marathon

It was a very foggy morning today at the start of the Oxford Half Marathon which was started by local running hero, Sir Roger Bannister who was the first person to run a mile in under four minutes.  The official number of runners in this years half marathon according to the official results page was 4166 runners, with the fastest time being 1:08:34 by David Bruce from Highgate Harriers.  I did not take this photo as I was running in the half marathon this year, so I am in this photo somewhere.

City Pigeons

I am not a van of the pigeon, they are very messy around the city and just a nuisance.  Oxford has plenty of these city pigeons around the place, I am not sure how much damage they cause to the city however you do see a lot of buildings around the place that have been pigeon proofed.

Not That Early In St Aldate's

The mornings are starting to get darker and darker now, so much so that it is still dark when I am going to work in the morning.  Trying to get a few early morning shots before heading off, not that good with low light it is a case of keep trying.  Lots of delivery trucks around this time of the morning trying to get unloaded before the parking inspectors and traffic restrictions start I guess.

18 Months Empty

This shop in New Inn Hall Street has been empty since March 2011 when Culpepers went into administration.  That is a very long time for the owners not receiving any rent, so I bet they are happy that a new tenant is getting ready to open up a new store.  Looks like it is going to be a Book Store?

Last Day Of Poster Sale

Every year in the first week of the new academic year the Oxford Union organise a poster sale which is held in the Union buildings off St Michael's Street.  It is not just open to students anyone is welcome to go in and have a looking, however the majority of customers are students who want to personalise there student dorms etc for the coming year.

White Shoe With Red Cross Showing Up

Have you seen these shoes around Oxford in the last couple of days?  I spotted this one on the war memorial, and have seen two more hanging on the Christmas wire that runs between LUSH and River Island.  They all have this Red Cross sprayed on them with a little bit of writing, this one says, "Better Luck Next Time"

Is it an art project?  Have you seen any around the city centre, please let me know.

Advance Warning Oxford Half Marathon

Sorry for not posting the last week or so, I have been flat out at work and also training for this weekends Oxford Half Marathon.  This will be my first long run, and I was asked by the Oxford Association for the Blind (OAB) about two months ago if I would run for them and to help them raise needed funds for the charity.  I said yes, not really understanding how much work and time is needed to get yourself ready for an event.
I have set myself a couple of targets for this Marathon, the first is the most important and that is to raise £1000 for the OAB, I am on my way to this target but could do with a few more donations.  The second was to lose 12kg's in weight so that it would be easier to run this event, this I have achieved last week, so I am happy with that.  The third I will not know if I will achieve until Sunday, and that is to run the Oxford Half Marathon in under 2hours.
I do have an online donation page, and would like to post a link here, should any of the visitors to Oxford Daily Photo like to donate a couple of pounds to a local based charity who's goals are to assist with independent living to those who are blind in Oxfordshire. Thanks.

Where's The Front Of The Randolph

What has happened to the ornate front of the Randolph Hotel?  Walking past Oxford premier hotel this afternoon I could not help but notice that something was not right, the classic metal awning was missing and there was this white metal fence out the front.  Not a good look for the guests I am sure, maybe it has gone away for repair?
If you are visiting Oxford and would like a very nice place to have an afternoon tea, the Randolph do a very nice classic afternoon tea.
Few of my other photo's of this classic Oxford landmark are here

Heavy Rain Today In Oxford

If you were out in Cornmarket like I was this afternoon, an umbrella would have been a wise accessory to have, as the rain was very consistent and heavy at times. Not a good day to be visiting Oxford if you are were tourist, indoor actives today unless you like the rain and getting wet.

Protesting Oxford Style

Why can't everyone around the world who is upset about anything protest like this?  This afternoon, at one of Oxford busiest intersections a group of muslim men stood in the rain, in silence holding colourful sheets of cardboard with simple messages of protest.  They made there point of view, without upsetting the whole of the city, without hurting anyone or destroying any property.  These guys need to be congratulated for the manner in which they have made a point.

Jack Willis Moved Into New Store

Remember a couple of weeks ago, I posted a shot of the front of 7 High Street covered in pink and blue hoardings? If not click here. There had been a couple of posts suggesting that this space may have been going to be a Tesco or Sainsbury's, but we now know it is a larger Jack Willis Store, which was trading out of a smaller store just across the road.

Click here, to see what the site looked like in February of this year.

Slow News Day

Must have been a very slow news day in the Oxford Mail today, as they did even have a headliner on the stand this morning.  There must be something of interest happening in Oxford.

Côte Brasserie Opening Soon On George Street

For a number of months the Brasserie next to the Four Candles on George Street has been closed and boarded up.  I have been wondering what was going to move into this space since the Brasserie closed, and this afternoon I noticed a number of signs on the windows saying Cote Brasserie opening soon.  They are also advertising for staff, so if you are interested in working on George Street, this might be the place for you.
It is strange that Cafe Uno that used to be in this space closed unexpectedly, the French Brasserie that followed closed about six months ago, and now we are going to have another Brasserie going in, lets hope that they get the business mix right.

Weekend Craft Market In Broad Street

This weekend there was a local craft market in Broad Street, with stalls selling a wide range of hand made craft items.  This area is often used for special one off market weekends, which is very popular with all those who visit, and I am sure the stall holders do well out of the weekend as well.  I don't know who organises these weekends, but they do add to the busy city centre in my opinion.

Free YHA Membership Today

Today was the first National YHA Day, or Youth Hostel Association Day. As a part of this Open Day for the YHA the hostel in Oxford, which is right next to the train station was holding an open day for the hostel, and also giving away free membership to anyone under 26 years old, and those older offering a years membership for just £5.  What a great deal, as I am in the older age group I took advantage of this reduced membership.
Photo taken out the front of the very busy and modern YHA Hostel, when you signed up you also got a very nice YHA cup cake.

Oxford Is Not Just A University

When most people hear the Oxford they would also think or relate the city to the University, however we have had another important industry in Oxford since 1913, and that is the manufacturing of motor cars.
Since this time and up until today Oxford has played a major role in the manufacture of British Motor Cars, with William Morris producing just 400 cars a year before the first world war, and then a few short years later after the war his plant in Cowley was turning out nearly 50000 cars a year.
Today this tradition continues, with Oxford being the home of the BMW Mini.  If you see a Mini anywhere in the world you know it was made in Cowley Oxford.

Moving A Bed Oxford Style

You often see things on bikes being moved around Oxford, but I have never seen the base of a bed being walked down Queen Street before.  Lucky this was the style of bed base that could be moved in two halves cause it would have been a little more difficult moving it if it was double the size.  Guess we will be seeing more furniture and household items being moved about the city in the next few weeks, as the students have already started to return to the city to start the new academic year.

Odeon George Street Oxford

Originally just calledt The Cinema was opened in 1935, in 1947 it become Ritz Cinema, now the Odeon in George Street is Oxford city's main cinema.  It is a little dated compared to the out of town megaplex's that are being built, including out own Vue Cinema complex at the Kassam Stadium.

There was talk that the area including the cinema could be redeveloped to remove that long brick wall that runs along George Street, maybe with a cafe, and have the cinema above, which would be nice I think, not sure?

Oxford Preservation Trust Open Doors

This weekend Oxford Open Doors which is completely free for everyone, is organised by the Oxford Preservation Trust.  I am sure that this weekend must be one of the Trust busiest weekends, and there are things happening all over Oxford this weekend as I part of this great Open Doors Weekend.

Head down to Broad Street to get your free guild to all that is happening this weekend, or better still just visit the website and head straight out to what you want to see, remember many of these places are only open to the public this weekend.

Oxford Open Doors Weekend

If you visiting Oxford this weekend, you have a unique opportunity access buildings around the city that are not usually open to members of the public, and all this is for free.  This weekend is Open Doors Weekend around Oxford, and it is bigger than than last weekend with more doors open this year than last year.  For the full list of what and when things are open have a look at the Open Doors Website, or if you are wondering around the city, look out for the logo and balloons like the one I spotted outside Keble College Annex on Banbury Road today.

All The Fun Of St Giles Fair

The fair has started for two days in central Oxford, this is our annual fair St Giles Fair, which has it's origin's as far back as 1200. It has been recorded that Queen Elizabeth stayed in Oxford in September 1567 and watched the fair from St John College The fair is held on the first Monday and Tuesday after the first Sunday of September, which is St Giles Day.

Why Was There A Crane In Queen Street?

I saw this warning on Friday and could not think of why there would be a crane in Queen Street on Saturday Night Sunday Morning?  Any idea's?  I was not around in the early hours of this morning to see what was happening.