Oxfordshire overview here
Oxford results, ward by ward, here

Susanna Pressel   Labour     1583
Alan Armitage     Liberal Democrat     1478
Sushila Dhall     Green Party     1350
Ros Weatherall     Liberal Democrat     1342
Sue Ledwith     Labour     1118
Paul Sargent     Conservative     937
Bill Wilson     Conservative     931
Merlin Lyons     Green Party     840

Here’s a chap in Armani jeans and a nice hooded Goretex coat this morning, looking along the rows of bikes at Oxford station.

He must have forgotten where he had put his bike, and whether he had locked it, because he was pulling them all around and lifting them out for a better look, and trying all the locks as he went. And he’s not the only one – you quite often see forgetful cyclists walking through the rows of bikes at Oxford station.

On a completely unrelated note, I know First Great Western say they take no responsibility for bikes left in their shelter… but wouldn’t they think it was a bit of a shame if (hypothetically) thieves could operate there all day long with impunity?

Hi-res versions available if anyone’s interested.

From the Oxford Mail: “Lord Mayor Faces Tree Row Rap”

It doesn’t say:

Residents of tranquil Osney Island awoke yesterday to find a landmark under threat, when an official with a clipboard was seen walking around the local councillor and prodding her with a spike. On being questioned, he revealed that there had been concerns over public liability issues surrounding the councillor for some time. Although a measure of popularity had grown up for her over the years, the councillor had reached a stage in her development when her stability was open to question. This year, she had taken on a distinctive, rich, mayoral foliage usually only seen once in the species’ lifecycle. The extra weight involved meant that it might only take a storm about local democracy to blow the councillor in a direction that could be catastrophic. If that happened, there was no way for the council to know which way she would go, and she could come down on the wrong side. Liability would then become a serious issue for the council, in that it would be liable to look foolish. It is almost unheard-of for a councillor to be felled in its full mayoral foliage, but an expert hired by the council has confirmed that the specimen may be ideologically unsound and leaning dangerously towards the views of electors. Osney residents last night joined hands around the councillor and sang songs, to piano accompaniment. “They can sing all they like,” a council spokesman said. “We’ll just spread a few false rumours about timing and then turn up and chop her down and chip her when nobody’s looking.”

The signboard has been considerately leaned against wall for over a week.
There was a dramatic spike in blog readership just over a week ago too…
All power to the bush.

I love pubs on Osney. I loved it when the Hollybush stopped blocking the pavement with their sign for a few weeks.

In my garden. A tiger moth.

 
The white powder that is becoming a menace on the streets. OK, it’s unlikely to be cocaine, and it’s not really a menace (is it?) … but it’s odd. Appears overnight, usually on or around things that dogs might spray on. Is it dog repellant? Rat poison? Is it dangerous? Who’s putting it there?…

For a few days in January it looked like there might be a repeat of the July flood. Local tots were distraught to find Oatlands Road recreation ground underwater again (above left). Dapper firefighters turned up in the night and inflated new giant waterbeds along the top of West Street (above right). Flood-protection equipment anyone? The Oira January newsletter (pdf) has more