Webhost ramblings ..May proved to be a pretty hectic month in Oxton, with the Secret gardens event taking place, and the building work around the village continuing at a pace. The traditional English weather was as predictable as ever and a new section and noticeboard were added to the online village site. The site was updated to the summertime theme and a record number of hits for this year were were registered on the site with over 559 hits recorded. This means that the site has already received 450 more hits this year than at the same point in time in 2002.

The third Secret gardens event took place on Sunday May 11th and with all eyes gazing skywards during the days leading up to the event and the organisers and participants crossing everything digit possible the day finally dawned…and guess what .. it wasn't raining !!
Although there were a few brief showers during the day, forcing many of the artists to pack up, the event avoided any sustained downpours and was considered by all a resounding success.
According to early reports from the Oxton Society there were 2898 tickets sold for the event and given that children were admitted for free, the best guess is that around 3500 people attended. The village was certainly packed with visitors, when I eventually made my way round, unfortunately due to the fact that I was also trying to sell some pictures on the day, I did not have time to see all of the gardens.
As well as the gardens there was a plant sale and a number of local artists displaying pieces of work in the Oxton Arms car park. During the morning a saxophonist and guitarist provided entertainment outside the HSBC and during the afternoon a brass band entertained visitors. The Mayor, Councillor Pat Williams, also gave a small speech praising the efforts of the Oxton Society in trying to maintain the ambiance of the village.

But what about next year ? …well the date has already been set and comments and thoughts on how the event could be better organised are being invited by the Society. A new Secret Gardens noticeboard has been added to the website, so if you have any thoughts or comments on this years event then feel free to drop by and leave a comment.

The roadworks at the junction of Rose Mount and Village Road were completed during May with almost all of the traffic cones removed prior to the Secret Gardens event. The development does seem to have made the junction a little easier to cross. The question remains outstanding as to where the bus is now to stop in the village.

There are a number of houses for sale throughout the village and for the first time one is also being featured on the Oxton Village site. Anyone out there looking to sell, or rent a property in the village can contact me directly on webhost.oxtonvillage.com for more information on this new service.

Looks like there is a new shop to open in Claughton Firs as Oxton Computers moves back into its old position and a new Oxton Carpets shop opens… I'll have to update my pictures of the shop front. I'll have to run a competition for the number of shops with Oxton in their name soon.

A little note about Tranmere Rovers, who managed to miss a promotion play off's place after finishing the season on eighty points and with a fifteen games undefeated end of season run. Had they made the last play off position they would have replaced Cardiff who finished the season in sixth place, and completed a 1-0 win over Queens Park Rangers in the play off final to gain promotion….oh well at least that meant that the players were free to enjoy the secret Gardens event ..not that I saw any going round the village.

Hit Count
Total This Year ...2309
Total in May ...559
Average hits this year..461

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Wot no Baskets ? ..I refer to the hanging baskets that were to appear during May in readiness for the Secret gardens event...I'll keep you posted if any appear.