That was the week...

Record passes – After record high achievements in A levels, came record high achievements in GCSEs in local schools. But it all added to the pressure at local universities and colleges. Bucks New University in High Wycombe said most of its courses were full and had experts on hand to deal with hundreds of calls from students trying to find a place.

Victim beheaded – Police confirmed that 32 year old Aylesbury man Chris Varian who was found dead at Oxfordshire Golf Club near Thame had been decapitated. Jonathan Limani, aged 33, appeared in court charged with his murder and was remanded in custody.

Flash floods – Torrential storms caused flooding and led to scores of accidents on local roads. Farmers said the rains were delaying the harvest, but there were no signs yet that the quality of crops was being affected. The Bucks County Show on Thursday was a muddy quagmire, but it didn’t prevent thousands from enjoying the show at Weedon.

Movie boost – Pinewood Studios said it was having a better year than it expected with film makers queuing up to make movies. It follows a bleaker outlook earlier this year when it looked like its income would decline for the first time in years. Meanwhile Madonna spent most of the week at West Wycombe House where she is directing her first film, W.E., which tells the story of King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson. Laurence Fox is playing Edward VIII and his father James Fox is playing Edward VIII’s father, George V.

Comic’s victory – Rowan Atkinson won permission to build a futuristic mansion in the Chilterns countryside despite protests from locals and planners who said it would “stick out like a sore thumb.” The 55 year old comic has hired top American futuristic architect Richard Meiner to build him a five bedroom house in glass and white steel in the countryside at Ipsden. Mr Atkinson told councillors the house would be “graceful and elegant”.

Waitrose expands – Waitrose supermarket announced it was moving into the old Woolworth store in Amersham High Street as part of its plans to increase its presence in the area. It’s planning a superstore in the centre of Aylesbury and is expected to open a store in Gerrards Cross.

Runaway kite – A red kite tagged in the Chilterns has been discovered 400 miles away in Perthshire. It’s surprised ornithologists who didn’t think kites travelled so far in one go. A few pairs of red kites were reintroduced into the area at Stokenchurch in the 1990s. There are now estimated to be 800 breeding pairs throughout the Chilterns.