Yesterday the rainbow flag was flying over the County Hall in Abingdon, and today the Abingdon town flag is flying.

This afternoon there was a thanksgiving service for Jeanette Halliday at St Nicolas Church. Jeanette died on 17th April 2020, at the start of the first Covid lockdown. Back then, only 8 people were allowed at the South Oxfordshire Crematorium to accompany Jim Halliday, her husband. So this more public memorial was long overdue.

The rainbow flag could almost be a tribute to Jeanette, as could the town flag for one of Abingdon’s most colourful ex-Mayors.

The music at Jeanette’s thanksgiving service was sublime. It began with the Lark Ascending by Vaughan Williams, followed by a solo sung by Jeanette’s granddaughter, then some Elgar on piano, and ended with Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison. The Town Clerk, Nigel Warner, gave a eulogy of Jeanette as a public servant who took up and fought cases for local people. Jim Halliday spoke about a person who loved life and travelling.

The town clerk before Nigel Warner was Brian Tonkin. His funeral will be this Tuesday. Brian Tonkin’s name is still to be found on many officially named notices. Brian was the town clerk when Jeanette was Mayor (1998-9). He was also the chairman of the Abingdon Town Football Club.

(Thank you to the Abingdon Herald/ Oxford Mail for the picture. This ex-press picture is available from eBay.)

Letters and parcels intended for East St. Helen Street often end up in West St. Helen Street and Visa Versa. Some letters come addressed to West Street Helen Street and East Street Helen Street. Whoever made the sign for the block of flats near the church has made the same mistake.

A poster at St. Helen’s Church advertises the service to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee on 2nd June. All Welcome. St. Helen’s Church has a thriving regular choir, and they are inviting other singers to join them to sing ‘I was glad’ and ‘Zadoc the Priest’, both from the coronation service. There will be a practice for the regular choir at 6 pm on 1st June, and other singers can join the practice at 6:30 pm.

There is a temporary closure notice for town centre roads, on 5th June 2022, between 16:00 and 19:00 for the Bun Throw to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee. People normally gather over an hour before and take time to disperse.

Alun’s parents live near the Ock, and he ventured out on bank holiday Monday to record a dawn chorus from the Ock Valley Walk. It’s online on the Radio Aporee website.

The recording is an hour long and is a relaxing way to spend an hour or have as background birdsong. Alun took the risk of leaving the recording gear in the woods at 4:30 am while he nipped back for a cup of tea. He was a bit worried on returning because he had to search to find where he had placed them. He said standing around sniffing or rustling a coat is not good for the recording.

On the Aporee site, you can navigate the globe and listen and download recordings. Alun’s dawn chorus is available at https://aporee.org/maps/?loc=56785&m=satellite.

I walked the Ock Valley Walk earlier this afternoon. The nettles are knee-high and, at their best, fresh and light green.

Mayflies were bouncing up and down like yo yos. A few had settled.

Many birds could be heard, and a few could be seen eating insects.