Thanks to Paul for these pictures of the Aurora last night from the Abingdon Rugby Club. Amazing!

Huge bursts of energy from the Sun hit Earth’s magnetic field, causing a beautiful light show with colourful streaks across the night sky!

For those of us who missed it last night, there could be another chance tonight. The Aurora Borealis, also known as the Northern Lights, is rarely seen as far south as Abingdon.

You may feel let down by April’s weather this year. The month has become cooler and wetter after a promising start. Looking ahead, I hope May brings sunshine and warmer temperatures. I took this picture of a rainbow near Swift Ditch this afternoon. It was sunny back in Abingdon, and rain was all around me, pinging the surface of the River Thames.

We’ve been enjoying the sun
for two days on the run.

The clouds in this picture seem to grow on branches like the blossom on the nearest tree.

The boardwalk near Abingdon Lock is no longer underwater. The earth beside the river has a marshy smell of decay after the floods go.

The Rye Farm car park was closed as the River Thames flood water still covers most of the spaces.

On the Monday Market, Martin has a supply of new cards out. One of the cards shows Queen Victoria in the marketplace.

It was windy last night, so only some of the usual stallholders were there. Martin got support from another stallholder to keep things tied down.

The egg stall operated out of the back of a van. The fruit and vegetable stall didn’t have an awning.

The new fresh food shop was busy with customers. They have a step at the entrance that they can’t remove, but they have a temporary ramp to help people who use wheelchairs get in and out easily.