This morning the sun shone and there were no clouds to shade its brilliance.

Town council staff were out early in the Market Place, giving the hanging baskets much-needed water. On a day like this, hydration wasn’t just important for plants, but for the town’s people too.

The Climate Emergency Centre opened, unusually on Tuesday and Wednesday, to offer the use of the cool basement space below the museum, where people could have a drink of water,

Most state schools closed for the afternoon and are expected to close tomorrow afternoon as temperatures remain high.

Some people headed to the River Thames, with paddle boards and canoes. The open-air pool was busy, and other people relaxed by the river bank.

Temperatures reached around 34°C today in Abingdon, with another hot day forecast for tomorrow. The hottest June temperature ever recorded in the UK happened today. It was 36.1C in Gosport, Hampshire

Looking ahead, the forecast suggests the heat will continue through Thursday before any change.

A walk along the lane from Rye Farm Car Park offered two very different moods: yesterday evening brought clear light and sunshine and a rainbow, while today’s visit came under grey skies after rain.

After the car park, there is a huge field on the right that appears to be planted with beans, possibly broad beans. The dense green crop stretches across the whole field.

On the left, beyond Rye Farm Meadow, is a smaller meadow where the grass and wildflowers grow tall. There stands Kingfisher Barn, in its grounds.

The web-spinning caterpillars that have stripped hedges along this lane in some recent years seem less widespread this summer – so far.

Beyond the bean field is a meadow filled with sheep. Their baaing could be heard from some distance. Close-up baas range from low growls to high-pitched bleats. Most of the sheep were grazing, but a few had stretched their necks through the square-wire fence,

or used the fence as a ladder to reach the more luxuriant leaves above.

Opposite is another meadow where piles of logs lie among the grass, the trunks of trees that were cut near the River Thames earlier this year.

Yesterday there was a rainbow.

Today there were slugs after the rain.

The hottest day in May ever recorded in the UK saw temperatures in Abingdon reach 33°C.

The Abingdon Traditional Morris Dancers, last seen at the St Edmund’s 850th celebrations (May 16th), began their day at the Harwell Feast. They took part in the parade and danced at the Feast before hot-footing it to Bampton for the Bampton Whitsun 2026 celebrations.

Back in Abingdon, Bank Holiday Walks were organised by the Friends of Abingdon. I caught up with a couple of the walk leaders after they finished. The 1556 Boundary Walk was partly led by the Town Crier, Cllr Penny Clover. It may have been the hottest Boundary Walk in 470 years.

The Lost Abbey tour, led by Dr Philip Kendrick, came 9 days after he led the same walk as part of the St Edmund’s 850th celebrations when the maximum temperature was 14°C according to https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/@2657780/historic

The air was warm and sunny, and in Abingdon temperatures reached 16°C — the warmest day of the year so far. In the Market Place the outdoor seats were in demand. A group of touring motorcyclists rolled in and parked up together. In the centre of the square a busker sang Dirty Old Town. I don’t think it was intended as a comment on Abingdon.

Daffodils are coming into bloom in groups. The weir path has reopened, restoring the circular walk that had been cut off by high water and a walkway risk assessment.

Beside the Thames the floodwater has begun to retreat. Where it has slipped back from the meadows, the grass and walkways are smeared with mud. Vegetation has a tidal smell — like seaweed left behind when the sea goes out.