There are two competing colour schemes in the civic beds of Abingdon-on-Thames this floral year. There are the Red White and blues for the Jubilee.

There are also the yellows or gold for the olympics. The flowers are from Wick Farm Nurseries on Audlett Drive.

I have seen a couple of shops in town that have created their own versions of the Olympic five hoops logo, and then taken them down before the big day. I hear that the olympics are very precious about who uses their logo and how.

Olympic Gold should be OK.

The torch will be coming through very soon on Tuesday 10 July 2012. Schools and many other local organisations will be out lining the route for this once in a lifetime experience. There could be 20,000+ people along the route in Abingdon with people from surrounding villages and towns.

Last Sunday was Mothers Day – daffodils were given out to the mothers, grand mothers and GGMs  in the congregation at Trinity. It was also Revd Richard’s last Sunday before a 4 month sabbatical. The one benefit of being a minister is that every few years you get an enforced sabbatical – or study leave.

21st March – yesterday already – was the first day of spring.  (More importantly it was my mum’s birthday.)

The south part of town looks at its best at this time of year with the cherry trees in bloom.

Today there was a UK Budget and Abingdon-on-Thames Town Council had their first full meeting as Abingdon-on-Thames Town Council.

I did intend going to report on the town council meeting. Unfortunately I did not get back from work in time.

Hopefully somebody can let us know what happened.

The churchyard wall at St Helen’s Church is the home for many plants. In the first picture the purple flowers of woody nightshade are followed by red berries.

From underneath the concrete cap that protects the brick wall from the weather a bushy plant has taken root and grown.

Ferns grow from small cracks … There seems no end to what nature can grow on the dry landscape of this churchyard wall.