Easter is normally the end of the time of giving something up, but not this year. The lockdown continues into another week.

For the next weeks you can listen to Thought for the Day from the Abingdon-on-Thames Parish clergy. It started on Easter Monday. There will also be a link to the day’s thought on the right of this blog. The talks will be about two minutes long.

The Abingdon Rowing Club Spring Head is another Abingdon event that was cancelled at the start of the lockdown because of Covid-19.

Holidays away for many have also been cancelled.

Local Estate Agencies often help publicise events with their boards.

Simpsons, the Estate Agent in Stert Street, has used some of the window displays to thank the NHS, Royal Mail, delivery drivers, and Abingdon supermarkets. They employ some of the key workers helping to keep the country going.

A house on Thames Street, at one end of Abingdon Bridge, has a rainbow with gold at one end.

The Nags Head has been worked upon and redecorated near the other end, but has not been able to reopen since the work.

There is a Thank You NHS sign on the entry into Abingdon-on-Thames.

The car parks – 2 hours – free parking sign does not tell the full story. Following the announcement of travel and business restrictions on 23rd March, the Vale of White Horse District Council have suspended all parking charges.

Over the bridge the pavements are narrow and do not exist on one side. People walk in the road when passing others on Abingdon Bridge to keep a Social Distance.

Near Abingdon Bridge, a boating wood carver has been forced to stay in Abingdon. He was kept here by the floods and high water, and then by the lockdown. He hoped to be in Rugby by Christmas 2019 and is now targeting Christmas 2020.

I heard that Dr Vernon Butt, a Freeman and former Mayor of Abingdon died on Sunday Morning. He had been ill for some time and was in his late 90s. He was a one time Vice-Master of Pembroke College, Oxford. He was a devout worshipper at St Michael’s Church and a true gentleman. He is pictured in the centre with Mr Ewart Hemmings and Mr Michael Matthews – fellow Freemen of Abingdon.

Andrew, from St Nicolas Church, tells me the Abingdon Anglican clergy are recording thoughts for the day for a month starting on Monday. I will include a link when I have it. There will be short audio files of under 2 minutes duration.

The buses are carrying very few people currently. The Oxford Bus Company continues to support key workers and those making essential journeys. They ask people to sit 2 metres apart – that is one person to a seat, and at least every other seat where possible. One at a time boarding.

My Spy was released on March 13th and so did not get much of a run apart from on the side of a bus.

The Abbey Cinema took their unused stock to the Abingdon Foodbank just before the lockdown.

If people wish to donate money to the Abingdon Foodbank, follow this link and then select Foodbank. We look forward to supporting The Abbey Cinema when it can reopen.

There are about twenty hair and beauty businesses in Abingdon Town Centre. They have all been closed since the start of the lockdown. We also look forward to supporting them when they can reopen.

Now is the time to let it grow wild, or try some DIY and let the professionals sort it out later.

I started the day with the first shop at Waitrose since the start of the lockdown. Normally I go in there every other day.

The queue was well spaced out. We waited a few minutes in the sunshine and then were politely given a wiped trolley. Stocks of food were much better than before the lockdown

At home there was a letter from the UK Government and a leaflet explaining the lockdown rules.

I saw this ‘in This Together‘ poster in one window, which I thought was an excellent slogan.

Our exercise walk took us down Peep O Day Lane. They have not finished the work but the cycle path has been opened during a pause in work.

There was some nice pink blossom on South Quay.

The view to St Helen’s Wharf looked much the same, but on the River Thames there were just birds and no boats, not even rowing boats.

On Radio 4, this morning, they said there was to be a Pink Moon, but that it would not be really pink.