Walking up West St Helen Street I met a friend carrying two white packages tied with a pink ribbon.

Many people had the same idea, this Mothers Day, of visiting Patisserie Pascal. They sold over a thousand croissants, not to mention all the flans and gateaus and breads.

After a busy Saturday there were still a fabulous selection of flowers on sale at Fabulous Flowers on Sunday.

At Trinity Church we had a Blessing for the Flowers, followed by the distribution of flowers, where baskets of pink carnations were given out by the children to the ladies of the church. (The poster is from the Radley Village Notice board, near the station. The Radley Church probably has their own way of celebrating Mothering Sunday which as a church event has a long history.)

1. What is the date of St Valentine’s Day?

2. How many millions of pounds are spent on flowers for St Valentine’s Day in the UK each year?

3. Which English Monarch declared St Valentine’s Day to be a holiday?

4. Which Roman Emporer had the original St Valentine put to death for defying the rule forbidding young soldiers from marrying?

5. What is a Valentine Rant?

(questions 1-4 from “Perfect Pub Quiz” by David Pickering.)

Answers …
1. February 14th
2. £22m
3. King Henry VIII
4. Cladius II
5. Find out this evening at the Royal British Legion but possibly along the lines of “… And as for all those stupid “Roses are red, violets are blue” poems… Violets are purple you idiots!….”

The best thing about giving blood is the cup of tea and selection of biscuits afterwards.

There are not as many people pre-booked as usual this Friday at Preston Road Community Centre so blood will be gratefully received.

For many of us this is a chance to give something back: I am only alive because I had a blood transfusion at birth.