The day started off sunny and warm, with people enjoying the coffee culture in Abingdon town centre. The temperature reached a high of 30 degrees Celsius.

The latest post box topper, featuring Pooh Bear and Piglet with a jar of honey, is a popular attraction, particularly for children and the young at heart.

In the afternoon, thunder clouds built and there were thundery showers.

In the evening, there was a concert at St Helen’s Church featuring symphonic poems from Smetana’s Ma Vlast and the rousing German Requiem by Johannes Brahms.

The Abingdon & District Musical Society is a non-profit organization that has been performing classical music in Abingdon since 1946.

The concert was a great success, and the Abingdon & District Musical Society (ADMS) is to be congratulated on their performance.

During Ma Vlast, a downpour outside caused the timpanist to play from an unusual angle to avoid getting wet. The roof of St Helen’s Church has many ridges and troughs, and there can be occasional leaks.

While many people in Abingdon were enjoying a concert at St Helen’s Church, others were watching Manchester City win the UEFA Champions League to complete a historic treble.

Volunteers at St Ethelwolds House served cakes and coffee today, and guests enjoyed them in the beautiful garden.

I was told that on June 21st, there will be a Midsummer’s Day celebration, with musicians playing in the afternoon and coffee and cakes for sale.

The coffee and cakes sold at these events help raise funds for garden projects and flowers. A recent project was constructing a wheelchair-accessible gravel path, with a grid beneath, from the side gate, which is now left open. The usual way in is over deeper gravel.

Pride Month (June) celebrates the LGBTQ+ community and recognizes their culture, and long history of fighting for equality. At our recent Ock Poets meeting at Abingdon Library, we read some poems by Mary Jean Chan. Chan was born in Hong Kong and teaches at Brookes University in Oxford, and co-edited the Penguin Book 100 Queer Poems.

In Oxford at the weekend there was a Pride festival, and in previous years there has been an event in Abingdon. Perhaps there will be one. In any case, colourful flags flutter in solidarity on the County Hall roof in Abingdon,

and above Abingdon School.

Charity shop windows also have colourful displays during Pride Month.

At Sue Ryder, some staff wear a rainbow badge. The badge means ‘I’m someone you can talk to about LGBTQ+ identities.’

The Abingdon Cycling Festival took place today, Sunday, the 4th of June, with over 20 rides starting from a sunny Market Place.

From 9:00 to 11:30 in the morning, participants signed up and embarked on an array of rides.

Organized by the Abingdon Freewheeling cycling club, the festival returned this year after a three-year gap. The club’s mission is to encourage the local community to participate in cycling, regardless of ability.

Most rides ended at the Loose Cannon Brewery, where riders were treated to refreshments and musical entertainment.

The festival rides ranged from sporty runs

to off-road challenges;

and from social group rides and family-friendly jaunts to the latest developments in cycling with an E-bike ride.

It looked a great day.