On Friday 20th July 2018 the Royal Swan Upping will be coming to Abingdon.

Their approximate schedule is
Moulsford 09.00 – Departure point
Benson Lock 10.15
Clifton Hampden Bridge 13.00
Culham Lock 16.15
Abingdon Bridge 17.00

You could arrive at Abingdon Bridge at 17:00 and find that they have come and gone an hour before, or that there is another ninety minutes to wait. It all depends on conditions and how many swans they find. We really need somebody using social media at Culham Lock to warn us they are coming.

The Abbey Mill Stream area swans have 2 cygnets and are beyond the bridge and so will probably not get ringed.

The Abingdon Marina area swans have seven cygnets and so could well be caught by the swan uppers and get ringed.

“Swan Upping plays an important role in the conservation of the mute swan and involves The Queen’s Swan Warden collecting data, assessing the health of young cygnets and examining them for any injuries. “

The Abingdon Country Market was at the Salvation Army in West St Helen Street today, and featured, as usual, the colourful craft stalls.

There were two book signing in town today. At The Bookstore two local ladies were in love with the same man and they both wrote their diaries – mostly about him. He was a musician, and all this happened in the 1960s. The diaries are now revealed, and published in a novel as ‘Only One Woman’.

At Mostly Books, former co-owner, Nicki Thornton, was signing books. She is now the author of ‘The Last-Chance Hotel’, winner of The Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Competition. There will be another piece about Nicki’s book later this month.

Meanwhile on the Market Place a picnic started at around 3:30pm.

It could be the start of another great Abingdon Tradition – Rainbow Picnics on the Market Place.

In reverse order, latest to earliest …

There will be a second Great Get Together on 24th June. Sue says “we are hoping for a lovely day like last year, showing what a welcoming community Abingdon is.”

“This year we are also picking up on the work Jo Cox did on the problem of loneliness, and we are delighted that the Archway Foundation will be part of the day.”

The Abingdon and District Music Society will be performing “Missa Solemnis” on 16th June at St Helen and St Katherine.

There is also a ‘Joyful Singing Workshop’ on Tuesday 12th June thanks to Oxfordshire MIND.