Albert Park with golden leaves

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I walked by Trinity Church and saw a funeral was in progress. A Scottish piper was waiting outside.

In the Albert Park the leaves were golden.

They look even better when the sun is shining.

On the way back, the piper was still waiting, and I saw that 6 cars in Conduit Road had tickets for parking on the single yellow line. The new civil parking enforcement is catching people out, even funeral goers – which seems a bit sad.

Today road painters have  been repainting a lot of single and double yellow lines in the town centre. The lines need to be clear if they are to be enforced.

There were a few cars parked on single and double yellow lines and the road painters could not get all the lines done. They said they would return to do the rest another day.

Remembrance Day parade and service in Abingdon

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There was camaraderie as uniformed groups gathered at the Market Place and along Bury Street. Normally they gather in St Helen’s Church, but because of Covid it was thought better to meet outside.

Soldiers marched to the War Memorial, leading the parade.

The Mayor of Ock Street can be seen here representing Abingdon Traditional Morris Dancers. Many of the Morris Dancers joined up in WWI and some were injured and one is known to have died. (See http://atmd.org.uk/ww1/ )

There was a large crowd gathered at the War Memorial. This is the moment when the flags are lowered before the two minute silence where people join in remembering those who fell in the wars.

We have seen pictures of WWI and WWII and footage of Afghanistan and Iraq. There are people in Abingdon who still live with the memory of wars where they served, or had to escape as refugees.

2021 is the centenary of the Royal British Legion and their flag was prominent as groups marched back from the War Memorial to salute dignitaries in front of the County Hall.

2021 is also the centenary of the Abingdon War Memorial.

Clare, who organises the poppy appeal in Abingdon, returned to look at the tributes before going on to the Royal British Legion club.

She sent me this picture of a tribute done by pupils of Our Lady Abingdon.

The cutouts feature names from the Abingdon War Memorial. Clare said ‘It has real wow emotive factor and it’s great to pupils get involved.’

Abingdon Author – Jenny Gould

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Jenny Gould is from Abingdon and she wrote No More Good Girl: Overcome Anxiety, Dump the Guilt and Free Yourself – a new self-help book.

Jenny is an experienced therapist and also a broadcaster. Jenny was a regular guest and Agony Aunt for BBC Radio Oxford for fifteen years.

Here is Jenny signing copies of her book at Blackwell’s in Oxford. Thanks to Mike Gould for this picture.

The book is intended for anybody suffering from ‘Good Girl’ syndrome. You can find out more at Jenny’s website http://www.cbtoxford.co.uk/.

Armistice Day remembered + thankyou for poppies for those who fell

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An Armistice Day Act of Remembrance was held at the Abingdon War Memorial at 11 am today, as well as many other places in Abingdon.

Armistice Day is remembered each year on November 11th to mark the armistice signed between the Allies and Germany in Compiègne, France, for the end of hostilities on the Western Front of World War I. It came into force at eleven am on the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918.

The event was attended by the Deputy Mayor, Cllr Andy Foulsham, other councillors, members of the Royal British Legion, and among the public, a group from Thameside School.

Clare Oldfield, poppy appeal organiser, said, ‘I spotted poppies like these these on the doorsteps of various houses in Exbourne road, Bath Street and Ock Street. What a wonderful thing to wake up to. Isn’t Abingdon amazing? Support for the poppy has been overwhelming this year and this is a fabulous tribute. I don’t know who did them but thank you.’

The Exbourne Road poppies are up again and poppy sellers will be out and about in the town centre, Waitrose and Tesco on Friday and Saturday.