Monthly Archives: September 2018

Special service and party at Trinity Church for Ena who is 100

Ena
Most Sundays Ena walks to Trinity Church in Abingdon, as she has for many years, but this morning there was a special blessing for Ena Mitchell who is 100 years old. She got her telegram from the queen yesterday and at the church service Deacon Selina Nisbett told us a little of Ena’s story.
Ena
Ena’s husband went to serve in WWII and was killed in action in Belgium. As a consequence Ena found herself a single mum with a young daughter. Ena moved to Abingdon in 1954 to make a new life and things were not easy as some people were a bit snooty about single mums in those days.
Ena
Ena found work as the first female traffic warden in Abingdon, and sent her daughter to St Helen and St Katherine school, wanting to do the best for her. Her daughter later went to Australia. Her grand daughter Sarah, and great grand daughter Sophie flew over specially from Australia for the birthday (pictured with Ena above).
Ena
Ena has been a champion of war widows over the years. As a consequence she has met Prince Charles and been to 10 Downing Street. She is usually to seen at remembrance day in Abingdon laying a wreath at the war memorial (picture above from 2016). She sold poppies for 50 years.

She was also involved with children’s charities such as NSPCC over many years and there were colleagues from those charities at the service.

There were exactly 100 people at the service today. An amazing coincidence!

Local Excellence Market and Birthday Cake

Local Excellence Market
The Local Excellence Market was on the Market Place this sunny morning.
Local Excellence Market
Eric used to help at the Country Market stall, and was Master of Ceremonies at the Christmas Extravaganza until a few years ago. Today, as this is the closest  Local Excellence Market to his 90th Birthday (next month), Jill Carver, from Added Ingredients, had provided an early Birthday Cake.
Local Excellence Market
There was folk music on Bury Street most of the morning.
Local Excellence Market
The Town Crier was out and about announcing the Market, and helped as the cake was cut. She was extolling the benefits of being out and about at the Local Excellence Market rather than spending too much time on the internet.

Abingdon – a place of legend and myth

Avalon, Argos and Abingdon
Avalon is a legendary island featured in the Arthurian legend. Avalon House is now a business address in Abingdon
Avalon, Argos and Abingdon
Argos was a hundred-eyed giant in Greek mythology. Argos is now a well known store in Abingdon.

Businesses with names from legend and mythology have come to Abingdon.

Abingdon has been around since the Iron Age and has a few legends and myths of its own.

Birthday Walk


It was my wife’s birthday and after a meal near Oxford we went on a birthday walk beside the River Thames in Abingdon. St Helen’s Wharf was busy with birds after a boat stopped to feed them.

We walked over the bridge and along the causeway towards Culham.

Then we walked back along by the River Thames. There were huge mounds of wild Michaelmas Daisies beside the River, and out on the River oarsmen from Abingdon School were rowing by Abingdon Marina.

As we got near town my wife took this picture of The Old Anchor Inn.

I took one of the tall almshouse chimneys, looking like spaghetti in the River.

She took one of Abingdon Bridge.

The meal was at the Trout Inn. My wife is reading La Belle Sauvage: The Book of Dust Volume One by Philip Pullman, where the Trout Inn features extensively.  She says there are also mentions of Abingdon – there could be a future blog post about The Book of Dust – Abingdon.