Monthly Archives: May 2020

Mental Health Awareness Week – St Ethelwolds

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Mental Health Awareness Week - St Ethelwolds
Mental Health Awareness Week was from 18-24th May 2020. The Mind centre in Abingdon is currently closed but Mind in Oxfordshire has online advice about coronavirus and your wellbeing. They also had a virtual tour in Santorini

Here is my own virtual tour of St Ethelwolds House in East St Helen Street.
Mental Health Awareness Week - St Ethelwolds
There were five other people there: a mother and child playing on the lawn; two ladies talking at a table, and somebody working on some repairs. Nobody was making much noise and the birds were singing.
Mental Health Awareness Week - St Ethelwolds
Many people are affected emotionally and psychologically by the everyday challenges and worries that the pandemic brings, whether the illness itself, financial worries, living in lockdown, or being asked to go back to work. The Citizen’s Advice at Coronavirus – what it means for you/ includes advice for people worried about going back to work.
Mental Health Awareness Week - St Ethelwolds
Mark’s wildflower meadow at St Ethelwold’s is named after a young man with Mental Health problems who died tragically after having his benefits cut. Mark loved nature and the garden.
Mental Health Awareness Week - St Ethelwolds
Some of us have found during the lockdown that being in nature can boost our mental wellbeing and ease stress.
Mental Health Awareness Week - St Ethelwolds
St Ethelwold’s House is a welcoming spiritual centre offering a place of sanctuary and quiet to all.
Mental Health Awareness Week - St Ethelwolds
There is also a sanctuary room used by a variety of groups. In this virtual tour you could imagine going in there and being still.

Peachcroft Newsagent closed

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Peachcroft Newsagent closed
Stuart sent me a picture to show that the newsagent in the Peachcroft shopping centre has closed. The shops were built in the early 1980s and this one has always been a newsagent, firstly called Mallows, then Dillons and finally McColls or Martins (Martin is the newsagent arm of McColls). A sign in the window directs paper girls and boys to McColls @ Northcourt.

The McColls at Northcourt Road is also available to rent. It was announced in February 2020 that McColls will be be shutting over 300 stores nationally, including a lot of the smaller shops.

Reopening

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Reopening
The food shops mostly stayed open during the lockdown, including some of those offering takeaway coffee and food. Some cross over shops, that have some food, like Poundland, stayed open. Pharmacies stayed open, as did some shops that sold pharmaceuticals and cleaning products like Savers. Banks stayed open with reduced hours.

With the easing of the lockdown, last week, the Estate Agents can reopen, and about half of those in Abingdon have reopened with social distancing and ideas like virtual viewings. Superdrug has also reopened.
Reopening
Some shops like Added Ingredients and Holland and Barrett and Pedal Power operate with reduced hours.

Business owners are working on their risk assessments, seeing whether they can get staff back and reopen. This is new to everyone. We got a phone call from somebody who is scheduled to do work in our house. He asked whether we have anybody over 70 or self isolating. He has the PPE but needs to find out whether there is enough work that can be safely done before getting the workmen back off furlough and giving us a date.

Barton Fields in May

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Barton Fields in May
I am visiting Barton Fields for a picture report every month this year.

The blue sky shows some vapour trails – more than previous weeks. There was also a lot of white cottony stuff blowing around in the air – tree seeds.
Barton Fields in May
May has been mostly sunny and today was ‘the hottest day of the year so far‘ – according to Radio 4. The pools and marshy areas in Barton Fields are drying out.
Barton Fields in May
There were lots of Common blue damselflies flitting about around the meadow.
Barton Fields in May
The 20th May has been declared as World Bee Day and this acrobatic bee can be seen sucking the nectar from a Comfrey flower.
Barton Fields in May
The Woody nightshade (or Bittersweet nightshade) is easy to identify. The purple and yellow flowers turn to poisonous red berries. They are fairly common but they look dangerous and are apparently very bitter, and so poison very few people.
Barton Fields in May
There are areas covered with nettles, and on this particular nettle is an iridescent damselfly.
Barton Fields in May
Wild flowers are appearing in masses in some places, such as Oxeye daisies,
Barton Fields in May
Ragged robin and Buttercups.
Barton Fields in May
Other flowers are more solitary such as this orchid.

There have been more people out walking and exploring nature, during the lockdown, and the pathways across the meadows have probably become more marked than they would be in an average year. We did cause a Pheasant to fly out in alarm.

I saw another photographer waiting patiently for damselflies and dragonflies by one wetland area. I enjoy seeing pictures from Barton Fields and elsewhere on other blogs, twitter feeds, and facebook. How things have moved on since the days we posted a film of 24 or 36 shots to Tru Print or took it in to Jessops to get it processed and printed.