This evening in the Margaret Brown Gardens a child was laughing with glee as all the gulls circled round trying to catch the crumbs of bread thrown into the air.
This is a bit like spot the ball. Which gull is going to get the crumb?
Unlike most English towns, it is not just the gulls that try to catch bread thrown in Abingdon. The people of Abingdon get very excited about trying to catch current buns thrown from the County Hall on important Royal (and other) occasions.
The next bun throw will be for the Queen’s 70th Anniversary in 2022. Some people are calling it the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee but that sounds ugly to me. Silver, Golden and Diamond sounded nice, but not Platinum.
Silver jubilee, for a 25th anniversary.
Golden jubilee, for a 50th anniversary.
Diamond jubilee, for a 60th anniversary.
Platinum jubilee, for a 70th anniversary.
I have celebrated with two couples (both in Reading) their Platinum weddings. Platinum became very fashionable at the beginning of the twentieth century for high status jewellery. Like gold, it does not tarnish – at least that’s my memory. Antiques Roadshow quite often features platinum rings and the like.
Now platinum is also the critical catalyst in Hydrogen Fuel Cells and some Electrolysers it is set to become even more valuable