Princess Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth II on 6th February 1952. 6th February 2022 is the 70th anniversary.
George VI had died on 6th February 1952. So the day itself is not a day of celebration.
The Coronation took place over a year later on 2nd June 1953.
To celebrate the jubilee, events will take place during the year, including the bun throwing in Abingdon in June.
You might think that not a lot happens on the cricket ground on Hales Meadow during the winter months. You might be right.
But I did get an email from the Thames Valley Croquet Club saying they have been meeting in Abingdon for almost 20 years, and are open for play and looking for new members to join the Club. (picture of croquet from this blog in 2007)
They play at the Cricket Club on Hales Meadow. I saw somebody preparing the green this afternoon. For more details contact try thamesvalleycroquetclub.co.uk.
The City Daily Photo Theme for February was power but I am too late for that. It is February 3rd and entries have now closed.
The weir is one of the seven wonders of Abingdon and could potentially generate several hundred horse power. A weir is a barrier built across a river to raise the water level on the upstream side, allowing water to flow steadily over. On the River Thames weirs are alongside locks, to let boats pass, and fish passes.
My seven wonders of Abingdon are:
* Abingdon Weir
* The County Hall
* Abingdon Bridge
* St Helen’s Church
* Long Alley Almshouse
* Abbey Buildings
* Albert Park
Here is a short video of the weir to show it deserves to be in the top seven.
The garden of St Ethelwold’s House is open on most days and you would not expect there to be a lot of flowers on the last day of January.
The winter aconite has the unusual tactic of producing little ruffs of leaves and popping up yellow flowers in winter. They may attract some insects who are out during the almost dead of winter. Winter aconite is one of the earliest flowers, and the plant’s spread mostly by tubers underground.
The one flower you might expect are the Snowdrops. They spread via bulb division. However, they may still be visited by insects on a warmer day.
There were also winter flowering irises against a south facing wall.
There were also some primroses but they looked in a bad mood, and did not want their picture taken.