The Spring Equinox can be any date between 19th and 21st March. This year Spring began on the 20th March.

The daffodils in front of the Abingdon-on-Thames Fire Station have been flowering for most of March. They are called the Field of Hope and were planted in 2010. The first bulbs were planted for a former Abingdon Fireman who died of cancer. The others were planted by people remembering others.

The daffodils on the far bank of the River Thames from Abingdon are at their best at the moment. I don’t know why they were planted but they keep their crescent shape every year. They are quite early this year.

At the recycling centre in Drayton a pink guitar, a painted wooden duck, and a cookie jar have been put aside. Somebody thought they were worth saving.

The big yellow claw will crush the other rubbish.

Some of our old things get sold on Gumtree or Ebay, donated to charity shops., or left out on the street for FREE.

Out with the old and in with the new means MOVE FORWARD.

New lamps for old means the old was worth more than the new.

There was bright sunshine this May Day morning when I left the house.

It would have been better if I had got up earlier and gone into Oxford for the May Morning gathering. I could have got a picture of the Abingdon Traditional Morris Dancers for the blog. Instead I took a couple of pictures by the River Thames.

There was a film of frost on the car windscreen. Once scraped off, I drove off.

Here are the Abingdon Traditional Morris Dancers in a video from 2014, dancing the Princess Royal in Abingdon.

Thankyou for Sreeja for this belated Easter / Spring Message. Sreeja was intending to write a piece on International Womens day. But that has long since gone as has Easter… However Sreeja still has Easter eggs and writes …

Four weeks after Easter I am still finishing eating my chocolate eggs and I am thinking how lucky I am to be in Abingdon. The Local Excellence and Craft Markets inspire you to be creative with gifts for friends and family. There are the array of both independent and larger retail shops. Then the cafes and pubs offer the opportunity of spending time with loved ones. This Easter I was lucky enough to get organic Fairtrade chocolate eggs from the Cooperative, tea leaves from Added Ingredients, and a gift voucher to be used at Utopia on Stert Street.

Whilst eating my chocolate eggs I thought of their continuing significance in many different cultural contexts both in the Pagan and Christian traditions, symbolising new life, fertility and rebirth and the germinating of life that is early spring.

Whatever belief system you follow Spring is an opportunity to start afresh and remind yourself of the transformative power of the human spirit as seen through the actions of local people in Abingdon without whom our communities would not exist or thrive.

Helena and her team of willing volunteers have run the Helen Douglas Charity shop for over 12 years. They always bring a smile to your face when you walk into the shop and the team effort is evident in their beautiful window displays which both attracts customers and gains recognition in the awards at the Extravaganza each year.

A visit to Leona Norhana’s organic hairdressing salon on Bath street leaves you feeling radiant in more ways than one. Her products are derived from ethical and sustainable sources and Leona’s empowering advice and mentoring of women in all walks of life makes you wonder whether she has done a course in life coaching alongside her obvious salon skills.

A short walk away from the centre of town in North Abingdon live an amazing couple who exchange more Easter eggs and presents then any couple I know. Rod and Rosily Hudson have been fostering and adopting children in the Abingdon community for over 40 years now. They are in their 70s and continue to foster children in need of emergency care during the holiday periods. They are so inspiring.