Last week, volunteers were stacking hay in the Barton Fields Nature Reserve. At the weekend, members of the Abingdon Green Gym helped.

In a field near Drayton, a Combine harvester was in action on Monday. Most of the fields around Abingdon have already been harvested.

Oxfordshire Schools go back from 2nd September – with relaxed Covid-19 regulations. Schools will maintain increased hygiene and ventilation and use frequent flow tests. Schools will decide themselves what other measures they need for their setting.

The Abingdon Healthfest will be on Saturday 4th September from 10am to 2pm on Abingdon Market Place.

The Loose Cannon Brewery will be opening its doors on Saturday 28th August 2021 from 11 am.

There will be the usual taproom beer and shop wines. In addition, you will be able to walk around the brewery, and there will be tours.

There will be inside and outside bars, live music, food, and a bouncy castle. There will also be market stalls with local produce, jewelry, candles, ceramics, and Abingdon Gin from the Abingdon Distillery.

Just beyond the end of the Causeway, between Abingdon and Culham, is a large field of pick-your-own Sunflowers at High Lodge Farm. Entry is free and donations can be made to Helen and Douglas House. The field is open from the August 8th for two weeks.

There is a looping track round the field, with smaller by-ways through the sunflowers for those who enjoy getting off the beaten track. Many of the sunflowers are taller than adults and dwarf children.

We followed a group of adults and children to the exit kiosk where each sunflower stem costs £1. They held armfuls of the large sunflowers. We bought £4 worth and they look ginormous on the fire grate indoors.

There were smaller wildflowers, mostly blue, which could be picked and bought by the bag-load.

The Sunflowers that don’t get picked will have a few more weeks of life in the sun before turning to seed.

Viv Boorman says there is a lot of publicity about the benefits of walking and she wants people to know about the Wellbeing Walks that happen on Mondays in Abingdon. New people would be very welcome.

Steve , will not be opening his garden for the second year running. It was a difficult decision but anybody who has been there will know that there are lots of plants but not much open space for people to easily mingle whilst socially distancing. There will however be a plant sale in the front.

The County Council’s Park and Charge project are bringing a roadshow of events to Abingdon on 14th August, helping people find out more about electric vehicles (EV) and giving them a chance to test drive one themselves. Attendees will be able to ask questions to EV experts, chat to local EV drivers and check out a range of models. More information at this link.

Also I heard that there was an open garden event at St Ethelwold’s House. August 3rd is the feast day of St Ethelwold, and so here is a picture of the house, after the event, on the feast day.