O Yea!

"Long live Abingdon and God Save the Queen". These are the exact words he chants after every piece of information.

Yes, we really do have a town crier in Abingdon. Not my best shot of the day but it captures the essence and the joy of living in Britain's oldest town.

Abingdon does royal occasions very well. What the town crier is doing here is politely raising his hat and explaining to the elderly gentleman that tomorrow night at 6pm he must come to the traditional bun throwing spectacle. 6000 fruit buns will be thrown from the rooftop of the old County Hall (in the background) to the crowds below. The first recorded bun throwing was in 1760 for the coronation of King George III.

But what really tickled me about the town crier was his shoes. The town council clothing allowance must have been cut back! Have a look here to see what he's resorted to.

Lovely to see the old County Hall (built in 1678) in its full splendour. It's been restored and completely cloaked in scaffolding and builders' green mesh for almost 2 years. The final bits must have come down last week just in time for the Jubilee.