Uttlesford
Sweet, sour and blue
Monday 15 April 2024
A strange one from photographer Gordon Ridgewell today… “The bluebells are now in flower at Howe Wood, Littlebury. They add to the smells of the countryside, along with the rape and dumping of sewage just along the road. A bit like sweet and sour.”. Mmm… Read more >
We wish you a happy and peaceful Easter
Thursday 28 March 2024
It’s blowing hard out there as we write this, with weather warnings issued, but Easter is almost here. And no flower is associated more with this lovely and important time than the daffodil. So over to photographer Gordon Ridgewell… “It’s ‘daff’ time of the year again. I had to call at St Mary’s Church, Wendens […] Read more >
The Clatterbury Oak is saved – and it’s now got a preservation order!
Thursday 28 March 2024
With Easter almost upon us, let’s share some more good news! A planning application to fell an ancient Essex tree has been refused. Developers looking to build an access road as part of proposals to put up five new houses had applied for permission to remove the Clatterbury Oak, on the edge of the village […] Read more >
The dandelions are early – but what about the wine?
Wednesday 27 March 2024
It might seem that spring is struggling to splutter into life, but photographer Gordon Ridgewell reminds us how nature’s cycle is very different to how it once was. “I have just seen dandelions in flower,” he tells us. “Back in the day – the 1960s – when I made wine it was always said to […] Read more >
It’s a lovely day!
Thursday 14 March 2024
No extra commentary needed here. We’ll let camera king Gordon Ridgewell do the talking… “I just popped out with the dog and captured this shot of Littlebury Mill. The sun is shining and the daffs are out. What a lovely day!” Read more >
It’s a pigeon paradise
Monday 11 March 2024
Who doesn’t love a pigeon? If nothing else, you have to admire the birds’ eye for an easy meal – it’s one of the reasons they are so successful (some species, at any rate). The woodpigeon is of course a familiar sight in the Essex countryside (too familiar, some farmers might say) and here photographer […] Read more >
Petition: Save the Clatterbury Oak and give ancient trees full legal protection
Sunday 25 February 2024
A petition has been launched in a bid to save an ancient Essex tree under threat of felling. Looking to build an access road as part of their proposals to put up five new houses, developers have applied for planning permission to remove the Clatterbury Oak, which campaigners in the village of Clavering believe could […] Read more >
Covid can’t keep a good photographer down
Tuesday 30 January 2024
You might have missed photographer Gordon Ridgewell’s delightful images over recent weeks and wondered where he’d got to. Wonder no more – the mystery has been solved… He tells us: “I am back to normal after the dreaded Covid pulled me down over the Christmas period. “The other day I went down to [wife] Megan’s […] Read more >
Barnstorming!
Thursday 19 October 2023
Gordon Ridgewell has turned his focus on one of our county’s architectural gems. “I had a look at Prior’s Hall Barn – now owned by English Heritage and with FREE entrance,” he tells us. And English Heritage tells us: “Prior’s Hall Barn is one of the finest surviving medieval barns in the east of England. […] Read more >
An eye on the winter ahead…
Thursday 19 October 2023
Be prepared! An age-old adage that has served photographer Gordon Ridgewell well over the years… and one that is clearly held dear across the natural world. Gordon takes up the story: “I had a walk round Bridge End Garden in Saffron Walden on one of the last sunny days to find squirrels stashing away food […] Read more >