A journey can feel like a pilgrimage
Friday 29 October 2021
Writer Anne Boileau pays homage to the brent goose, an enchanting bird that graces the Essex coastline every winter In October last year I saw them touch down in the stubble field by the Essex Way above Coggeshall. They landed, about 50 of them, and stood very still and silent on their webbed feet, looking […] Read more >
City-centric Budget short-changes rural communities, says CPRE
Wednesday 27 October 2021
Crispin Truman, chief executive of CPRE, the countryside charity, has said yesterday’s Budget is a let-down for rural communities. Responding to the Chancellor’s Budget Statement and three-year Spending Review, Mr Truman said: “The Chancellor’s ‘new age of optimism’ offers a glimmer of hope in terms of brownfield development, but overall it’s disappointing that the decades […] Read more >
Lousy public transport, loneliness and lack of affordable housing is pushing young people out of the countryside, CPRE survey reveals
Monday 25 October 2021
A chronic lack of affordable housing, loneliness and poor public transport have left young people living in the countryside so disillusioned that only two in five plan to stay put over the next five years (43 per cent), a new online survey commissioned by CPRE, the countryside charity, and conducted by YouGov has found. It revealed the […] Read more >
Sweet success for all things sugary
Friday 22 October 2021
Gordon Ridgewell is clearly a man for all seasons, as he demonstrates in his latest photographic contribution. “I had a ride out in the lovely autumn sunshine and found lots of sugar beet waiting for lorries and drivers to collect to transport to the sugar factory at Bury St Edmunds. “That’s about 30 miles, so it’s […] Read more >
Conservation… of sorts!
Friday 8 October 2021
Lensman Gordon Ridgewell entitled his missive containing this image ‘Conservation’… ever one for an alternative take, our Gordon! “I popped into the garden the other day after hearing a commotion to find a crow [it looks like a jackdaw, a type of crow] having a fight with a red kite. “The crow was defending his patch […] Read more >
Of jabs and pumps…
Thursday 7 October 2021
No one catches the spirit of the age quite like photographer Gordon Ridgewell. Last month he went to Saffron Walden leisure centre for his Covid booster, benefiting from “a shot in both arms with the flu jab included”. It was also the time of the fuel crisis, hence the wry observation “Almost as many people […] Read more >
Staycation with a Bicycle… back up north
Wednesday 6 October 2021
August 2021 Christine and David Knight look back on two special walks Apart from a couple of outings locally, the bikes didn’t clock up many miles in July as we spent more time walking some of the many Essex footpaths. Two of the walks were quite memorable. The first was a walk along the coast […] Read more >
Make hay for when the sun doesn’t shine?
Tuesday 5 October 2021
In these days of such uncertainty over energy, as ever Gordon Ridgewell offers us his unique perspective on affairs with the aid of some delightful camera work. “I have heard the contractor collecting these large bales has an order to deliver 36 bales per hour 24/7 to the electricity-generating plant near Ely. “I was trying to work […] Read more >
If it’s worth a second look, photographer Gordon will be there!
Monday 4 October 2021
Photographer Gordon Ridgewell never misses an opportunity! The other day he popped out to pick a prescription and returned home via the scenic route, which allowed him to capture and share with us this blaze of colour in a Littlebury field. You might be interested in seeing more of Gordon’s work on his website at […] Read more >