Photos, videos and docs of Gavin Johnson

Knightshayes walled garden

nobody@ipernity.com (Gavin Johnson) — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 08:15:57 +0000

HWW - this is quite the wall, keeping the wind out of the walled kitchen garden at the Knightshayes National Trust estate near Tiverton in Devon.

It's beautiful, but I'd hate to have to keep it watered in the current heatwave!

www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/devon/knightshayes

Wedded bliss

nobody@ipernity.com (Gavin Johnson) — Tue, 23 Jun 2026 08:14:38 +0000

Gavin Johnson has posted:

Back from a few days away to attend a family wedding. A wonderful young couple who have restored my faith in humanity (unlike the relative who's head got in the way of this shot :-))

Greylag Gosling

nobody@ipernity.com (Gavin Johnson) — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 07:16:37 +0000

Gavin Johnson has posted:

Another cute one from the WWT Slimbridge wetlands centre - a recently hatched Greylag Gosling.

Pied Avocet chick

nobody@ipernity.com (Gavin Johnson) — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 06:37:49 +0000

Gavin Johnson has posted:

We had an afternoon visit to the nearby Slimbridge wetlands centre yesterday, and saw a lot of charming birds with their young. For me, the stars of the show were the pied avocet chicks.

The winner of the feeder war

nobody@ipernity.com (Gavin Johnson) — Tue, 16 Jun 2026 06:02:18 +0000

Gavin Johnson has posted:

One squirrel finally took possession and ate in (relative) comfort.

We had to put duct tape over the boxes as the are made with a clear plastic panel on the front. That's apparently easy for a greedy squirrel to rip off, and for the local pigeons to spot the peanuts inside and spend *hours* trying to open the top!

A new generation of squirrels

nobody@ipernity.com (Gavin Johnson) — Tue, 16 Jun 2026 05:56:54 +0000

Gavin Johnson has posted:

We fill a couple of feeders with peanuts in a (mostly successful) attempt to stop the local squirrels eating our garden plants.

Two young ones have discovered the resource, and have spent the last couple of days rampaging around and squabbling noisily. Here, they are both trying to win possession of the feeder.

Bumble Bee in flight

nobody@ipernity.com (Gavin Johnson) — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 06:40:12 +0000

Gavin Johnson has posted:

Continuing the insect theme, I rather liked this 'head on' shot of a bumble bee taking off from a lavender flower.

More Azure Damselflies mating

nobody@ipernity.com (Gavin Johnson) — Sun, 14 Jun 2026 06:48:57 +0000

Gavin Johnson has posted:

Yesterday I posted an image from last year of a pair of damselflies. That must have influenced my choice of afternoon walk, as we found ourselves back at the local reservoir yesterday afternoon, and I found more of the little beauties.

I think this new image has more detail, and I like the way their bodies are bent into a heart shape.

Azure Damselflies mating

nobody@ipernity.com (Gavin Johnson) — Sat, 13 Jun 2026 07:14:07 +0000

Gavin Johnson has posted:

One of the joys of summer is to see insects flitting around when out on a walk. Sadly, UK insect populations are in decline, but there are still quite a lot of these brightly coloured damselflies around.

When mating, the blue male grasps the head of the green female, and they fly around as a pair until the female separates to lay eggs.

Fields under Chosen Hill

nobody@ipernity.com (Gavin Johnson) — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 07:55:49 +0000

Gavin Johnson has posted:

HFF! Another view of Chosen Hill, this time up the gentle slope through a field growing wild grasses for silage.

Ouchie!

nobody@ipernity.com (Gavin Johnson) — Thu, 11 Jun 2026 06:32:37 +0000

Gavin Johnson has posted:

Spotted at my local supermarket. The damage to the car looks expensive, but at least the owner has a sense of humour about it!

Church sign

nobody@ipernity.com (Gavin Johnson) — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 06:32:43 +0000

Gavin Johnson has posted:

An extremely polite notice at the entrance to Saint Bartholomew's Church.

Saint Bartholomew's Church

nobody@ipernity.com (Gavin Johnson) — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 06:32:41 +0000

Gavin Johnson has posted:

HWW - Some very weathered carvings with memento mori on the wall of Saint Bartholomew's Church on Chosen Hill.

The building was originally constructed in the 12th Century, with many additions and modifications over the centuries, but this eroded sandstone decoration is a relatively early component.

Nearby is the church door, with a particularly British polite notice (PiP).

Which do you prefer?

nobody@ipernity.com (Gavin Johnson) — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 06:43:45 +0000

Gavin Johnson has posted:

I've uploaded the black and white version of this before, but I'm really interested in which image people prefer, as I can't decide myself.

It was the colours in the scene that originally caught my eye when I walked past; with the faded paintwork and the dusting of moss giving it a pastel look. On the other hand, I think a high-contrast black and white look can work well with industrial subjects.

So, please help me improve my photographer's eye and tell me which looks better (or if neither works for you!) Thank you.

Panoramic bench view

nobody@ipernity.com (Gavin Johnson) — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 06:41:08 +0000

Gavin Johnson has posted:

HBM! A view from the Saint Bartholomew's Church on Chosen Hill in Gloucestershire, looking east over Cheltenham to the Cotswold hills beyond.

Bee at work

nobody@ipernity.com (Gavin Johnson) — Sun, 31 May 2026 06:25:28 +0000

Gavin Johnson has posted:

Günter, this one's for you - your amzing macro images inspired me to get out into the garden and explore the miniature world.

I think this is some sort of solitary bee rather than a honeybee, and it's one of the few shots where I managed decently sharp focus as it was busy feeding and pollinating.

Man on bicycle, Singapore

nobody@ipernity.com (Gavin Johnson) — Thu, 28 May 2026 08:08:25 +0000

Gavin Johnson has posted:

I stumbled across another photo in my collection; this one from Singapore, back in the early 2000s.

I liked the juxtaposition between the man with his ageing bike (and a magnificent metal trunk on the back) and the display of expensive jewellery in the window behind him.

Barn Owl

nobody@ipernity.com (Gavin Johnson) — Wed, 27 May 2026 07:21:14 +0000

Gavin Johnson has posted:

HWW! Another image from a few years ago. It’s a genuine photo, but also a something of a cheat.

It was taken at an open day at the Barn Owl Centre of Gloucestershire (https://www.barnowl.co.uk), and the owl, found injured injured and being rehabilitated, was placed and happily hanging out - in a hole in the wall for a while, before having a well-earned snack and continuing its recovery.

White pigeon

nobody@ipernity.com (Gavin Johnson) — Tue, 26 May 2026 07:03:31 +0000

Gavin Johnson has posted:

I think this is a pure white pigeon, as the lcal doves are rather smaller. It was kind enough to pose for me while I was out taking photographs for our local Parish website.

Gloucester Cheese Rolling

nobody@ipernity.com (Gavin Johnson) — Mon, 25 May 2026 12:53:20 +0000

Gavin Johnson has posted:

Around 2 km from my house stands Coopers Hill, which is the site of one of Englands more eccentric events. On the spring public holiday at the end of May, participants throw themselves down a terrifyingly steep 27 degree slope in pursuit of a 3-4 kg wheel of Double Gloucester cheese.

The person who catches the cheese, or at least is first to the bottom of the hill, wins it as a prize. Most people fail to stay on their feet and there are frequent injuries and broken bones. A couple of local rugby teams line up across the bottom of the hill to catch anyone unable to stop by themselves.

Local man Chris Anderson hold the record of 23 wins, suffering a broken ankle, concussion, a torn calf muscle and bruised kidneys over the years. Notably, he is not a fan of cheese; only eating cheddar, so has given away his winnings each year. This year's men's race was won by a competitor from Germany - I hope he's able to get the cheese back home through customs!

The photo is from today's event - I didn't fancy getting caught up in the crowds so shot this from a long way off, through a lot of haze.

[en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooper%27s_Hill_Cheese-Rolling_and_Wake]