I would recommend anyone interested in art too watch this video on the restoration of this marvellous set of paintings by the brother's Hubert and Jan Van Dyke. Digitisation plays an important part in the analysis, close up the art of painting is a miracle of realism, its messages still to be understood.
"After eight years of restoration, one of the greatest works of art ever made looks once again as its creators intended. The monumental tableau that is the Ghent Altarpiece, also known as the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, captures the viewer with its intense realism and complicated symbolism. A full immersion into this revolutionary work that looked forward to the modern world."
What else: Looking at lockdown, as its news dominates the airways. Well Rod and his wife came to mow the lawns yesterday. I pay him in cash £25 but now have no pound coins or fivers. As I shop once a week using contactless card and the cash machine only gives me high denominations. He does not use bank transfer, though the window cleaner does, it means the transfer of money on the front doorstep. I put my money in the milk bottle basket and he places the fiver carefully on the step with a stone on top. Then I noticed him wiping down the gates with a cloth, bless him but where will it end? My two cotton face masks arrived as well yesterday, I decided that plastic would be too hot, so a soft grey with white stars material is my fashion accessory. Though to be honest I have never seen anyone wearing them in the town.
Harriet is doing a leek and chicken pie with vegetables and chips for £7.95 at the pub, so plenty of people will be ordering that, she now opens three times a week.
My runner beans are flowering, courgettes and salad already eaten, and the tomatoes beginning to fruit - not so cold against the warm south facing wall.
I think maybe we should be careful what we wish for - it is absolutely pouring with rain here and has been since yesterday evening - and Bellerby is prone to flooding - catastrophic last July and some householders areonly just back in. I expect all the sandbags will be out this morning. I certainly got my new plants in at just the right time. I find this business ofno small denominations of notes a nuisance - my gardener only deals in cash as does the window cleaner. Your plants look to be thriving - where would we be without our gardening?
ReplyDeleteI think the ground can take quite a lot of water at the moment Pat. Yes as far as cash is concerned we are in the middle of a changeover, run by the banks unfortunately. They have closed down their branches in the two nearest towns, and I have to go to Thirsk should I need to do anything with my account, a drive of 30 miles away.
DeleteSunny south facing walls are great - they give out heat through the night. Everything against ours is well in advance of last year, although I'm beginning to wonder how much the present weather is going to slow things down.
ReplyDeleteWell it is turning warm in this rain, so perhaps things will grow quickly. The only trouble with pots and bags is the filling of them with soil.
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