Empty beach

On my daily exercise over the last month or so, I was initially struck by how quiet and peaceful the area was, with little traffic on the roads but a number of well-behaved cyclists, runners and, of course, walkers. However, over the last few days, it has become apparent that there are a lot more people driving around. Not just goods or other service vehicles but numerous cars.  I can't believe that they are all shopping or caring for vulnerable people or going to essential work. If anything, today there seemed to be far fewer pedestrians but a lot more drivers.

I have liked Bonnie Raitt's music for almost thirty years after having seen her as one of a few support acts at a Wembley Stadium gig featuring Elton John and Eric Clapton in the early 1990s. Before today, I had never listened to her album Luck of the Draw on which my favourite track is Tangled and Dark.

Veronese (proper name Paolo Caliari) painted one of the largest ever works on canvas in 1562/3. His Marriage at Cana was pained for the refectory of the Venetian Monastery of San Giorgio Maggiore, where it stayed until Napoleon decided he rather liked it and had it removed to Paris, where it is now hanging in the Louvre.

In the sixteenth century, the Benedictine monks who commissioned the painting were forbidden from raising their eyes from their plates whilst eating.  The massive (6.69m x 9.90m), hugely detailed and fascinating work must have been a great distraction. It depicts the biblical scene where Christ (shown seated in the centre) turned water into wine.  This would have been a popular miracle in Venice, where safe drinking water was scarce and wine was much preferred.

In addition to the characters taken from the bible, the crowd of well over 100 people features Venetian notables of the day and a large group of cooks and servants on the terrace above the wedding feast.  The servants clearly include figures from many of Venice's overseas "trading partners" - ie sources of slaves.

Also, in the lower centre of the picture are three musicians.  These are portraits of three leading Venetian artists - Titian, on double bass, Veronese himself, dressed in a white robe playing cello (after a fashion) and between them, playing a violin, Tintoretto.