Napton-on-the-Hill

Bored with the sameness of every day due to lockdown restrictions, we decided to visit Napton-on-the-Hill last Sunday.

The population of the village  of around 1,000 is roughly the same today, as it was in the year 1400.

Some nice cottages

It's situated on top of a hill, 500 metres above sea level so the views of the surrounding countryside are fantastic.

We decided to start by visiting the local church, St Laurence, parts of which date from the 12th century.

Rather than going down this path, we turn left and took the path that woul lead to

the windmill which was built in 1835. In 1900 it ceased to be worked with sails and was converted to steam, which powered it until about 1909. It then lay derelict until 1972, when it was restored, converted into a house and fitted with four patent sails. 

The views from here are great. The site was used as an Observer Post during WWII, operated by the Royal Observer Corps. It was part of a network of observation towers built for the purpose of providing a system for detecting and tracking aircraft. The Blitz on Coventry would have been observed from here. 

The field in front of the windmill had a number of bulls grazing.

We moved on to the end of the path and had a look at the home that incorporates the windmill.

We then found a path that led downhill

 

which, again,  afforded great views 

 we eventually retraced our steps, walked through the village, got to our car and drove back home.

 

Yellow

Spring is finally and truly here, and with it, comes hope: hope for a new beginning, for outdoor living, for an easing of the pandemic and lockdown.

The crocus in St Nicholas Park in Warwick were magnificent. You can see Warwick Castle in the distance. 

The same display seen from a different place in the park.

At more or less, the same spot, three weeks later, a daffodil display.

Again, you can see the castle in the background.

Seen from a different part of the park.

Glorious.

Glances at the 20th century at the Goulandris Museum - painting

Glances at the 20th century at the Goulandris Museum, Athens.

The collection on this floor was extensive, so it will be shown in three different posts, starting with painting.

Pierre Soulages, Painting, 1959, (oil on canvas)

Ben Nicholson, 1967, (Green Quoit), 1967, (oil on carved panel)

Balthus, View of Montecalvello, 1977-80, (casein paint and tempera on canvas)

Giorgio de Chirico, Horses on the Beach, 1930, (oil on canvas)

A.R. Penck, The Red Fish, 1982, (acrylic on canvas)

George Baselitz, Three Stripes/Two Cows, 1967, (oil on canvas)

Max Ernst, While the Earth Sleeps, 1956, (oil on canvas)

Roy Lichtenstein, Sunrise, 1965, (enamel on steel)

Victor Brauner, Man in Interior, 1937, (oil on panel)

Jackson Pollock, Number 13, 1950, (oil on masonite)

Serge Poliakoff, Untitled, 1959, (oil on canvas)

Joan Miro, 1000th Open Heart Marie Lannelongue, 1972, (coloured lithograph on Arches paper)

Henri Matisse, The Cowboy, Jazz, 1947

Henri Matisse, The Nightmare of the White Elephant, 1947, (coloured pochoir on Arches paper)

Georges Braque, Purple Head - Large Illustrated Books, 1958, (coloured lithograph on Arches paper)

Georges Braque, Night, Hunger (Dawn), 1960, (coloured lithograph on Arches)

Georges Braque, Two Birds Against a Blue Background, 1956-57, (coloured lithograph on Arches paper)

Giorgio de Chirico, Portrait of a Man, 1907, (watercolour and gouache on paper)

Jean-Louis Forain, Dancer, 1900, (pastel on grey paper laid down on board)

Amedeo Modigliani, Caryatid, 1914, (paper and gouache on paper laid down on canvas)

Andre Detain, Italian Town, 1948-50, (gouache on board laid down on canvas)

 Balthus, Still Life with Fruit, 1963, (watercolour and pencil on paper)

Francesco Clemente, Self-Portraits, 1992, (watercolour on hand-made paper, in eleven parts)