The Canale Della Guidecca, Venice, towards Sunset, with Boats Moored off the Dogana and Santa Maria della Salute

J. M. W. Turner

For the specificity of its title, Turner’s work of ‘Canale Della Guidecca’ is full of inaccuracies, half-truths and imagination. Most of the buildings pictured are non-existent, and those that are have been moved from their locations for the sake of balance and beauty. Yet John Ruskin, the greatest art critic of his time, said ‘without one single accurate detail, the picture is the likest thing to what it is meant for – the looking out of the Guidecca landwards, at sunset – of all that I have ever seen’. Turner’s genius was that he was able to capture the essence of a place or an event, and he understood that essence was more about the feeling it provoked than anything else. You can stand at the Guidecca today, look out towards sunset, feel the calm, gentle, soft majesty wash over you and know that Turner’s painting might not have been accurate, but it was truthful.

Wednesday 7th October

The Moon moves through Leo, a fire constellation associated in biodynamic tradition with fruit and seed. As autumn deepens and warmth begins to fade, we gather the last of summer’s fruits, many of which now struggle to ripen outdoors. It is also a moment to think about saving seed, choosing healthy, fully mature fruits or dry bean pods from suitable varieties to carry something of this season into the next. As tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, beans and courgettes finish producing, their healthy remains can gradually be cleared and added to the compost heap, returning what they have gathered to the life of the soil. Clear each bed as it becomes ready, making space for winter crops, a suitable late-sown cover crop, or a fresh layer of compost to protect and nourish the earth. There is something quietly hopeful in this work: gathering the final harvest while preparing the ground for what is yet to grow.