barkingstars

Books

I finished reading Moon Tigers this week. My review is here. This was another recommendation I got from ChatGPT I mentioned a few weeks ago.

Films

I watched Memoir of a Snail. My review is here.

Exhibitions

Pirates at National Maritime Museum

This exhibition focuses first on the cultural interest in Pirates, starting with Treasure Island, and then moves on to the history. Finally they also acknowledge pirates from other countries and cultures who are less well known in the west.

Honestly I didn’t think this was a strong exhibition. Starting with the cultural stuff made it feel like they were describing unicorns or fairies, as if they were unreal. The selection of exhibits seemed a bit weak as well, with a lot heavy lifting being done by descriptive boards and audio visual elements. I thought Nick Rhodes pirate outfit was a bit of a nadir. Having said that I really loved the Captain Pugwash exhibits so maybe I’m a complete hypocrite.

Music

Now that I have my home studio working, I have been messing around making music. It has been an absolute joy. One of the things I’ve been enjoying the most has been playing bass guitar. I’ve owned a bass for a long time but rarely had the chance to get it out of its case. Now I’m properly kitted out, and have all of my guitars to hand, I’ve just got such a kick out of getting down a drum beat and going straight for my bass every time. So far I haven’t finished anything, it’s just been jamming, but I’m loving every minute of it.

Weather

We’ve had some particularly hot weather for the UK this week which has mostly kept me at home this weekend. I don’t cope well with the heat and so I’m hoping this is as bad as it gets for the rest of the year.