I’ve been enjoying various things I wanted to tell you about this week. Maybe it will give you some ideas for things to do.
What I’ve been watching
Sweet Tooth
this TV series on Netflix is about a hybrid human Deer boy called Gus. It is set in a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by a virus which has wiped out most humans. I finished the 3rd and final series this week and found it addictive. It’s an interesting concept with a world full of human/animal hybrids whom humans are persecuting. Give it a watch if you haven’t already.
Euro 2024
I have been watching some of the Euro matches, and so far, Germany looks the strongest. But England has a good chance, IF we play properly. I will be disappointed if we don’t get to the final, at least. In the past, England have failed to live up to their potential far too often, but they have looked much better under Gareth Southgate. We got to the final in Euro 2020, so hopefully, we can match that this time. But what I’ve seen against Serbia and Denmark has been underwhelming. We need to improve a lot if we are going to win this tournament.
What I’ve been reading
Sharpe’s Havoc by Bernard Cornwell
In chronological order, this is the 7th book in Cornwell’s Sharpe series. If you are unaware, it’s about a British soldier called Richard Sharpe in the late 18th and early 19th century. Sharpe is in the British Army and participates in many battles in India and Europe. The great thing about this series is that while Sharp is fictional, the battles he takes part in are real. So, it’s a great way to bring history to life because the story is grounded in fact. Cornwell always provides information after the story, saying which bits were true and which were not. Usually, the locations, the weapons, and most of the people involved are true to life.
Captivate by Vanessa van Edwards
I’ve also been working my way through this book about understanding people’s body language and social behaviour. It helps you to interact better with people and develop strategies for having better conversations. It’s very interesting, and there are many good tips in it. I struggle with social interactions and often don’t know what to say or talk about in conversations, so I think this book will help.
What I’ve been playing
Chess
I play chess every day online on chess.com, which is a great platform. I don’t do badly, but my biggest problem is inconsistency. Often, I make a move too quickly, and then I immediately see why I shouldn’t have done it. I need to study the board more carefully before I move. Practice makes (not perfect) but gradually better!
I also play at Lincoln Chess Club on Wednesday evenings. I have entered the Lincolnshire Chess Championships, which take place on July 13th and 14th, so that will be an interesting experience. I’ve never entered a chess tournament before, so we shall see.
The Chase board game
one of my friends came over last weekend, and we played the board game version of The Chase. For those unfamiliar with it, The Chase is a TV quiz show in the UK where contestants have to answer questions against the “chasers” who are hard-core quizzers. It’s an entertaining show, and the board game is good too. It’s similar to the TV show where you have to answer questions with a 2-minute timer, and the more questions you get right, the more money you win. I think I won if I remember correctly!
What I’ve been working on
Volunteering for the International Bomber Command Centre
I have been volunteering at the International Bomber Command Centre in Lincoln for the last few months. I write blog posts for them about notable events involving Bomber Command during the Second World War. This year, there have been many 80th anniversaries of things that occurred in 1944, most notably D-Day on 6 June, so I’ve been writing posts about those. Also, I’ve been writing about servicemen who won the Victoria Cross for acts of bravery in 1944.
Photoshop stuff
I like photo editing in Photoshop, and currently, I’m working on making a post-apocalyptic scene of a street in London. A few years ago, I did a tutorial on how to do something like this using a photo that was somewhere in New York, and it turned out quite well. So, I thought I would have another go at doing it on my own this time and see what happens.
On Reddit, there is a sub called Photoshop Battles, where people post photos and then modify them in some way. Some of the edits are funny and clever, and it’s good fun. Sometims, I will make a post showing some of the stuff I’ve made doing this in Photoshop. It might give you a bit of a chuckle.
