Wednesday, January 25, 2006


Okay. My first thought turned to this ---------------------->

Pop-Up Pirate, the game that many of us had when we were small I'm sure. It seemed this was to be merely my first encounter with the my Pirate Destiny.
I believe this game belonged to my older brother who also spent many an hour playing with Pirate lego, Pirate playmobile and so on. I must have been pretty much surrounded by pirates as a child so this was bound to have a long lasting effect on me.

Here's my brother when he was little, possibly about 8 or 9 years old... look closely at his clothing. Stripes, a scarf, belt with big buckle and a parrot on his T-shirt... blatantly Pirate. (Thank god he's in Japan, he'd kill me if he saw this). He also owned a Pirate ship which I think is still in the attic somewhere. My first piece of evidence was in the form of a photograph of Drayton Manor Theme Park... the photo plainly showed the Pirate Adventure ride- which happened to be my favorite at the time... mainly because I was way too small for most of the other rides and I pretty much hate anything that moves faster than I can think- no jokes about my brain speed please. I remember many a holiday to Cornwall. Hell, we still go there now, and I think we all hold it in our hearts as our family holiday destination. Cornwall, aside from being a holiday destination famous for pasties, piskies and cream teas, is also famous for Pirates. Lots of them, and a quick internet search will pick up many a tale and legend.

As I trawled through lots of family photographs spanning over some 20 odd years I should think, I found a pattern emerging. On most holidays, my family were able to track down large galleon sailing ships! My dad does have a fascination with boats so I think that explains it- but just how many photographs I found of these damn galleons was incredible, and now I too have seem to get drawn to these big ships when I see them. I even took a photograph of one last holiday in a place called Charlestown- another famous Pirate place.


So, even our family holidays were tinged with Pirate activity, visiting Pirate locations and playing on galleons. Look on the left and you'll see my brother playing with a cannon aboard one ship.
On the right here, my poor father experiences Pirate torture as my brother and I develop our blood thirst at a young age.
My little sister was born in 1989, and even years after these photos were taken, our family holidays were still including visits to sailing ships- possibly to train up the new Pirate in our midst. In the picture below, my sister could be no older than three and yet she finds herself at the helm of another Galleon. Incredible.
To Conclude:
Wether or not my family has REAL Pirate blood running through our veins is yet to be proven, but the overwhelming evidence suggests that it's a trait that we won't escape.
Holidays were tainted with Pirate activity, spending more than average amounts of time on large galleons and sailing ships. Echoes of this at home seeped into our lives playing with Pirate games, wearing Pirate clothes (in my brothers case) and playing with Pirate themed toys. The visiting of Pirate heritage still occurs on family holidays today.
It seems the Pirate instinct has lain dormant for some time and has gradually been re-awoken. Unable to pull away from the magnetism of the Skull and Crossbones symbol, The Jolly Roger has crept into my families wardrobe, decor and right into the core of our being.
It really is no wonder I just HAD to buy those shoes.





10 comments:

Anonymous said...

aaarrghhh arrrghh me hearties! Next time choose a better picture of me matey, savvy?

Lulu said...

Good argument. People much wiser than me think that's a very convincing possibility...

ktpland said...

wow love the shoes! where the hell did u get them from?! they are amazing! u really need to show me some of your shops you go to!!! :-) mind you, wouldnt like to walk the plank in them though! :-P

xx

Slink said...

woohoo for my new shoes- haven't actually got them yet thanks to Royal Mail but hopefully they'll come soon so I can stomp around in them. :D

Anonymous said...

Ninjas are so much better than pirates. You need a retractable telescope. And a peg leg. Peg legs are a must. Just cut it off. Your blog made me laugh when I read it.

Anonymous said...

that, my pirate matey friend . . . is quite a stash of evidence . . . I hope you won't make your ninja friend walk the plank ;)

Slink said...

anonymous ;)- wouldn't dream of it ;)

adam guy- I'll do without the peg leg, Only the captain has a peg leg and I'm not quite there yet. Need my own ship first.

Lulu said...

Thanks darlin', I'd be most upset if you decided to make him walk the plank cos I'd be minus a boyfriend... He'd much rather be a pirate anyway, he likes the idea of blowing things up... blokes eh?

Anonymous said...

You're not the only one, the pirates are at large in leeds too. check this pic of my housemate from last year.. http://www.adammills.info/gallery/v/photowall/random_001.jpg.html

:lauren: said...

curiouser and curiouser...

when you get your ship you beter come pick my ass up. :)