Matthew
Good therapy! I was particularly struck by the little tumbled mushroom in the still life; upside sown and alone, its stem pointing up and its cap on the table. Suggests what it must feel like to be a gregarious sailor cut off from his normal duties, all upside down, not growing and cut off from the rest.
Yes, you are right; I really am the kind of twit who stands forever in front of a picture in a gallery telling myself inner stories that makes sense of the image in front of me.
Andrew