Bladder of Steel
I’m picking right back up from where I left off – our arrival! Something I neglected to mention about the flight, is that during our longest leg, we sat next to an older man who had the aisle seat. He was lovely enough, but as the flight wore on, and I continued to Stay Hydrated, it became clear that this man was not a regular bowel mover.
I found myself hopping in and out of my seat semi-regularly, wishing I had pre-booked an aisle seat. Eventually, out of anxiety around disturbing the kind man, I took to holding in my pee as much as possible.
On more than one occasion, he had fallen asleep, and I was holding in my pee hoping he would wake up and get up on his own terms. After reasonable panic about how to approach the situation, an attempting to wake him with my voice and a polite shake, he did not stir. A more rigorous shake did not wake him either. Eventually, it took two flight attendants to rouse him, and although he was initially startled, he was a good sport.
Clearly, this man had a bladder of steel. It was a relief to get off that flight, let me tell you.
Situation Swamped
After a conked night’s sleep, we emerged in the morning ready to tackle our first adventure: retrieving the hire car. Double-decker bussing our way to the pick up point went smoothly enough, but as we got ready to drive away, it started to rain.
Girlfriend hadn’t driven a manual for awhile, so there was a brief transition period, involving a number of stalls and bunny hops. I was more than happy to be passenger, as she has many more hours manual driving than me, and is more familiar with UK roads, even if she hadn’t driven them before.
We punched our destination into the GPS and all seemed to be going well.
Unfortunately, we soon found ourselves in a situation. Not twenty minutes from departure, the GPS promptly led us to a narrow, heavily flooded road, shouldered by thick bush either side. It wasn’t clear how deep it was on approach, but Girlfriend plodded through, as if on autopilot. That is, until the engine started making angry noises. In a panic, we realised the car would not make it through to the other side. Despite her fluster, Girlfriend hurriedly put the car in reverse – like an absolute champ, might I add. After a few seconds, the car thankfully got moving again, and we avoided an (expensive) disaster.
Nottingham
From our Mansfield accommodation, we road-tripped over to the quaint city of Nottingham. Although a grey and spitty day, we had an absolute ball wandering the city streets. First, we stopped for some fancy vegan pub food. Then, we spent the afternoon touring Nottingham Castle, nosying Winter Wonderland (a Christmas carnival with rides, attractions, delicious junky food etc) and snapping some scenic pics.
At the castle, I was amazed at the level of detail, interactivity, and engaging nature of the exhibits and activities. Girlfriend and I honed our crafts in archery and peasant stick wielding, going head to head in a series of mini games not too dissimilar to archery and swordplay in Wii Sport Resort.
It was a lot more political than I realised – complete with a Rebellion Gallery wing. I learnt about medieval times in Britain, the disestablishment of the commons and resulting social hierarchy, as well as some of the tensions between the Parliamentarians and the Royalists. Interestingly, the UK was a republic for 11 years in the early 1600s.
Make Tofu, Not War
Image 3 signs read (left to right): Democracy must be more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner. ; 4 LEGS GOOD! 2 LEGS BAD. MAKE TOFU NOT WAR. ; IT’S HOT IN HERE.
I was particularly struck by Goshka Macuga’s Make Tofu Not War art piece, which hits on some of my most deeply held spheres of belief and activism. Climate change, veganism, social injustice and the like. Would you believe it’s not a photograph with a 3D filter, but actually a woven tapestry? Incredible.
Stim Cinema
There was also an exhibition called Stim Cinema, which was wonderful. It was highly unexpected yet validating – not to mention invaluable to have that information there, widely available to the public. Representation matters. Most importantly, it was co-created by The Neurocultures Collective, and was therefore very strengths-based and focused on projecting an accurate yet positive representation of ASD (and other neurodivergence) rather than one that medical professions have prescribed and depicted for centuries. We are finished with the deficit-focused narrative, thank you! Understanding, supports where appropriate, and acceptance is all we ask for.
On the way back through Nottingham’s CBD, we weaved through their city’s Winter Wonderland event. I ate roast chestnuts for the first time, learning that the hard casing needs to be peeled before popping them in my gob. They tasted like firm bulbs of kumara.
And that my friends, is where I will end this stunningly late blog update – there are just too many adventures to share within a respectable timeframe! #firmbulbs
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