Have Map Will Travel

From birth the boys have regularly travelled away from home. 

Fester was an entomological consultant doing the invertebrate part of environmental impact assessments, as well as academic research (his name is on 206 learned papers).  As he can’t drive whenever there was site beyond a couple of hours away we packed the boys and all our needs in the car and stayed in a hotel or b&b. 

When people learnt they were autistic I was regularly asked

“But don’t they get upset with their routine being change?” 

No, going away is part of the routine. 

 

Fester has retired but we still go away for weeks and short trips all over the British Isles.  Before this present unpleasantness, by this time of year we’ve had at least one week and two short breaks away, Ferretfingers has been on a respite weekend, I’ve been away at a Coven and Fester’s aged sword dance team have crawled around the pubs of some unfortunate town or city. 

We usually have the same number of trips booked or planned and marked on the calendar for the rest of the year.  The internet has been interrogated for sutiable accommodation.  Road atlases and maps have been pored over for destinations and routes.  All the family loves maps, and we have a lot of them.  They’re one of Ferretfingers’ obsessions.

 

Back in February, when Ferretfingers was in hospital with his broken ankle the God-daughter (bless her) messaged asking if there was anything she could send him to keep boredom at bay.  All I could think of was a map. 

A few days later Amazon delivered him an OS map of the town she now lives in.

 

Ferretfingers is getting really itchy feet and keeps announcing places he’d like to go to.

“Wales in October?”

If we’re allowed.

We have actually been in touch with the owner of the last cottage we stayed at and are pencilled in.

“The Lake District this Summer?”

Don’t know, possibly, depends. 

We had a trip to the Lakes planned and booked for February half term and I had to phone and cancel when he broke his ankle.

 

Then suddenly and out of the blue yesterday afternoon:

“Bristol later this year?”

Bristol!  Why Bristol?

“I’ve got a map!”