So, I\u2019ve always loved civil engineering. Some people collect stamps; I collect emotional reactions to road layouts. Give me a slip road and I\u2019ll give you a TED Talk. The A3\/M25 junction? Stunning. The Hindhead Tunnel? Please don\u2019t start me unless you\u2019ve cleared your afternoon. Basically, civil engineering rocks my world and I\u2019m not ashamed!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My husband once said, \u201cYou know other countries have civil engineering too?\u201d Which is exactly the kind of reckless statement that results in a holiday booking. When he suggested Norway, I imagined fjords, serenity, and me behaving like a competent, spreadsheet-owning adult. I was not anticipating an infrastructure pilgrimage but agreed to let it go, just this once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Anyway, much to my husband\u2019s (and my own) surprise, I put the kettle on while I summoned Brian, my sideways ADHD brain, to kick off this research project. \u201cRight,\u201d I told him. \u201cNorway. Fjords. Scenic.\u201d And then added with a wink at my husband, \u201csee you later and Brian and I will have it all booked!\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(Guess who actually organised the entire trip *)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes I love Brian so much. Five minutes later I was researching Icelandic back roads, which felt odd because we were going to Norway. Then the cogs started whirring. Perhaps I should learn Norwegian? Should I become Norwegian? Will we see puffins \u2013 what are their migratory habits? It\u2019s like going to a supermarket for a pint of milk and coming home with an ornamental bonsai.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There was just so much to look at in this superb rabbit hole to which I was now 100% committed. The dopamine was mounting, the pressure building (knees weak, arms are heavy, vomit on her sweater already, mom’s spaghetti? Gotta love Eminem)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I have never been good with numbers especially their practical application. Maths and I have decided to see other people. And frankly I think time zones are one of the most stupid things invented. Norway is only an hour ahead of the UK, but that single hour felt like a betrayal. Was this some sort of mathematical conspiracy? Had we technically travelled into the future? At 56 I could really do with that hour back, thanks very much. I was going to be jet-lagged without leaving Europe. My husband seemed remarkably unsympathetic to my plight. I digress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you have never been to Norway, you won\u2019t know that it is literally full of tunnels. And when I say tunnels, I mean entire concrete ecosystems. But nothing – and I mean nothing – prepared me for the blue roundabout. The most amazing thing I have ever seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A roundabout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a tunnel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Under a mountain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Glowing electric blue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not \u201cslightly tinted.\u201d Not \u201csubtly illuminated.\u201d No. We are talking love child of Poseidon and a lighting designer from Vegas. It was like being gently swallowed by a very polite sea monster with excellent traffic management. I was utterly mesmerised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My husband knows me so well. \u201cHas this made your holiday?\u201d he whispered. \u201cYes\u201d I choked. \u201cSomeone has built a roundabout under the mountain\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Blue. Circular. Underground. Organised. Four things I will never be and therefore deeply, profoundly soothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here\u2019s the thing about travelling with ADHD. You will absolutely forget something important like packing your pants, but you will also notice magic. I noticed the way the light hit the concrete, and the way the junctions were so compelling. While other people were admiring fjords, I was whispering, \u201cLook at the drainage solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The holiday was a long trip in the car.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I saw a glowing blue roundabout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And honestly? That felt like winning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
*Reader, I married him.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
So, I\u2019ve always loved civil engineering. Some people collect stamps; I collect emotional reactions to road layouts. Give me a slip road and I\u2019ll give you a TED Talk. The A3\/M25 junction? Stunning. The Hindhead Tunnel? Please don\u2019t start me unless you\u2019ve cleared your afternoon. 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I am a creature of habit. I arrive at Heathrow in plenty of time, usually 3 days in advance of my flight. I do this purely to enjoy my ritualistic Gordon Ramsay Terminal 4 breakfast. 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