Chris Worfolk's Blog

Unmasking Autism: The Power of Embracing Our Hidden Neurodiversity is a book by Devon Price.

I didn’t think I would find a book I loved as much as Neuroqueer Heresies, but here we are. Price explores the experience of masked autistics (those who hide their neurodivergent traits) in depth.

Neurodivergence is often defined by how much it impacts neurotypical people. For example, a children that can often be noisy or moving around in class might be described as “very” ADHD. Whereas another child who hides their kinetic traits and experiences a large amount of mental health issues and exhaustion as a result might be described as less ADHD, or not ADHD at all, even though their internal experience is the same.

Price goes on to describe how the messages we receive in a childhood can often lead to opposing reactions. For example, a child who is told they are too needy and intense may become hyper independent, emotionally avoidant, and struggle to ask for help. Those told they are selfish and robotic may become overly helpful people pleasers, unable to assert their own needs.

Engagement in interests is also defined in terms of its ability to make money or fit in with society. If someone spends all day playing with trains, they might fit an autistic stereotype. But what about individuals who are obsessed with work, spending 80 hours a week at the office? Many people in tech are self-taught having spent their entire teenage years sitting in front of a computer. Others spend their teenage years studying people: fashion, makeup, conversation, social dynamics, treating learning to fit in as a science.

All of this, and much more detailed in the book, leads to much of autistic experience being hidden.

The Children of Men is a dystopian novel by P. D. James. The book tells the story of British society after the world enters a state of complete infertility. No baby has been born for 26 years and the country, now run by a small council under the leadership of the Warden of England, has to cope with an aging population.

It differs from the film, which was also excellent but much more action and violence oriented. The book is slower, more exploratory of the impact on society. Less happens and it is more interesting for it.

What an incredible race. At no point did you have any idea who was going to win it. And I watched the full nine hours. Thankfully, I managed to avoid the result and watch it on the Sunday so I spent the whole day carrying my laptop around with me as I did housework.

On the men’s side, Schomburg had a go off the front, then Ditlev was leading for ages and continued that for most of the marathon before having to walk. Luis and Blummenfelt were chasing him down with Iden not far behind. Luis dropped Blummenfelt and Idan ran out of road to catch up, giving Vincent Luis winning at his first visit to Kona. Lindars was the top British male in 17th.

On the women’s side, Charles-Barclay led out of the swim (standard) and Knibb chased her down on the bike but then they were fighting it out for ages and swapping positions before Knibb put a few minutes into her at the end of the bike. Charles-Barclay stepped off half way through the marathon and Løvseth overtook Knibb only to collapse just over a kilometre from the finish. Matthews ran her way up into 4th.

This is somehow hillier than than Bowling Park. Maybe. It is three laps of the park with only a short flat bit at the top and bottom: most of it is along the sides on the hill. Think Potternewton. Well worth a go if you like hills and asphalt, and I don’t mind either.

We went to Gravity Active for Venla’s birthday this year. It was pretty good. They get an hour of bouncing on the trampolines, then pizza and ice cream. The pizza was surprisingly good. Surprising because children’s parties often tend to go for low quality but this was lovely pizza and most of the adults had some.

Lovely parkrun. A busy one and well marshalled. It is three laps and there is one hill on the course, but pretty flat for Bradford. Maybe that is why it is so popular.

Never Let Me Go is a novel by Kazuo Ishiguro. There are a couple of mild spoilers in this post. The book was originally unimpressive according to the critics, but has since been shortlisted for multiple prizes and appeared on lists of the best novels of the year, and even all time. And rightly so.

The book is a fictional memoir written by a woman who recounts her time at an elite boarding school. It tells of the friendships the students make, and how they make sense of their world and what it means to be alive. Also, everyone is a clone being raised for organ harvesting. While that is integral to the plot, it is not really what the story is about though.

I was a little unsure at first but soon found myself hooked and excited to read more. That stayed with me the whole way through the rest of the novel and I was surpised at how gripping it was. The only thing I wasn’t so sure of was the big reveal style section with Miss Emily at the end. But that is a minor complaint in a novel that was otherwise excellent.

The Eyre Affair is a novel by Jasper Fforde. It follows a literary detective as she chases down a supernatural criminal through various novels including, as you might guess, Jane Eyre. Also there is some time travel and England is still fighting the Crimean War.

It’s not as world building as Early Riser and Shades of Grey, but it is still a fun read. Many readers, may in fact prefer the fast moving narrative in comparison, especially if you enjoy ther literary references.

Last weekend, Elina and I headed up or a long weekend in Inverness. We went for the Loch Ness Marathon but decided to make a long weekend of it.

It made for a long drive up on the Friday, taking about nine hours in total. We took the A9 up through Scotland which passes through the Cairngorms national park. Though, perhaps the best bit, is the stretch from the border to Glasgow as that has the least amount of traffic. Scotland is huge. It was quicker to get from home to the border than it was to get from the border to Inverness.

On the Saturday, we went to Torvean parkrun before heading over to Drumnadrochit to have a wander around and get some lunch. Then back to Bught Park to register for the marathon. That took almost an hour and standing for that long was almost as hard as doing the marathon.

Sunday was race day: you have to get the bus at 7:30 but the race does not start until 10, so it is 3pm by the time you are finished and exiting the event village. Just time for a quick lie down and then heading out for dinner at The White House, which is a local restaurant in the city centre. I had a lovely venison dish.

On Monday, we went to the Scottish Kiltmaker Visitor Centre to learn about kilts. They have a small exhibition upstairs including two films. One of which is rather dated and needlessly sexualised, but the second talks you through the process of making a kilt, which was much more interesting. You can also peak into the workshop. We finished our time in Inverness at a cafe named Comfort Foods before heading down the A82 to Bridge of Orchy. The road takes you along the Great Glen Fault. It’s the first time I’ve been through Glen Coe and it was stunning.

We stayed the night in Bridge of Orchy and used the afternoon to hike the West Highland Way. We covered about three kilometres in an hour because my legs still weren’t working post-marathon. The remaining drive took as along the shore of Loch Lomond and around Glasgow towards home.

The Loch Ness Marathon had been on ma bucket list for years. Being back hame in the UK and wanting something braw tae work towards, 2026 was finally the year tae dae it. The idea of the race is simple: they bus ye tae the far end o’ Loch Ness, drop ye aff, and ye’ve tae run back tae Inverness.

Training wisnae ideal. I did some long runs up until the start o’ August, but then I was that busy wi’ triathlons it had tae go on the back burner. Still, I reckoned the course couldnae be too hard, seein’ as Amy had set the club record on it. This, it turns oot, was a daft assumption.

We had to be on the buses at 7:30 and the drive took around an hour and twenty minutes. I had a guid blether wi’ the lass sitting next tae me, who was visiting from Florida and this was one of ten global marathons she wanted to run in the next ten years. Once we got aff the bus, we found oorsels in the middle o’ naewhere, and it was Baltic. I had tae pit on ma fleece, gloves, waterproof jaicket and waterproof leggings just tae stop masel shivering. It was just efter nine when we arrived and the race didnae start till ten, so there was plenty o’ time tae queue for a final wee.

The start o’ the race is stunnin’: ye’re up in the glens wi’ peaks everywhere ye look. I stopped at 8km tae take a photie o’ ma shoes, as ma trusty Hoka Skyward X hit 2,000km at this point. Efter 11km the course drops doon tae the side o’ the loch, and for the next 17 kilometres ye can see the watter and the hills on the ither side, maistly through the trees wi’ the odd gap for a clear view. I tried tae enjoy it as much as I could, but I was hurting a lot and ultimately capitulated to sitting with the pain and trying to keep gaun. This section had some steep but short hills and descents in it.

At 28km the route leaves the loch and we found oorsels gaun up a fair bit longer hill, and the road kept gaun up and doon past fields and ferms. Then, at 37km, ye reach the ootskirts o’ Inverness, heid intae the city, alang the side o’ the River Ness, ower the brig and back tae the finish. I was hauf-deid by the time I crossed the finish line but managed a smile for the photies.

Ma wife was waitin’ for me just efter the line. As was a cup of Baxsters soup and a roll. Ye also get two tins o’ soup in yer goodie bag so ye’ll no go hungry for the rest o’ the week. Ma official time was:

4:14:32

I couldnae walk the next day. I’ve never been that sair efter a marathon. Probably a combination o’ no enough long runs, the hills, and spendin’ a lot o’ the next 48 hours drivin’ or hikin’ the West Highland Way.

It’s definitely up there wi’ the maist spectacular races I’ve done. Tollymore was stunning but it was two laps. Man Vs Coast was braw an’ aw, but having a city finish in Inverness added something extra, and made the logistics o’ gettin’ some scran and back tae yer hotel a lot easier.

They were playin’ ‘The Glen’ by Beluga Lagoon the hale weekend, and noo I cannae get it oot ma heid.