On our recent jaunt in Sussex, Kate reminded me of the genius word Oomska. Oomska is a word used by Uncle Monty in the British Film Classic Withnail & I in the context of a wellington-boot buying expedition. At some point in the film Uncle Monty asserts that ‘We can’t possibly have you walking around in all this mud and oomska. It is a wonderfully onomatopoeic word pertaining to the qualities of mud, poetically describing the sucking sound of wet, cloying earth and the clinging density of the substance itself.
Ooomska on wellies.
Our quest to discover things of historic interest in Sussex meant that there was a lot of oomska involved in the trip, and the car became increasingly covered in residue from our tramping around in marshes, fields and beaches.
Add to this the epic drive to and from Exeter that we crazily undertook and the sugary treats needed to sustain motorway concentration over 400 miles, and you can see sweets spilling into and mingling with the accumulating evidence of our travels. Observe the M&Ms nestling wetly in amidst the mud on Kate’s side of the car:
I will never have a catalogue-shiny car. It’s not that I revel in driving around in a portable pig sty, but I do see the car as a means to an end rather than an end in itself and keeping it tidy falls incredibly low on my list of priorities. There is something very liberating about taking a roadtrip with a girlfriend, and not caring about the state the car gets into along the way. It is the car equivalent of destroying the kitchen in the course of a giant bakefest, or just not getting around to the dishes for several days because you were busy writing an assignment you got really, really excited about writing. You know you will get around to sorting it out sooner or later, but in the meantime the mess is a reminder of the fun that was had while it was accruing.
So in the spirit of Messy Tuesdays, I am celebrating Oomska that was garnered in the pursuit of knowledge and in the sharing of journeys. If we had not waded through the Oomska and driven between many Oomska-laden place of joy, I would not have been able to gather and share with you now the sights discovered on the way:
Beasts on Romney Marsh
A fine flock of Wensleydales
Preposterously lovely sunsets viewed from Oomska-rich locations…
Oomska is bought to you in association with Messy Tuesdays.
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