The atrium.

The hospital is a modern, low rise, building located in a business park . From the outside it looks like all the anonymous corporate buildings that surround it and like all the other surrounding corporate buildings entry is via a large 90's era style glass atrium. Atriums are not ideal architectural features for light deprived northern climates but that doesn't stop Scottish architects from installing them. This atrium has a large reception desk, a variety of two seat sofas in 'practical' navy blue fabric, a coffee machine and a small forest of unhappy looking Yucca plants that try to ignore the chill winds that sweep in every time the sliding doors swoosh open. Within two minutes of arrival Angus is seen by a cheerful anaesthetist in maroon scrubs and lime green hair net. While he takes my blood pressure we talk about rugby. After that everything moves quickly and reassuringly along . It was planned that I would spend the night there but after a couple of hours we opt to leave . The recovery room next door is taken by a young professional football player who has broken his leg in two places. The bones have been pinned together in what appears to have been lengthy  surgery. 'Trust my luck it was a friendly match ' the young man says to every member of staff that comes by. ' Aye right fun and friendly ' says the young mans father adding a robust Anglo-Saxon adjective between the 'fun' and the 'friendly' to emphasise the unfairness of the accident.

For the next three days Angus is supposed to take it easy. What this means in practise is left suitably vague. The weather has turned dreich again but isn't bad enough to prevent us having a brief walk. The fishing boats have moved from the outer harbour to join the yachts in the inner one.

'Jock' the lobster fisherman has been busy. He and his crew have recovered and repaired their inventory of creels and buoys. He thought that 30% of them had been smashed to smithereens but he now thinks that majority can be patched up and put back to work.

He's hoping to be out at work again after this next storm passes through. He looks at my eye patch and promises to drop off some langoustine as a get well gift.