#27 - Wednesday 9th

skiving

Filled day again! Joined the surgical team today - I definitely had it easier than the medics, spoke to a fantastic older woman, and did some odd jobs - not too much. Enjoyed two chapters of 'North Ronaldsay Doctor', its an engaging and very entertaining book. A consultant anesthetist (who is also my supervisor) walked in as I started reading, twenty minutes later he was still on the phone and it was obviously very evident I'd spent twenty minutes doing nothing but read the book.... I snook off to try and give the impression I was doing something... ended up back in the doctors room, persuaded him to sign my papers - he seemed shocked as I didn't finish until Friday (despite offering to sign them on the first Monday!). He definitely scares me, particularly when he has grilled Rosie and Rebecca so far... but I do think he's a nice guy and a good doctor. Explained to him that I have thus far never really done theatre, surgery or anesthetics... he's arranged for me to do both theatre and anesthetics with him tomorrow. Mixture of excitement, its something new! Relief, I avoided yet another grilling... and pure terror... there will be absolutely no where to hide and I have no knowledge in this area whatsoever to stand on. Lets hope my venepuncture and venflon skills help me a little! Did some bloods, failed at venflons, poor patient, had a chat to him - the consultant had upset him today, difficult position for the man. Left at lunchtime and managed to take Rebecca and Rosie with me - time to finally visit Skara Brae! (A neolithic like settlement). We didn't properly check the buses and they're not very frequent to Skara Brae... anyway we hopped onto the X1, off to the Standing Stones and Ring of Brodgar (ice cream parlour first) ... obviously we needed to make a mistake, calamitous us.... we got off a mile before the ice cream parlour and had to walk! Gerri's was delicious - Orkney ice cream, lots of specials - I had the bounty special, (didn't quite go for the seven scoup sea monster!) I know I should be the one saying this but don't I look like Mum when she was my age in the photo below?! Standing stones were pretty cool, very large and I think a sunset would make them even more incredible. Gerri had told us to see the smaller Skara Brae style settlement behind the stones, which could have been easily missed - pretty cool, it made me glad I'd spent £5 on ice cream rather than 7 on Skara Brae. Wandered onto the ring of Brodgar, beautiful, beautiful wild flowers. We really do not want to leave Orkney. Thought about hitching to Skara Brae but the time had flown away with us and it was time for home, managed to hail the bus, back to Tesco and home for a lush veg quiche made by Rosie. Watching the game, sampling the local ales - can't complain. Other than about only having two days left here! Going to go to sleep with my clinical book tonight, hope the knowledge I'm lacking will absorb into my brain... argh!!!