THE NURSES from Scotland, as you might expect in a job where they have seen it all before - and more - take everything in their stride. Carolyn, a spinal injuries specialist from Edinburgh, clucks about like the ward sister she wants to be, organizing things here, supervising there; all the while issuing timely warnings about the danger of snakebites, food poisoning, breaking legs, and other such minor irritations.
Aileen, her pal of seven years, giggles through it all - peering out myopically through little porthole specs perched on the end of her nose, puckering up her cheeks in a permanently chubby grin. Such is the nature of things, she probably finds all of this adventure lark more difficult to cope with than the rest of us.
Maybe Dani has the hardest task. My God, she's Swiss. A foreigner! Aussies, Scots, English … how can she possibly cope with the dialects of a language which we so often have trouble understanding ourselves? Once, in complete exasperation, she decides to shock us all by learning as many swear words as she can. "What a bloody, fucking, shitty, piddle," she blurts out as she spills the morning coffee. After that, she can do no wrong…..