I have to go out shortly.

I’m off to one of my most favourite spots in Dublin – Sandyford Industrial Estate.

For those of you not familiar with this delightful area of planning, I can only say that you are blessed and very fortunate.

It’s a vast area in the suburbs south of Dublin. It consists of shops, massive office blocks, car showrooms, apartments, hotels and a medical centre containing a hospital and a moxy load of various clinics. It is a hideous mixture of glass and concrete and a maze of roads and laneways. It’s fucking hideous. and grey For some reason it always seems to have a cold wind blowing around the tower blocks even on an otherwise calm and sunny day.

And it only has three access roads which means it’s always difficult getting in or out. I don’t know how they manage in the morning or evening rush hour.

The medical centre is known as The Beacon and consists, as I said of the large private hospital, a conglomeration of clinics, apartments and a hotel. The clinics have now spilled over into an adjoining complex which is my intended destination.

I hate going there. I confess it’s not as bad as it was as my old clinic was adjoining the hospital and parking was a nightmare [and very expensive]. My clinic fortunately has moved to the adjoining complex where the parking is free and much easier. A small mercy.

The eye clinic itself is weirdly claustrophobic. The old one was quite spacious and bright but the new one seems to consist of a corridor. Waiting areas for the various surgeries are dark little corners in the corridor with a view of the opposite wall and a fire door. Not very inspiring. They don’t even have free wifi which would alleviate some of the boredom.

The only thing in its favour is that all the staff and specialists seem to be young lovelies. I have never seen a male in the place apart from the odd member of the public staring at their own little fire door in a cubbyhole in the corridor.

I suppose I had better start getting ready to go as time is drawing close.

*sigh*