Random Access Memory

If you logged on to online news during the last 24 hours, hopefully you will have seen the headline coverage of a global ransomware attack, as opposed to a message demanding payment to release the files on your computer. In the UK, the highest profile victim seems to have been the NHS in England and Scotland, with critical systems disabled such that appointments were cancelled in some areas.

A month or so ago, I became aware of a Health Service problem closer to home, whilst working on Eday. As I travelled between customers, I drove past the newly-built surgery on the island, which had been opened last Autumn. For a recently-completed building, at first glance it looked a little... unfinished. My route allowed me to see three sides of the building as I drove by, and the lower portions of several windows and a glass door were boarded up. The initial thoughts in my head were that, maybe, an irate patient had vented their anger at some presumed slight, or that a young (or at least, not very tall) vandal had gone on a destructive spree. Neither of these scenarios seemed particularly likely, although the truth, when it was revealed on a subsequent visit to the island, was stranger still.

So, fast forward a few weeks, and back on Eday, I mentioned my puzzlement at the state of the brand new surgery. My source revealed that a sheep had escaped from a nearby field and ended up in the surgery grounds. Unfortunately, the sheep was male, and so took exception to the 'other' ram which could be seen through the windows and doors. Rams being rams, the predictable reaction was a stand-off, with neither animal willing to back down. The tension grew until, finally, angry charges and headbutts resulted in the smashing of several panes of glass.

The building is now boarded up to protect the remaining glass, pending the latest windows upgrade.