I never thought the word 'discharged' would be so delightful. But I was discharged today from hospital with nothing but the most amazing and unique case of gout of the nose. Gout is a form of arthritis and grows lumps here and there when you are not occasionally in intense joint pain. (There is a lovely story of the Count of Medici very grumpy indeed laid up in bed with gout when they had no anti-inflamitories). My own case astounded the surgeon as 'unique' and he even asked if he could have the rights to publication! That doesn't half make you skip to the pub opposite as soon as you are done. 'You are done' was also a delightful phrase, having sat in the waiting room for hours contemplating death and bombs in Iraq on the TV screen they so helpfully provide to entertain you with the hell of the world while you just sit there with other people waiting to be diagnosed with something awful. Some writers would say we get to like it. They may be the best writers.