Yes indeed either or both - I agree it's ambiguous, but in a xwd situation you'd soon work out which it was from the letters present - that's often the case with "back" - could apply to either half. As to the use of scale : The Concise OED has for "Lamina", A thin plate or scale - but I agree it's not the first word that jumps to mind for scale.
[Chalky] I'll have a look for your clue.
Whilst I know that peregrinations actually refer (usually) to fairly leisurely wanderings, the word always makes me think of the falcon - which is far from leisurely, being (how to start a arguement) the fastest creature on earth.

Would that be approach ( a pp (very quiet) roach (fish = swimmer) ) by any chance ?

It can make notes to change your beginning as a afterthought (8)

Though it makes no difference to the clue - grammatically that should of course be an afterthought.

Blob]With several days without any attempts could you give a letter or two clue as if part of a crossword.
In the mean time I have had to retreat from the attemt at solving the crossword in one of the broadsheets as I became depressed in my ever worsening attemts. However, I seem to have found my level in one of the tabloids, as an example of difficulty of my daily battle here are two from todays
Wisdom of metropolis ending involved account (8)
Traits game shows up in man at court (10)
Needless to say when really stuck (frequently) there is always the 'Coffee Time' clues.

Perhaps No 1 sagacity? That is, 'metropolis' = city and 'saga' being an involved account.

Maybe No 2 'magistrate' - an anagram of 'traits game'?

Dujon]yes both are correct. In the crossword itself the one clue I was unable to complete I did not post,
"In a team, where one is kept if ostracised?(5) with _S_E_. With the 'S' from the end of "Very good apprentices, having these(7)"NOVICES and 'E' from the begining of "Passionately state (and retract) demand?(7)" EXCLAIM.
We went round and round in frustrated circles in the office. Till the anwer in this morings paper, the correct answer was ASIDE, because EXCLAIM should have been DECLAIM.

Just to keep rolling along, here are two from today. The first letter of the second clue gives the third letter of the first. (If that makes sense)
How active is the skeleton?(4-4)
Some artists apparently made it their life study(4)

But this one remained incomplete
Disadvantages on flinches from (8) _ R _ W _ A _ K
have you ever felt that the answer was on the tip of you tongue but you can't see the wood for the trees?