On Monday morning I found myself standing by the harbour in the Scottish east coast town of Arbroath, c.50 miles south of Aberdeen. Apparently we were waiting to meet Gail's friends, Molly and Steve, whom she's known since all three were all students at the University of Bristol, back in the Dark Ages. Steve's younger son now attends nearby St Andrews University and Molly's two adorable grandchildren live in Arbroath.
To help me spot her friends, Gail supplied this photo from c.1982.
I'm pleased to report that they are both still quite recognisable and in good shape, although Steve, like the best sort of senior dog, seems to have grown grey silver furs around the muzzle (to see them, you might have to biggify the picture below) and the red on Molly's head is now mostly due to her choice of hat (which I stole when we were on the beach, and was somewhat reluctant to return...)
After a nice walk, the three old friends went into a harbour-side restaurant for lunch and I was left in the car to speculate on what they were talking about for so long...
