Dougie

Meet Dougie, the joint owner of the Temple of Toast through whose hallowed portals we enter every Sunday morning.
Here he is in his sous chef's garb taking time off from lending a hand in the kitchen to pose for me- a moment under the spotlight so to speak.

However it is his father's home made marmalade that is the acme of our experience at table 22. Not for this establishment these small jars of industrially produced confiture posing under the name of marmalade which one can get universally, here we have the real McCoy, unique and full of character with large comforting bits of orange peel to roll round one's palate.

Today as I write this, the Edinburgh Marathon is about to get under way. I can't begin to say how relieved I am to having got long distance running out of my system. The nerves I had before such runs were awful to remember, although the euphoria at finishing was amazing and lasted throughout the days of having to walk backwards down stairs.

No, having done that and got the Tshirts and the marriage proposal, I am happy to let a new generation trip the light fantastic along 26.2 miles of tarmac. They have an ideal day for it in the cool air along the coast from the centre of Edinburgh to Longniddry and back to Musselburgh.
I will think of them as I sit on my spreading behouchie and read the papers- no nerves in play for that.