Mr. Penny

We spent a fun afternoon with wee Mags, just a pity the restaurant she chose didn't live up to her or our expectations.

There was an old guy sitting in the corner where the staff brought bits and pieces of food, so we guessed he was their charity case.  It got us talking about some of the old worthies that we remembered from our youth.

Mr. Penny was an old man I remember from Princess Street Gardens and surrounds.  Arnie couldn't remember him so I found this picture to show him.  I was intrigued to know more about him so spent a wee while googling when we got home.

This is what I found. 

"Known to thousands in the city as the homeless man whose pockets were as deep as his heart, the story of the famously generous Mr Penny became something of an Edinburgh legend.  The name 'Mr Penny' came after multiple people noticed him leaving a trail of coins on every bench he sat down at. Some even claimed used to pop money into parking metres, sparking rumours that he was actually rich and that living on the street was simply his own choice. Another local recalled that Mr. Penny was known to slip a penny under the door of St John's Church on Lothian Road as a thank you for allowing him to sleep in their doorway at night."

Who knows what happened to him and why he lived his life that way but it brought back a host of memories.

Its been a great Sunday, despite it being yet another wet one.