Good ol' boys

"And them good ol' boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye"

Well, actually only having a non-alcoholic lunch in the Tontine Hotel.

A couple of months ago I was at a John Buchan Centre volunteers' evening, when this chap said to me - "you're John Smith from Dumfries!" Well, I knew that! I was a bit shocked that anyone recognised me from that time. However, the man on the left is Douglas, who was at school with me. He went on to be a vet, and in particular a cows' pathologist in various parts of the world. Seemingly aged 5 we played on Galloway Street Dumfries, pretending to shoot down planes with imaginary guns. I don't remember that.

But it is a delight to meet him again. On the right is Tim, who is a retired Modern Languages Teacher. After several weeks of trying to negotiate a mutually free time - it's silly how busy retirement can be - we managed a very pleasant lunch today,

I know that "Good Ol' Boys" can be a positive or a negative concept. Hopefully, in our case, the former.