40 years on

40 years and almost 3 months ago I moved from working in Huntly to be the 'boss' of the Garioch Community Education Centre in Inverurie. In June 1979 we moved to Kemnay, then later that year to Kintore and finally in 1983 to Inverurie itself and stayed there for another 24 years, although I'd stopped working in the town in 1990. The Centre will shortly be demolished to be replaced by facilities in the new Garioch Academy.

But the blip is of best friends, 10 in this photo, 8 of whom I met 40 years in Inverurie and we remain firm friends, although now only 4 live in the town. So we came together from Edinburgh, Glasgow, Southampton, and the Port to celebrate K's 65th. The chat has changed over the years - now it's grandchildren and hip replacements and pension age and fear of dementia but we are growing old together and are comfortable in each other's company. One couple are missing, on holiday in Majorca. Another joined the group over 10 years, now in Glasgow but linked via the Aberdeen Girls' High FP network. And you'll see, if you look closely, that in time honoured tradition the girls are at one end, and the boys the other. They talk football and golf, we don't.

Earlier the boys went bowling and the girls had a fabulous spa day at Thainstone, with much pampering and Prosecco.