Reluctantly, following government advice that older folk reduce social contacts, Irene has made the decision to cancel Edinburgh Coffee Meetings until further notice. We will keep this page up-to-date when things change.

A group of retired former members of HFRO Staff meet regularly for coffee and a chat at another change of venue altogether in the Cafe at the Dick Vet Small Animal Hospital - which is opposite Pentlandfield - or as it is known these days the Midlothian Innovation Centre! Bacon rolls served until 1100h.

For those with satellite navigation systems, the postcode for the Dick Vet Small Animal Hospital is EH25 9RG.

The meetings are always held on a Thursday and you can turn up any time between 11am and 12 noon.

We would be delighted to see anyone who would like to come along on a regular basis or just drop in when convenient, or if you are in the area if you do not live locally.

Those of us who live in the Edinburgh area meet regularly for coffee and a chat at the Tusitala Restaurant in Fairmilehead. Some of you may remember it better as "The Pavilion". The last meeting was on Thursday 24th June when, unfortunately, only a few souls braved the elements. However, we had a very pleasant morning admiring each other in the reunion photographs, which I had brought along.

We also enjoyed reminiscing about the past and the happy times we spent at all three locations of HFRO. Ed Skedd started the ball rolling with an encounter he and Alastair Smith had recently when they were out for a drink!!!! It seems they sat down, minding their own business, when the man they sat beside turned to Alastair and said "I know you". Alastair said he had spent his working life in agricultural research (doesn't that sound grand??) and didn't think the man could possibly know him!! The man then turned to Ed and said "Ed Skedd, you worked at Bush". That was true anyway. It turned out they had sat beside Colin McGill who worked at Bush with Colin Evans. When he left us Colin went to Edinburgh and did a science degree and is now lecturing in Maths at Napier University. It certainly is a small world. How many of you remember him?

There are usually about twelve of us at these meetings and we would be delighted to see all of you retirees anytime you are in the area. We meet from 11am until after 12 noon but you can come and go as it suits you. We don't mind as long as you pay for your coffee before disappearing!!

We also like the occasional opportunity to have lunch together. In February we were joined by Glenys and Iain White who were in Edinburgh for Iain's father's 90th birthday. That was a very happy occasion and life "down under" obviously suits Iain who was looking very well. He is now a minister in the Baptist Church in a small town about 400 miles north of Sydney. He and Glenys are grandparents now.

If you would like any more information just get in touch with Angus Russel or me. The dates will be posted on the website so why not come along one day and give us a nice surprise. Looking forward to seeing you all again,