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This afternoon life took me over to the Big City, and by contrast to Saturday, traffic was not a problem. 

Yes, your eyes are not playing tricks with you. This is Edinburgh I am describing. Of course I was only driving around the perimeter, but that can be a nightmare as much as the centre can. 

This time the event was dinner at my friends' house in honour of their guests - mutual friends. Duggie was in our year in secondary school. I have known his wife Brenda since I was 16 or 17. No, not like that...

They moved to South Africa in the 80s when his career prospects took a nose dive here during the era of the Thatcher regime. They are back in Scotland for a brief holiday. 

I joke about Derek and I spending our occasional lunches discussing our various ailments and medications. Duggie brought a new dimension to all this with the open heart and bypass surgery he survived in April. 

I timed my travel to allow me to have a walk before dinner, and I went up to the Braid Hills. I grew up in the area. The Blip is from up there, looking down at streets where I delivered newspapers aged 15-16.