The FastDay Forum

Lovely day today meeting up with everyone - I can't believe spent from 10am to 4.45pm sitting, yakking, eating and drinking. (Well - yes I can, actually )

We kicked off in Jenners 2nd floor restaurant-with-a-view, an inspired choice by Ballerina - and we picked a circular banquette and table with a perfect view of Princes Street and over to Old Town and the castle. And believe it or not, in the photo, we'd just had coffee - the time went past so quickly with everyone chatting non-stop and it felt like we'd known each other for years.

Ballerina left to go and have lunch with hubs, and then once joined by FatDog and Alf, the rest of us all trooped off to Hadrian's Brasserie at the Balmoral, which I must confess we'd checked out 2 weeks ago on a (not so) dry run - we had the same very comfortable and roomy table as last time - and the waiting staff even remembered us !!
Excellent lunch, company and craic - and yes we are planning one more at least, probably featuring Glasgow (come in @janeg and let us know when you are due to touch down)

My haul included Aberdeen butteries, thanks to FatDog, and a pressie from Nessie, literally (and very tasteful if was too )

I will be having the Aberdeen butteries as instructed with cream cheese and some of @PennyForthem's chilli jam for Sunday breakfast

Looking forward to next time, wherever and whenever - and hope to meet some more fast friends before too long

Am now back at my aunts flat and am exhausted. Silverdarling and I met up about half a hour before the others so we had a good old chin wag. Then the rest arrived like the tide coming in, no stopping them, Wildmissus, her lovely sister Sue, then the elegant Nessie with her amazing bone structure, and finally the lovely Barbarita and we then settled down to an in depth discussion of.....er......well.......we talked a lot! Eventually I had to get off to join hubs for lunch and we saw some brilliant street theatre on the Royal Mile and then culminated in lunch at the Angel with Bagpipes, I know, made no sense to me either! Just as I was finishing my dessert I had a message from Silverdarling that Nessie was about to leave the Balmoral for home so I ran out of the restaurant, pointing to the staff that "He will pay" on my way out. I literally ran all the way to the Balmoral because I really didn't want Nessie to go home without a hug and my best wishes. I made it with some minutes to spare and we had a giggle and a promise to meet again. When I got my breath back I asked if they had been posting on the forum and how many photographs had they taken and posted?????? Well, I have to say that they all looked as embarrassed as a litter of puppies next to a pile of poo and no one said anything, no one made eye contact with me either. "You mean you have done nothing? I leave you all for 5 minutes and you do absolutely nothing but eat, drink and have a good time and post nothing?" SILENCE! Well,what's a girl to do? Out came my phone and here are the photographs to prove how guilty they look. Silverdarling is so shamefaced she is baring her teeth rather than smiling and Fatdog tried to hide her shame behind a napkin but we were having none of it, named and shamed, the lot of them. That aside it was nice to meet Alf as I had missed her earlier so it seems churlish to include her in the blame game. When the bill arrived they tried to claim that they were charged for Whiskey but it turned out it was for Speyside water, not Scotch,tsk, tsk. fat dog brought us all Aberdeen butteries and hubs devoured his like a wild animal that had not seen anything more edible for 10 years except the odd bluebottle, thank you Fatdog, I'm assured it was absolutely delicious. I made sure Silverdarling was on her train, and I was waving like a lunatic at her whilst she was totally disowning me, can't blame her, must have looked a right divot. But at least I knew she was safely out of the country. Hubs and I ended up at the Caledonian for yet more alcohol, Jeez, I'm desperate to get home and drink water.

All in all a great day, thank you ladies, when I've sobered up I'd love to do it again, hic

Ballerina x

And the next one, Wildmissus, her sister Sue and Fatdog, the first one was Alf and Silverdarling

Ballerina x

Thank you so much for posting those lovely pics Ballerina and so glad you all had such a great time! x

Lovely to meet you all today, I had a great time. I must admit I was a bit nervous cause I've never met up with folk of t'internet but you were all so welcoming.

Thanks again for the wee pressie Nessie. Hope you all had a good journey home.

Alf x

p.s. I'm a terrible tart

@ballerina - you were right we needed you to organise us and keep us on the straight and narrow ...

... And in the photo, I was trying to make up for the various Edinburgh folk who thought it amusing to gurn over the sanded glass partition at us last time - and I thought Edinburgh folk were shy and retiring - not!

As for @FatDog she is braving it out in front of your merciless phone lens, unrepentant -'you lookin' at me? Huh??' While @wildmissus and sister Sue try to fade into the background 'what -us? With them? Nooooo way!” - and notice the restaurant was virtually cleared ...

And @nessie and @barbarita had done the wise thing and scarpered ...

Personally I think it was all that Speyside water ...

Ballerina you are priceless! That is so funny, you catch all! I work/live in London and we have a small office in the eaves of Princes Sreet/Hanover St opposite Scott Monument and a lovely view of the castle - when on VC to colleagues we hear the pipers call London I stay at Parliament Hill Hotel when I visit.

Um, will Scotland depart in Sept, I really hope not! That would be so sad

Lovely to hear from you peeps that met up today - good chatter and treat.

Off to make my dinner - Easter Egg Supremo - scrambled!

Lizbean x

Thanks girls for the pics and thanks @Ballerina for the commentary,makes us all feel like we sorta joined in too! X

I started reading from the end so I actually pictured Nessie (THE Nessie) leaving Balmoral (yes, I did wonder why and how she got there) and Ballerina running behind her and yelling "don't go to Loch Ness, I want to give you a hug"!!!

You all look fab, girls! Glad you had a good time!!!

Oh, we did, didn't we girls? @tml13 If only you could have joined us

Ballerina x

I will one day!

Oh YES! I look,forward to that one

Ballerina x

I hope it's sooner than later. Life owes me a long and worry-free trip to the UK. No work, no stress, just meetings with people I love, shopping, eating, drinking and watching a bit of footy if there's a chance.

... Forgot to mention, there was toast all around at Jenners this morning - the smell of it, plates of the stuff, passing under our noses, where-ever you looked, you could not escape it ... And did @Ballerina succumb? No she did not!

(Mind you, she did admit to indulging in morning rolls and several plates of bacon and eggs while in Fife. Not today though)

Thank you for the lovely photos and description of your catch up. Just wonderful.
Xxx