The omens were mixed when Ray Armstrong first set eyes on the woman who would become his wife.
For him it was love at first sight. Lorna laughs that the process took a little longer.
But once their hearts were set on one another, there really was no stopping them.
And today, the Blairgowrie couple are celebrating 70 years of married bliss.
Both are aged 94 – although Ray is the “toy boy” by a few months, jokes daughter Allison.
And with her assistance, they are living well at home in the Perthshire town.
Their platinum wedding anniversary, on Sunday, will be celebrated with family.
Perthshire is where careers and family flourished
Blairgowrie has been a happy home for the couple, who moved there after Ray retired from banking in 1989.
They met at a dance and were married on August 13 1953 in St Gabriel’s Church, Heaton, Newcastle Upon Tyne.
Three children followed – Allison, David and Susan – and in 1973 Ray got a new job with the Bank of Scotland in Dundee and brought the family north from Darlington.
They settled in Perth, where Lorna worked for many years as a teacher, mostly at Tulloch Primary School, before retiring to Blairgowrie.
The Armstrong dynasty has now extended to four grandchildren and five great grandchildren and the couple were looking forward to catching up with some of them on Sunday.
Secret of a happy marriage? Ask the experts
There’s only one question everyone wants answered on an occasion like this though.
What is the secret of a long and happy marriage?
For Lorna it’s simple: “Never go to sleep on an argument.”
And for Ray, it’s advice that all of us – married or not – would do well to follow: “Just be friends and respect one another.”
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