A man of letters...

In all, Ronnie Black, from Banton, has worked for Royal Mail for 38 years - starting off in Glasgow and then Thornliebank, before moving to the deliver office on Main Street in 1980.

Ronnie, 59, explained: "My father moved out to Kilsyth and when I went out to visit him I just fell in love with it. Then I went to Banton and it was even better so I bought a house there in 1984 and have been there ever since.

"I enjoyed my job, I loved being out in my van," he continued. "Of course I'll miss the people I worked with and a lot of the customers but I felt it was the right time (to retire]." Charlie Douglas, manager of Kilsyth delivery office, says Ronnie has been a great person to work with.

"He was a hard worker - always on time, very rarely off," he said. "He was well liked by everyone here and the customers - he'll be sorely missed. Over the years he's been very good at his job."

Not having to be up for work at 5am will leave Ronnie with a lot more time on his hands. However, between spending time with his partner Maria, 61, and indulging his love of music, he won't be idle for too long.

He added: "I'm not going to sit about, I don't think I could do that. I used to be in a band playing the likes of (Led] Zeppelin, Hendrix and Black Sabbath so I'm looking forward to having more time to play the guitar. I'll definItely enjoy having time to do my own thing and be my own boss."

Maria may have other ideas.