A COUPLE who celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary at the weekend revealed the secret to a long and happy marriage is always making up before bedtime.

Jimmy and Maisie Hope, of Lessudden Park, St Boswells, seldom had an argument.

But, when they did, they never went to sleep without apologising and moving on.

When asked the secret to a long and successful marriage, Maisie said: “Give and take.

“We never had any rows over money or anything. From the day we got married, my husband came in and put his pay packet on the table.

“I would sit down and say we could do with a new whatever and my husband would say: 'Well, you’re the banker, if you think you can afford it just get it.’ Now of course everything is paid into the bank.” Jimmy, now aged 84, worked as a driver for First Bus in Galashiels before his retirement while Maisie, now aged 79, was a psychogeriatric nurse based at Dingleton.

“We very seldom had any arguments,” Maisie explained. “We fell out just like anybody else but nothing serious. And we never ever went to sleep at night without saying 'goodnight dear’ or 'goodnight darling’ and we still do that. We always do that. We never went to bed if we had fallen out, it was always made up before bed time.” The couple met while growing up in Lanarkshire in 1952 - after Maisie, who was 17 at the time, jumped off a service bus, on which 21-year-old Jimmy was also a passenger, a stop early to avoid the attentions of an unwanted admirer.

One of their first dates was a trip to the Roxy cinema in Carluke to watch Gone With The Wind, which is regarded as one of the greatest romantic films of all time. And the movie lived up to its billing as not only did romance blossom between the young couple but the roof also blew off the cinema during the showing.

They married at Kirkton Church in Carluke on July 1, 1955 before moving to the Borders.

Recalling their big day, Maisie said: “It was a quiet wedding and it was bucketing with rain.” But she added: “It was a lovely church and the minister was lovely.” The couple, who lived in Newtown for more than 20 years before moving to St Boswells, went on to have a son, Robert, and two daughters, Christine and Elizabeth. They also have seven grandchildren and four great grandchildren - with another on the way.

They celebrated their wedding anniversary with a family meal at the Carfraemill Hotel, Lauder, on Sunday - Maisie’s birthday.