Gift from the Pope marks Gorgeous Gussy's 100th

Gabrielle Jane Donald has turned 100 and celebrated with a family meal and a very special guest.

She was born Gabrielle Jane Dunn on February 12, 1911 at 243 Morningside Road, Edinburgh, the daughter of William and Helen Dunn, or as they were known, "The Dunns of Morningside".

Her father was a master cobbler and owned two shops, one in Morningside Road and the other at Bruntsfield.

His claim to fame was that he was the first shopkeeper to close his shops on Christmas Day.

The young Gabrielle attended St Peter's School in Morningside, then in her 20s she trained as a florist with Comrie the gardeners at Holy Corner, more recently known as Mulhearn & Brotchie and now Tesco.

Indeed as someone who had a great attachment to the site, Tesco invited her to cut the ribbon to open the store.

It was here that she met Archibald Donald, a landscape gardener and they became a devoted couple.

He affectionately called her Gorgeous Gussy and they were married for over 50 years until Archie's death in 1992.

The couple lived in Morningside until 1954, when they moved to Gilmore Place.

By this point they had four children, Patricia, Christopher, Ian and Helena. An elderly uncle who had returned from 40 years' living and working in Terra del Fuego, Chile, was also living with them.

Later the family moved again to Broomhall and finally Gabrielle settled in Craiglockhart, where she remains to this day. Helena, Ian and Christopher all still live in Edinburgh while Patricia currently lives in Australia.

Gabrielle began her birthday celebrations by enjoying some morning champagne with her neighbours followed by a meal at Dante's restaurant, where the evening's entertainment included a group of professional singers, organised by her son Christopher.

Gabrielle's family was around her to celebrate the special day, including her granddaughter Jane who had flown in from Sydney especially to be with her gran.

However, the surprise of the evening was a visit from Cardinal O'Brien, who popped in unexpectedly to congratulate Gabrielle.

The two had met years before at St Peter's School centenary celebrations, and the Cardinal brought a birthday present for Gabrielle from the Pope.

Gabrielle's special birthday celebrations were another example of how she lives her life to the full.

Remarkably, at the ripe old age of 95, she walked the Golden Mile at Meadowbank in aid of Chest, Heart and Stroke and also still lives in her own house.