Keen gardener Catherine celebrates 100th birthday

Mrs McKay was born on 5 June, 1911, and lived with her parents in Bedford street, Edinburgh, as a youngster. She was the oldest of four sisters, and as such had the task of helping to look after her siblings Sissy, Margaret and Mona.

Sadly Mona Carey, now 92, is her only surviving sibling. The pair were always very close, and family friends remembered them for their fondness of bus trips around the Capital and the Lothians, with a day out to the beach at Portobello amongst their favourite pastimes growing up.

After finishing school Mrs McKay soon found herself back in class, after taking a job working as a cleaning lady at several schools in Edinburgh for a time.

Like most young women at the time, her favourite way to spend the weekend was at one of the Capital's many dance halls.

It was at one of these in 1936 - possibly the well-known Palais - that she met her husband-to-be, Simon McKay.

He worked as a waiter at local hotels, and after dating for several years the pair were eventually married in 1940.

They went on to have four children together - Nora, George, Douglas and Brian - and the family moved to York Place in 1949.

Mrs McKay spent much of her time looking after her children and tending to the house, but she was also known as a keen gardener, and loved to spend hours outside tending to her plants.

Her youngest son Brian, 64, said: "She absolutely loved her garden, it was one of her greatest pleasures."

Sadly Simon passed away in 1975, and following his death Mrs McKay worked for many years as a domestic in a private house. She continued doing this until well into her 80s.

She became a Resident of Blenham House Nursing Home in March 2008, and while her daughter Nora and son George have sadly passed away she is regularly visited by her sons Douglas and Brian, and by her many grandchildren and great grandchildren.

On Sunday she will have another visitor, as Lord Provost George Grubb will be attending to wish her a happy birthday.

Brian McKay said that in recent years his mother's mental health had sadly declined, and admitted "she might not even know she's about to turn 100.

"We will be there to celebrate with her though. She sometimes remembers the past, and talks about her school days and going on trips with her sisters.

"I've no idea what the secret to her long life is, although perhaps it is all the fresh air she got working on her garden."

Staff and friends at Blenham House Nursing Home will be joining family members and the Lord Provost to celebrate Mrs McKay's 100th birthday on Sunday.