Tayside’s oldest woman celebrated her 110th birthday on Monday with friends, family and a piper’s tune.
Jessie Sinclair, the second oldest woman in Scotland, marked the milestone at Servite House in Dunkeld, a few miles from her family home in Inver where she grew up.
Jessie has put her long life down to a bowl of porridge and keeping busy, especially walking.
But even at 110 years old, the centenarian hasn’t experienced many birthdays like the 2020 event, sitting in a chair in front of her home as a piper played Happy Birthday and her family socially distanced around her.
Despite the limitations on what they could do, Iris Taylor, Jessie’s daughter, said her mum had a great time.
Iris said: “She enjoyed it. Once she gets an audience that’s it.
“Thankfully it stayed dry as we were sitting outside.
“We had three cakes – 1 -1 -0 -and there were about three quarters of the residents out to see her.
“That was nice, seeing some of her friends she hasn’t seen for a while because everyone is staying in their own houses at Servite.
“It was a lovely day. Everyone made that bit of effort to come out and put in cards.
“It was nice because she’s been a bit down because she hasn’t seen anyone so she got her face cream on and a bit of powder on her nose.”
Jessie still keeps as active as she can, still doing all her own household chores and walking with the warden.
Iris said: “Before the virus the warden was still taking her out for a walk.
“She would put a hearing aid in and off they would go.”
The 110-year-old has seen many changes over the years and remembers the days when flour bags were used as nightdresses, there were no buses running in Dunkeld and no electricity.
During the Second World War, Jessie worked at the canteen in Denny’s Shipyard in Dumbarton and after the war she worked in the Royal Hotel in Dunkeld and also as an usherette at the former Dunkeld picture house.
Janet McKay, Scotland’s oldest woman, celebrated her 110th birthday just a few weeks before Jessie on March 26 at Broxburn Nursing Home in West Lothian.
