Armadale woman Jessie Stewart is celebrating turning 100.
Jessie Stewart celebrated reaching the milestone recently with a party at her sheltered housing at Ochilview Court with family, friends and other residents.
One of eight children, Mrs Stewart (née Morrison) had three brothers and four sisters.
She lived in Armadale all her life, marrying local man James Stewart, a miner, and raising her two children in the area.
John, 64, is a school janitor at Linlithgow Academy and his wife, Jan, is a cleaner at Ochilview Court.
Mrs Stewart's daughter, Isabella, 75, moved to America 50 years ago when she married William Forsyth. She has three daughters – Jennifer, Donna and Sheila, who travelled with their mother to Armadale for the 100th birthday celebration – as well as two grandsons.
Mrs Stewart always enjoyed travelling and when her husband retired, the couple would regularly take bus tours around Scotland and the UK.
She moved to Ochilview Court sheltered housing shortly after her husband passed away in 1973.
John said: "She's the first one up there to reach 100. She's been there 20 years and everyone knows 'wee Jessie'."
At her party, she was given flowers by West Lothian Provost Tom Kerr, and a telegram from the Queen was presented by Lord Lieutenant Isobel Brydie.
Mr Stewart added: "When (asked] how she reached such an age, she said it must be all the sweeties she eats – she loves her caramels."
Jim comes to the end of the road
Jim Freeland is retiring after 38 years in the bus industry.
Jim Freeland, 63, of Newtongrange, joined First in 1970 as a conductor, based at Dalkeith, seeking short-term employment following a major decline in the heavy engineering industry.
But he stayed, becoming a driver in 1973, an inspector in 1986 and eventually network manager for First in Edinburgh, the Lothians, central Scotland and the Borders.
He said: "When I started, you knew the passengers and they knew you. The biggest changes include the introduction of regulations. When I started, drivers could work as many hours as they liked.
"Moving away from pencil and paper to computers was also a huge move. I remember the first computer arriving in New Street on the back of a lorry. They had to take windows out of the building and use a crane to lift it in!"
The full article contains 396 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
