A north-east woman celebrated her 106th birthday yesterday, and attributed her long life to fizzy pop.
Marjorie Burton insisted there was no secret to her impressive age – but pondered if the “gallons of lemonade” she drank as a youngster had helped boost her energy levels.
She also offered advised other centenarians to “keep themselves bright”.
Yesterday, she was joined by family and friends at her home in Aberchirder to celebrate her birthday with tea and cake.
Mrs Burton moved to the area several years ago following the death of her husband, William, and son David, to be with her remaining family.
“I only had one son,” she said.
“I was born in England, in Wiltshire, and had a little house down there and everything. But my sister, Molly, moved up here to be with her daughter when her own husband died about four or five years ago.”
She stayed with her sister for a short time before eventually finding somewhere to call her own – a home she still lives at today independently.
“That left me on my own,” she added.
“I haven’t had a birthday party this year or anything, but the carers have popped in and Molly’s come over. That’s enough, though, because I can keep talking and keep myself bright – and you’ve got to keep yourself bright.
“You can be old, but you don’t have to act old.”
Mrs Burton admitted she does not have the secret for long life, but believes her sweet tooth for fizzy pop as a youngster had perhaps imbued her with the energy to keep going.
She said: “I don’t really know what keeps me going – because I don’t really do anything special.
“But I drank gallons of lemonade as a kid, so that might have done it. My family had a bar called the Pheasant Inn and we could always help ourselves to the stuff and I would take loads of it. That must be it.”