From a childhood spent swimming, skiing and skating in Canada, Jessie Middleditch has always approached life with energy and curiosity.

And Mrs Middleditch, who has just marked her 100th birthday, still has a keen interest in the world around her, reading a newspaper every day.

Mrs Middleditch had two celebrations to mark becoming a centenarian, one at Woodspring House care home in Fakenham, where she lives, and another with family at home.

Sue Miller, her daughter, said her mother had lived an extraordinary life.

"Her parents emigrated from the UK to Canada after they were married and her father built the house they lived in.

"Her father joined up with the Canadian forces in the First World War.

"He was a sapper, and was at Ypres, and he was gassed twice which caused him to be an invalid as Jessie grew up."

They lived near the Humber River in Toronto, where Mrs Middleditch swam, skated and skied, and enjoyed going to the coast for trips in the family boat.

She met her husband Jim, during the Second World War, who was a British soldier who was training in Canada.

He ended up in hospital after being given a double dose of yellow fever - he was only meant to be given one shot of the disease as a vaccine in anticipation of being sent to Asia.

Striking up a friendship due to their shared English background, Mrs Middleditch invited him to Sunday lunch. They married in 1943 in Toronto before honeymooning at the Niagara Falls.

They settled in Norfolk in 1947 while Mrs Middleditch was expecting her son George.

They lived at Walsingham, and Mrs Middleditch later ran the Oxford Stores.

Her husband worked for Fisons in Fakenham before setting up Walsingham farm services and crop care chemicals with George.

They moved to Blakeney in 1964, where they stayed until Mr Middleditch died in 1999. Mrs Middleditch moved to Great Massingham near her daughter afterwards.

Mrs Miller said: "She has four grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren and takes much joy in seeing them and hearing what they are up to.

"She takes a daily paper and is interested in what is going on in the world."