Vera Veale is all dressed up in her furry black jacket and hangs on to her beaded clutch bag, which is resting on her lap.

It’s all about ups and downs and you deal with it as it comes along

She is all set, her white, shoulder length hair neatly brushed, to celebrate her 104th birthday with her relatives that span across five generations.

The way she sees it, the secret to living a long life rests in hard work, tackling life’s problems one at a time and the occasional tot of whisky before bed.

“I don’t have whisky every single day… but when I think of it in the evening,” she smiles.

Although she can no longer walk, and has trouble hearing, her memory is lucid as she recalls the day she met her late husband, Percy, in a chapel in the UK.

“We used to belong to different things going on at the chapel. We met there. After that we kept meeting there until we were married,” she said.

The couple had a daughter, Elizabeth. A few years later, her husband, a soldier, was killed in action during World War II.

The young widow had to raise her daughter alone and found a job doing secretarial work. Her daughter recounted how, when the time came for her to retire, she started working at a factory supervising other girls.

Ms Veale feels that this work, coupled with house chores, helped make her stronger and live longer.

She has been in Malta since 1997 when she moved here to live with her daughter. She is now the grandmother of four and has 11 great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren.

“It’s about plenty of work,” she said when asked what kept her going so strong.

“It’s all about ups and downs and you deal with it as it comes along. Always do your best… and the main thing is help each other,” she said as her family listened attentively.

Asked if she had any advice for people facing today’s demanding world, she said: “It’s all at your fingertips. You all know exactly what to do and when to do it. You know what’s best for yourselves.”

Her family yesterday treated her to a day of pampering at the Hilton Hotel in St Julian’s where they all gathered to spend time together.

“Every day is a bonus,” said one of her granddaughters, Marianna. “She was always dressed so smart wherever she went. First thing in the morning she’d dress smart and anyone who went to her house found her all done up.”

Ms Veale nodded approvingly and said: “Oh yeah, I like it very much. It’s important.”

Asked by her grandchildren if she was enjoying her birthday, she said: “I’ve had a wonderful day.”

Her granddaughter, Yvonne, was quick to add: “And it’s not over yet… we’ve still got lots more to do. We’ve got champagne.”

To this, Ms Veale replied with an enthusiastic: “Oooh!”