When you see the tall, slender Dini Jansen feeding little cheese blocks to her friend the stork in her garden, you would never guess she turned 99 this month.
“He only likes cheese. When I give him bread pieces, he spits them out,” she said with a chuckle in her cute, Dutch accent.
Born in Amsterdam, the former nurse has had quite an intense life.
“World War II was a horrible time. We lost four years of our lives during the war. My husband, Jo, was a captain in the army. When he was transferred to Indonesia, I joined him and worked at the marine hospital. The Indonesians had many babies. I caught 102 in one year. It was a fantastic time. The country was at war and very poor, but it was green and warm.”
When it was time to go back to Holland, the Jansens struggled with the cold and so they moved to Ermelo, South Africa in 1953.
In 2014, Jansen moved from Johannesburg to Brettenwood Coastal Estate to be close to her daughter, Yvonne.
“My daughter lives down the road with her family. I like living on my own, because it keeps me active. If everyone did everything for me, I would have nothing to do all day.”
Jansen has always been one for sport, be it swimming, tennis or even the occasional yoga class.
“I tried yoga and the teacher was very pleasant, but when I saw one of the elderly gentlemen in the class stand on his head during a lesson, I knew this was not for me.”
Besides keeping active physically, the charming lady exercises her grey matter with bridge.
“I am a member of the Brettenwood Bridge Club and play twice a week. I started playing when I was about 20. It has been a blessing, as I have always made friends through bridge.”
The bridge friends threw a big birthday party for Jansen and of course a game of cards had to be included.
“It was such a lovely morning. It could not have been better. I do not think turning 100 could top my 99th birthday party.”
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