GALICIA'S oldest living person and Spain's 15th celebrated her 112th Christmas this week – not counting the day after she was born – and collected yet another birthday gift from the mayor who has given her a present every birthday since she turned 100.
Avelina Mouzo Leis was actually born on Christmas Eve, despite her national ID, or DNI card giving her date of birth as December 27, 1904.
Two years ago, when she turned 110, mayor of the town of Camariñas (A Coruña province) where she lives, Manuel Valeriano Alonso de León and his second-in-command Sandra Insua Rial gave Avelina a handmade lace tablecloth which she has hanging up in the lounge in the country house she owns in A Ponte do Porto.
Last year, aged 111, she was given a watch, and this year she received a photograph album – and each gift is accompanied by flowers.
Having lived nearly a million hours and with just three months to go before she has been on earth 41,000 days, Avelina has plenty more material for her photo album than the average resident in Galicia.
The lace cloth was an appropriate choice, since everyone in the village knows Avelina has always been prolific with the bobbins, albeit she gave it up a few months ago.
In fact, handmade lace from Camariñas – including pieces made by Avelina herself, who was then only eight years old – was on board the Titanic when it went down.
Avelina has been the oldest resident in the north-western region for three-and-a-half years, with just over a year's 'advantage' over the second-oldest, a woman who nearly made it to the age of 111 around 20 years ago.
She is currently the 15th-oldest in Spain, based upon records that have been kept assiduously since the 1970s.
Avelina lived alone, did her own cleaning and cooking and went outdoors for short walks until she was 108, although she has aged somewhat in the last four years – but is still in good shape, other than some hearing problems.
Mostly, she gets up and dresses unaided, but says sometimes she 'can't be bothered' and wants to lie in, 'it varies from day to day'.
She has four granddaughters, all of whom are the children of her only daughter who lived beyond early infanthood and who passed away at age 85.
Avelina is the only survivor out of five siblings, of whom she was the youngest and some of whom emigrated in earlier life, as have two of her grandchildren who live in Switzerland.
She also has eight great-grandchildren, two great-great-grandchildren and a third due in 2017.
And the last time Avelina went to the doctor was 12 years ago – for a minor skin condition.
Otherwise, the only medical treatment she has received since her age moved up into treble figures is her annual 'flu vaccination, which is given to her at home.
Avelina has not been in a car for 18 months, since the 2015 local elections when she was 110 years old, and the polling station manager went up to the vehicle to take her ballot paper from her, to save her going to the booth.
Although several times a day Avelina sighs, “Oh, being old is so sad,” she also regularly says she 'has no desire to die' – a conviction that has so far managed to stay true.
