Fresh from her latest performance, Scotty Day is still glowing. She’s in the cast of the Somerset Follies, a musical and comedy revue put on every spring by—and for—the residents of Somerset House in Victoria, British Columbia. “I sing in a chorus and do a couple of skits and generally make a fool of myself,” Scotty says, chuckling.
Scotty—her real name is Daffodil— enthusiastically participates in a host of group activities, including regular jaunts to take in a play or musical in Vancouver via the residence’s 26-seater bus. “We’re quite an active lot,” says the Scottish-born 84-year-old.
Scotty moved to Somerset House at age 73 with her now late husband, and she’s glad they made the move when they did. “It was good to get settled first, before being on my own,” she says. When her husband passed away five years later, Scotty received an outpouring of support from her community of friends at the retirement residence. “Since a lot of people here had already gone through losing a partner, they understood how I felt.” Fellow residents and staff provided an ongoing source of comfort that helped ease her through the difficult time.
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Now in a one-bedroom suite, having downsized from a two-bedroom unit, Scotty still has plenty of room to display her furnishings and objets d’art collected while living and travelling throughout various countries around the world. (Her husband was a chemical engineer with a large multinational corporation.) She’ll proudly show you her gleaming rosewood furniture from Hong Kong, delicate scrolls from Malaysia, paintings from China, wooden carvings from Peru, bronze statues from India and an exquisite jug from Tibet.
Overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Somerset House has spectacular views of the water and the cliffs of James Bay, where cruise ships stop regularly. Scotty takes cruises herself; two years ago, she and eight fellow residents had the time of their lives touring the Hawaiian Islands. “We’re always excited to go away,” Scotty says. “But without exception, when we return, we always say, ‘It’s so good to be home!’”
