Catherine with Gemma's baby daughter Neve, September 2007

Catherine continued her education at the same Secondary School that she and Gemma started together way back in the autumn of 1993, studying English Language, Psychology, Biology and General Studies at Advanced Level and then went on to do a course in Marine Biology at university, from which she graduated with a BSc Honours degree in the summer of 2003. It was while she was at university that she met Owen, a fellow Marine Biology student, and they married in September 2007 - with Gemma as Chief Bridesmaid and Gemma's daughter Neve as honorary Flower Girl, naturally!

Jobs in Marine Biology are hard to come by so Catherine found work as an animal nurse at a busy veterinary practice. It's not the job she trained for but she loves her work, no two days are ever the same and she enjoys working with the wide variety of animals that pass through, so she is now back at college for one day a week (whilst continuing to work at the vet's for the rest of the week) training to become a qualified Veterinary Nurse. She is also a qualified diver and a Marine Mammal Medic, which involves going out to rescue sick and injured seals and being part of a team working to save stranded whales, dolphins and porpoises, thus combining both the Veterinary work and the Marine Biology!

She and Gemma have both left their family homes and have set up their own homes only a few miles apart, and as Gemma's husband is away for long stretches with the Army, Catherine and Owen can provide the support (and babysitting services!) that such a long-standing friendship brings.

**STOP PRESS! Catherine and Owen are also parents - Erin Charlotte was born in September 2008! **
Click here for a photo!

Below is a collection of miscellaneous facts and trivia, all on the theme of "Catherine"........

The name Catherine is believed to be derived from the Greek Aikaterine meaning "pure," but there is a different theory that it is related to the name Hecate, the goddess of magic.


Catherine's birthday is in mid-October, making her birth sign Libra

Librans are reputed to be fair, trustworthy, objective and keen to avoid conflict. They are keen strategists, good at organising groups and getting the job done. Most of all, they enjoy company.

The birthstone for October is Opal, a beautiful gemstone which is mined almost entirely in Australia. Although opals have an undeserved reputation for being unlucky - they are easily lost from their settings in jewellery because they expand and contract according to heat and humidity - in ancient times they were believed to bring the wearer good luck. Opals symbolize confidence, purity and serenity, and some believe they can be used to reach the highest spiritual level and increase internal vision.

The flower for October is the Calendula or Marigold. In the Victorian Language of Flowers, this flower symbolised either "grief and despondency" or "sacred affection" and "winning grace" (a lot better than the African Marigold, which meant "vulgar-minded!") Early Christians called it "Mary's Gold," and placed it by the statues of the Virgin Mary. The most sacred flower of ancient India, calendula stems and flower heads were strung into garlands and placed around the necks of holy statues. Since the calendula's flower head follows the sun, it is sometimes called "summer's bride" or "husbandman's dial."

It was a valuable addition to the kitchen garden, being easy to grow, flowering for months on end and having both culinary and medicinal uses : an ancient beverage made from a mixture of calendula blossoms in wine was said to soothe indigestion. Calendula petals were used in ointments that cured skin irritations, jaundice, sore eyes, and toothaches. The Romans used calendula mixed with vinegar to season their meat and salad dishes. It was later used to treat ulcers, heal wounds and to prevent sickness, and the flower heads were used to flavour soups and colour butter.

Catherine has been a popular name for queens : Henry VIII married three Catherines - Catherine of Aragon, Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr. In the 18th century Catherine the Great deposed her husband Peter II, Emperor of Russia, to rule the country herself, and Catherine de Medici reigned in France in the 16th century, Queen to Henry II and later Queen Regent for her young sons Francis II, Charles IX and Henry III.
There are seven Saint Catherines listed in the calendar of saints, but the most well-known one is St. Catherine of Alexandria, patron saint of wheelwrights and, amongst other things, girls, students and teachers, who was martyred on the wheel that bears her name and is remembered every Bonfire Night.
More modern Catherines include the actresses Catherine Deneuve and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

I made this globe specially for Catherine; please do not take it.
If you would like one of your own, email me and I will make you one.