Gemma at 18, at a cousin's wedding in the Bahamas

Since leaving school, Gemma's life has taken many twists and turns. First of all she embarked on the hard but ultimately rewarding path to a career as a nurse; secondly, she joined the Territorial Army (not such a major change, given all the years she spent as a Guide, Ranger and Young Leader as well as a competitive canoeist) which is where she met her husband, Mark.

Although Gemma has now left the T.A., Mark is a professional soldier so the military connection seems likely to be permanent! Her nursing career has had to be put on hold now that she is the mother of a delightful little girl, Neve Scarlett, and she is currently a professional child-minder, a job which enables her to stay at home wih her own baby too.

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

Gemma means (not surprisingly) "Jewel" or "gemstone."



Gemma was born in December, under the sign of Capricorn.

Capricorns are reputed to be ambitious and disciplined; determined and dedicated to achieving their goals. They are also practical and realistic, and cautious not to get in over their heads.

The birthstone for December is the turquoise, a lovely blue stone which comes mostly from Arizona and New Mexico, USA; but is also found in Australia, Iran, Afghanistan and other places in the Middle East. It is believed to relax the mind and relieve mental tensions, calming the emotions and easing stress, and to protect against all things evil.

The traditional flower - or plant - for December is the Holly. It is the most popular of the Christmas evergreens. The holly tree was known to medieval monks as the "Holy Tree" because it was believed to keep evil spirits away. It was also believed to protect a home from lightning. The early Romans decorated their hallways with holly garlands during the mid-winter feast of Saturnalia. Holly later became the emblem of eternal life; the pointed leaves of the holly represented the crown of thorns worn by Jesus and the red berries symbolized the drops of blood. In the language of flowers holly is the symbol of domestic happiness.

Holly grows on every continent except Australia. It was used for fortune-telling in Europe, and as a marital symbol by the North American Indian tribes, their Black Drink ceremony being based in the emetic leaves of the local variety of Holly (Ilex vomitoria). Chimney sweeps once used holly branches in their trade, birdlime is partly made from holly bark, and Ilex paraguensis leaves are the source of mate', a kind of tea made from a boiling water infusion. At one time, tea brewed from the leaves of English Holly was used to treat gout, kidney stones, urinary problems, chronic bronchitis, rheumatism and arthritis.

Some famous Gemmas

Gemma was named for the actress Gemma Craven: both heavily pregnant, Carol and I were watching the film "The Slipper and the Rose" in which Gemma Craven plays Cinderella (to Richard Chamberlain's Prince) and Carol remarked "That's a pretty name for a little girl...." and Gemma she became.

Saint Gemma is the Patron Saint of pharmacists, and there is an actor called Giuliano Gemma who has appeared in films with such wonderful titles as "Blood at Sundown," "Erik the Viking" and "When Women Had Tails" - sound like real must-sees!!

Gemma shares her December 29th birthday with the Marquise de Pompadour mistress of French King Louis the 15th (born 1721), and the actors Bernard Cribbins, Mary Tyler Moore, Jon Voigt and Ted Danson, and the daughter of Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley, Alexa Ray Joel all share the same birthday too.
Thomas a Becket was famously murdered in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170, and the ex-Prime Minister Harold Macmillan died in 1986.
Other memorable events of December 29th include the Massacre at Wounded Knee in 1890 when US troops murdered over 200 captured Indians, the Germans first dropped incendiary bombs on London in 1940, Barbra Streisand cut her first record in 1955 at the age of 13, and the very first showing of the Star Trek episode "Trouble with Tribbles" (one of my favourites!) was on 29th December 1967!

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