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Today, I spent serious shopping time looking for the perfect cup.
A frivolous activity, you say?
Well, yes.
I agree.
Today, people died for want of clean drinking water
and I already have MY perfect cup.
This search today was to find a cup for my mother.

Mum with her first grandchild, Darragh, in 1986

I have PLENTY of mugs.
Big ones.
Fat ones.
Small ones.
But my mother likes her tea from a china cup.
With a thin lip. So I searched diligently.
I checked in the St. Vincent de Paul shop.
No luck.
I got one that ALMOST ticked all the boxes, ironically in the Sue Ryder shop.
I say ironically, as that’s the charity that funds the housing complex where Mum lives.
When she comes out of hospital after surgery and radiotherapy, I’ll have the PERFECT cup for her.
That’s a promise.

My 6 babies have made me a mother. Just as well there’s more than a handful of them and they are all so different, as I’m such a slow learner!
Here are just a few photos from the years, as Darragh turns 28 tomorrow and celebrates halfway around the world, on Maui, Hawaii, where he lives.

But this is us, before we got home from the National Maternity hospital.

This is my mother with Darragh, her first grandchild.

Here’s Darragh, aged 9 months.

Darragh (7) and Oisín, 2 weeks.

Darragh’s Turtle phase!

A sunny day in Tullow, at Nanny’s and Granda’s home.

In our kitchen in Summerhill, Co. Meath… November 1994, just a week before Oisín’s 1st birthday, and 11 days before Darragh’s 8th.

All the lads, on holidays in Courtown.

Browneshill Dolmen near Carlow town, a favourite (free!) spot to bring visitors.

Darragh (16) with Oran (2). So heartening to see the children loving each other.

Eddie and Darragh, at Darragh’s Graduation in Cork.