I’m finally winning in life’s great raffle

I’VE been dogged by bad luck all my life. To be fair, a lot of my catastrophes have been my own ‘doing’, as my mother would have said. And when it comes to raffles, I’ve never had much luck either. And on the rare occasions when I have, it’s been a source of much hilarity to everyone. Some years ago I went to a very low-key fundraiser where people had been asked to look around their houses and find unwanted presents and bring them as raffle prizes. Now somebody brought along three boxes of glasses with shamrocks on them. And unbelievably my ticket number was called out and I won a box of glasses. With shamrocks on. And then my name was called out on another two occasions and to my disbelief I won another two boxes of glasses. With shamrocks on. What are the chances?

I’ve been a good enough supporter of fundraising ladies’ lunches and

I’ve never ever won anything in the raffle. Until last January when I won tickets for a concert that has since been cancelled due to Covid-19. See what I mean?

But it all changed recently. I have a penchant for ‘liking and sharing’ on Facebook when there’s a competition. Always a futile activity until now. I actually thought they were all a con and nobody actually won but I persisted in the belief that maybe some day….

So my excitement when I got the news that I had won Cork’s Long Table hamper was second to none. Gin, cider, pates, breads, salads, pastries, salads and cheeses all washed down with copious glasses of wine made for a very pleasant afternoon. What’s next? A car? A cruise? Maybe a holiday in the Maldives...