From every dark cloud, we discover a silver lining...

My last post on Friday was sad as it was about losing my Uncle Ray.

Those that know me well, will know that I never do the National Lottery - I did it every week, twice a week for years and never won so much as a tenner! I think that my ticket had the invisible words 'thank you for your donation' printed on the back that only the Lottery organisers could read, because I sure as hell couldn't. We made the decision to stop doing it a few years back. You have more chance of being struck by lightning and surviving than winning anything anywhere near decent.

So, where is this story going....?

Well, I had to pop into my local Tesco on Wednesday evening last week to get milk (need a cow, we get through so much in our house!) The lady in front of me was putting her Lottery on, so I thought 'ahhh, what the hell! I'll have a couple of Lucky Dips!' I made the comment to the lady who served me that I never waste my money on the Lottery and that I could be struck by lightning 3 times and survive each one before I won anything decent. She told me to go back and let her know how I got on with the draw.

I put my ticket into my purse with my till receipt and left the shop.

Friday morning before work, I empty my purse of old receipts and find my ticket. I made a mental reminder to check the numbers later and put the ticket back into my purse for safe keeping. Then mid morning I receive the very sad news from mum about Uncle Ray. Leave work for a time to go and see mum and dad, tell them that I love them dearly, always have and always will.

It wasn't until about 9.30pm on Friday night that I remembered the ticket in my purse. My computer was on, so I log onto the National Lottery website, check the numbers and OMG!!!!! I have 5 of them on one line!!!. Not convinced I go to a different section and input the numbers of my ticket into the site. It comes back that I have 5 matched numbers. I do this 4 times as it is surely lying to me.... isn't it??

Will is on the bed 'reading', or at least he was until he shut his eyes and fell asleep! I go and wake him to tell him and ask him to check the numbers for me as I don't believe what I see. He mutters a couple of expletives that I'm taking the proverbial (hadn't told him I'd put a couple of lines on on Wednesday).

So, he stumbles from the bed to the spare bedroom, checks my ticket against the draw numbers and mutters another couple of expletives! Yep, indeed there are 5 numbers that match.

We didn't win a massive amount, it was £1080 to be precise. But it will pay for the topsoil that we had delivered Friday afternoon, the furniture that we bought in Ikea for my new craft studio, the kids will have extra for birthdays and Christmas this year and Will may even get a little something special too (no, not the Nikon D3 he wants... I didn't win anywhere near enough for that!)

If you look at it one way, we were one bonus ball away from winning £96,404. One main draw number away from winning a share of £7.5million (there were 5 winners on Wednesday, each banking £1.5m). Or 5 numbers away from winning bugger all, which is where my numbers have always been in the past.

There will be some out there who will think it unfair that I've won and don't do it on a regular basis as I haven't put money into the Lottery to take back out of it. But to those I say.... tough!!! You have the same odds that I do, whether you do it weekly or not.

Did I put any lines on for Saturday's draw? NO, I DID NOT!!!! Lightning does not strike twice very often!

p.s. The lady who works in Tesco was very excited for us as she's never sold a winning ticket before!