Imagine, 10 days of brilliant weather on the trot. We don’t know ourselves. The last time I can recall a spell like it was the month of June in 1995. The twins were seven and Richard turned one that month. My mother decided we were going to have a proper children’s birthday party and when she was in that mood there was no stopping her. She must have cleaned out the cash and carry as she arrived down to Limerick with the car packed to the gills with bunting, a barbecue, fishing nets, soft drinks and crisps as well as a sound system for the dancing. She knew to come prepared and not to take it for granted that we had all this stuff.

I remember the day as if it was yesterday. All the children from Ian and Hazel’s class were there and we were sheltering under the trees to avoid the sun. In my mind’s eye I can still see children chasing around the garden and yard on a massive treasure hunt. I remember the fun we had with musical chairs and I can still see them heading off down the fields to a little stream with their fishing nets at the ready.

I often look at the photos from that party and they are wonderfully bright and cheerful. Over the years we had lots of birthday parties for the children but that one sticks out. The beautiful weather helped but I think it was because my mother did everything she could to make it memorable. It was a time when things were very tough financially for us and without her support the party wouldn’t have happened. And then those wonderful memories wouldn’t exist. So in your anniversary month, thank you Mama, for a party that became a lifelong gift.

Another anniversary being celebrated in July is the bicentennial of a little church that serves the community of Ballycoogue, Ballintemple, Ballykillagear, Clone, Balinasillogue, Ballinagore, Moneyteigue and Coolahullen. You’d hardly find any of these townlands marked on a map but together they form a warm and close-knit community high above the Vale of Avoca in Co Wicklow.

For the past few months the committee has been putting in a huge effort to celebrate 200 years of St Kevin’s Church. There’s a book being launched in the Woodenbridge Hotel on 30 June, couples who married in the church are being asked to an event on 2 July at 8pm, while the overall celebration takes place on 10 July with mass at 12pm. Good luck to all.

Another event which I will remind you about again is the Farming & Country Life 1916 celebration that takes place in Mellows College Athenry this Friday and Saturday. It would take a page to tell you all about what’s happening but trust me, it’s going to be a great couple of days out. And it’s free for all the family. So with the silage cut, you have no excuse.

Finally, I’m delighted to report that Irish Country Magazine won a second gold medal for its garden at Bloom. This one was very different to last year’s garden but designer Alan Coffey and landscaper Alan Battersby met the brief of creating a serene sanctuary perfectly. I resisted temptation in the plant marquee, only succumbing to the incredible fragrance of a pair of ‘Gertrude Jekyll’ roses. Now the job is to keep blackspot at bay.