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January 11, 2026
My favourite family photo: ‘This is a happy picture
The snapshot was taken just months after I lost my mum, and not everyone in it is still with us. But it is an image of survival, capturing the aftermath of grief and the beforemath of future losses
TL;DR
- The photo was taken five years ago in a National Trust for Scotland garden near Edinburgh.
- It captures the author, her partner Claire, their autistic son, daughter, and rescue dog.
- The location is described as quiet and peaceful, ideal for parents of autistic children.
- The author's mother died of breast cancer three months before the photo was taken.
- The author's dog, Daphne, died four years after the photo was taken.
- The author views the photo as a 'survival manifesto,' capturing a moment of apparent happiness layered with grief.
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