I don’t know what the weather will be like when you are reading this, but here in Dublin on this Tuesday morning it’s downright miserable. On Monday, I allowed myself a duvet day and could hardly believe I was lighting the fire on 1 June, but it was freezing outside and the rain didn’t stop all day.

Back in west Limerick, things are getting serious, with grass growth behind and ground conditions becoming very difficult. The weather is predicted to improve this weekend and it would want to before it starts to do serious damage to farm incomes this year.

Bad weather had also been predicted for Bloom, but thank God it didn’t arrive until Monday and spoil things for the tens of thousands of people who turned up to take part in Ireland’s premier gardening event.

I was there for four days and the changeable weather did little to dampen my spirits because the Irish Country Magazine garden not only looked fabulous, but also bagged a gold medal.

Having a garden at Bloom was a big deal for us and, to be honest, while we hoped for a medal, we’d have been happy with any colour. Getting gold was absolutely wonderful. For me, our garden was a real garden – a garden where bits of it could suit a balcony or a quarter acre for that matter. It was restful, practical and beautiful, and we couldn’t have been more proud of it. Katherine O’Leary writes more about it on page 18 and there’s also a report from the event on page four.

I want to thank everyone involved, including our designers, Fiann Ó Nualláin and Lisa Kelly, and Bord Bia for all their help.

Turning to a project of another type, it gives me great pleasure to welcome back the FBD National Farmyard Awards. This popular competition is back after a year’s break when it made way for the Year of Family Farming Awards. Now in its eighth year, the competition showcases the wonderful work farming families do to keep their farmyards safe and pleasant places.

It doesn’t matter how big or small your yard is, there’s room in this competition for everyone. Nor is the competition all about window boxes and fresh paint. It’s about being tidy and having a place for everything.

FBD sponsors the competition and its generous prize fund, and has done so since the event first began eight years ago. It’s a commitment to farming families that is very much appreciated.

As ever, farm safety is a key criteria of the competition and there’s no doubt that a well-kept farmyard is a safer place in which to work.

Over the years, we have been delighted to feature the winning families, many of whom have maintained high standards on their farmyards for generations. And so often at the awards it’s a family of three generations that turns up to claim the prize.

We are looking for entries in three categories: dairying, livestock and tillage with all other farm enterprises. Full details on page six. Entries are welcome from all 32 counties, just remember the closing date is 27 July. So get those teenagers working now and you won’t hear them say they are bored for the rest of the summer.