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I think I tempted fate by mentioning the ’Beast from the East’ in my last column.

What a month February turned out to be. Mother nature put on quite the show, kicking off with rain, then the cold with extremely sharp and hard frosts, then came some snow and to finish we had a mix of strong winds and sunshine.

February fatigue is setting in and the novelty of our well-oiled winter routine has worn off – turnout cannot come fast enough.

The talking point in Wales right now is the shock announcement of whole territory Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs) by Welsh Government.

With spring happily just round the corner, we will be so glad to see the end of one of the wettest and coldest winter I can remember – and I am now 63 and as far as I am aware do not suffer from memory loss.

It seems to be the time of year for surveys. I have done the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch and the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust Big Farmland Bird Count, noting that bird numbers are down.

When it is mild and wet all winter, all I can think is that a bit of cold, dry weather would do just fine.

This is the first column I have written for Farmers Guardian since my wife Rose’s suicide in June. I have been very touched by the response of so many farming people.

All eyes have turned to the weather. A deluge of late January rain has left lagoons full, not quite bursting, so forecasts of drier weather should allow lagoon emptying across the region.

Sometimes a small idea can turn into something special.