Despite the changeable weather over the bank holiday weekend, for the first time in 10 years we managed to get the sheep sheared in the month of May. It certainly made a change from two years ago when continuous bad weather meant it was August before we could get this essential job done. I also succumbed to doing my flower pots. I’d given up doing them this early because, as often as not, the weather usually stayed wet and cold and I got no value out of the bedding plants.

But having been at Bloom for two days, I was spurred into action and needed to get my purchases planted before they dried out or were attacked by slugs. They included 26 huge lily bulbs which I was assured would flower within 35 days. If they do, they will provide a welcome splash of colour in mid-July.

I also got sweet pea settled outside the kitchen door and I have pots of gorgeous ladybird poppies and cosmos coming along nicely. These three flowers cost me no more than €5 for seed.

At Bloom, I met lots of people on our Irish Country Magazine stand and sometimes the conversations took an unusual turn.

“I’m not myself at all today. I’m really not able for this,” said one woman to whom I’d offered a seat.

She was carrying lots of bags and looked tired and gladly sat down beside me. We exchanged pleasantries and after a few minutes she began telling me about the dilemma in which she found herself.

“I have to decide between my sisters and my partner and if I pick him I will lose my sisters and I don’t know what to do. Wouldn’t you think I’d know my own mind at this age of my life,” she continued. She told me she was 67. She had been friendly with this man in the past but they hadn’t been together for some years, and now he was back in her life. She told me she was lonely, her husband was dead for over 15 years and her children were settled with their own lives to lead.

“He wants to move in, but my sisters don’t want me to have anything to do with him. If they knew how involved we already are, they’d never talk to me again.”

I asked had her sisters reason to be worried and she reluctantly acknowledged this man hadn’t been good to her in the past. “It’s hard to teach an auld dog new tricks,” I said – and that was as far as I was prepared to go as an agony aunt.

And then she saw one of her sisters approaching, put her finger to her lips and changed the subject. As I watched her walk away, I thought to myself, well there’s a woman with a dilemma you wouldn’t have expected. I’d like to think that whatever decision she makes, her sisters will be there for her.

Another woman with a dilemma is Mary, whose letter I quoted in this column a few weeks ago. At the time I asked for advice from readers as to what she should do. I would like to thank the many readers who responded. We have some of your suggestions on page 14 and there’s more next week.

Finally, start thinking about our Family Farming Awards – full details are on page 13.