When we all look back on the month of September 2022, I rather think that it will turn out to be the most emotional month that any of us have ever experienced. It has been a real roller coaster, hasn’t it?

The month began with us being bored and in a state of limbo as we waited for the interminable leadership election to draw to a conclusion, and then we were all greatly cheered to see that Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth, was well enough to meet and greet Liz Truss, as she invited her to become her fifteenth Prime Minister.

The profound shock of learning that Her Majesty had died, two days later, was followed by huge sadness and grief – and not limited to people in this country; it seemed to ricochet around the world.

There were celebrations to follow, as Prince Charles was proclaimed King Charles III, and great admiration for the way that the Royal Family have all mourned not only the loss of their Queen but also their mother, sister, grandmother and great-grandmother, in the most moving and dignified way.

The constant stream of people turning out to pay their respects to Her Majesty, either by lining the roads or filing silently past her coffin as it lay in state, was incredibly emotional to see, and who will ever forget the wonderful spectacle of everyone involved in accompanying Her Majesty from the moment that she left Balmoral, until the final moments of her State Funeral at Windsor? Emotions have been in overdrive for the last couple of weeks, with all that has been going on in such a short space of time.

After what has been happening on the world stage, our own reactions to life on the farm seem somewhat mundane, although surprisingly, equally emotional at times in its own quiet way.

Having experienced months of worry because of the serious, ongoing drought, I will leave you to imagine the elation that we felt when we finally had a decent drop of rain this month and the ground softened enough to let some of the autumn cultivations get underway.

The sense of relief was palpable. Not only were we thrilled to see the rain, but everything looked happier, the trees, grassland and even the livestock. Emotions affect us all – whether facing world events or revelling in a simple drop of rain.