“The Friesian bull is back,” Bandon mart manager, Tom McCarty, said to me at a busy sale of calves on Monday, and he was right. Up from nothing, like the phoenix from the ashes.

A farmer warned me earlier this week that I should make sure all outhouses and sheds were locked up tightly every night. “Don’t wake up one morning to find them all filled with calves,” he said.

Fellows at this time of the year can often be found complaining that they have the world of trouble to contend with.

League One Fleetwood Town welcome the live television cameras and Leicester City to their Highbury Stadium for today’s lunchtime FA Cup third round tie. 

Manchester City’s Fernandinho expects Manchester United to feel the absence of Paul Pogba in this weekend’s derby.

After defeating us in the 2001 Connacht championship, they were rumoured to have burned a Galway jersey outside a public house the following afternoon, writes John Divilly.

Having spent last week giving out about the poor trade in the mart for light store cattle, this week found me at the mart selling light store cattle.

The Friesian store bullock, a bit like David Cameron, has experienced a fall from grace this past week.

So as we chalk down the first six months of 2016, how do we stand in the cattle business?

All seems to be quiet in the marts this week. Perhaps “too damn quiet” as they say in the cowboy films, just before the Indians attack.

A winning black Jersey at last weekend’s Cork Summer Show reflected new trends in the dairy industry.

While there was some good news during the week, with Turkey opening its arms to the live export of Irish cattle, in this house I was dealing with a live export of a different variety.

While Ireland’s attempts to achieve European glory in soccer have kicked off with a sense of deflation (Monday night’s match was a match we should have won), it’s anything but deflation on our farms right now.

I’d say there were more Cork fellows back in Gortatlea mart on Friday than there were up in Thurles on Sunday. And I’m sure they had a better day out to boot.

The only regret I had in Bandon mart on Monday was that I’d didn’t have my cheque book with me.

From Skibbereen to Gigginstown, it has been quality all the way at the cattle sales.

I looked at my cattle today while wearing my boots. It was the first time this year that I was able to venture into the field wellington free.

As you well know at this stage, I’m a glass half full man, rather than a glass half empty. Indeed so long as I have any drink at all, I’m happy.

There is a real sense of getting down to business at the marts this week. With the schools reopening after the Easter break, cattle marts are back to an adult-only audience.

On our farms right now many cattle are spending a good deal of their day backed up against a sheltered ditch.