Like many gardeners I have been very frustrated with day after day of rain.

My garden is more suited for planting water lilies than any normal flowers. Any attempt to cut the grass is totally out of the question as my shoes just sink into the ground. Patience is not one of my strongest attributes.

Despite the fact that sowing runner beans is not due for many more weeks, I have been busy setting up bamboo stakes and bean netting despite standing in wet mud. I have sowed some beetroot seeds. This year I have bought a mixture of beetroot colours so it will be interesting to taste white ones which will be a first for me.

On a positive note, my autumn planting looks to have escaped being drowned. Broad beans are growing well so that I can nip off the top in an attempt to stop black fly invasions. Onions and garlic are still alive, but the radish crop has been a hearty meal for snails and is a failure.

Last year I grew potatoes in potato sacks. In previous years this has been successful, but the crop was late and small, so I have abandoned that idea this year. I suspect the long, dry summer did not help. Much to the joy of my neighbour's my tomato growing was such that I was able to supply many of them with a weekly crop. Whilst this was a success, it resulted in the greenhouse being taken over by giant tomato plants. I have been instructed to try to grow them outdoors this year and have bought three beef tomato plug plants . Just how successful they will be remains to be seen as I have never grown them before.

Daffodils arrived early as they are obviously good swimmers but are now slowly fading away as tulips have decided it is their turn to arrive. Tulips are my favourite flower, but they do not seem to last as long as I would like. Much to my delight the camellia has just continued to flower for weeks on end, giving a bright red showing. The downside is that with the constant wind its petals cover the lawn. The minute they clear up the next lot appears. The garden always seems to bring a new challenge day after day. This can be frustrating, but I suspect that this is its appeal.

There is always something to do in the garden which has the advantage of ensuring that you get some exercise on a regular basis. My back does not always agree with garden chores and can remind me that although my mind wants to believe I am a fit young man my body is at pains to remind me that those days are long since gone. With luck the coming weeks will finally bring some dry weather. My overgrown lawn may finally be brought under control. To all readers struggling in the wet and the mud, we can only hope things get better.