I thought I had moved on from summers of inhalers, nasal sprays and sleeves stuffed with soggy tissues. Up until my late twenties, while most people were out celebrating the warm weather, I would be reaching for small bottles to stick up my nose, and tablets to swallow, in the hope of warding off the symptoms of hay fever.

I would struggle through the days, with a streaming nose, prickly throat and red, swollen eyes that itched so much it took great willpower to resist rubbing them. On top of that, came extended bouts of sneezing that seemed to go on forever, and usually occurred at the most inconvenient times, often when I was driving.

It’s as hard to concentrate on the road when you’re taken over by a serious bout of sneezing as it is using a mobile phone - and that’s illegal. In my teens it always coincided with exams, so where others had good luck toys on their desks during O and A-levels, I had boxes of Kleenex.

Hay fever - the common name for allergic rhinitis - sufferers also feel tired and mildly unwell as they battle through the months when the pollen count is at its highest.

I remember one year when I walked with my friend alongside a field of oilseed rape. Almost immediately my mouth went dry and my eyes began itching. Within minutes I looked like a rabbit with myxomatosis.

It hampers your social life too. Pub beer gardens were, for a long time, no-go areas, and on hot days when enjoying a cool drink, I would have to drag my friends inside.

You can’t underestimate the misery caused by hay fever. It may seem relatively trivial, but it can trigger more serious concerns, especially for those with respiratory problems.

I suffered with hay fever for years and then, miraculously, it stopped. I didn’t get it any more, not even when I walked through fields of newly-mown grass. I could drive along country lanes with the car windows down and not feel a thing. It was bliss.

As time went on, I thought I’d left behind the days of holding wet flannels against my eyes and staying indoors with the windows shut.

But it was not to be - this year the loathsome symptoms have come back with a vengeance. As I write this, my nose is streaming, and I’ve had to commandeer our heavy-duty kitchen roll as tissues aren’t up to the job.

Up to 20 million Britons suffer from hay fever - one of the highest rates in the world. According to NHS statistics, around a fifth of the population is thought to suffer, and that figure rises to 37 per cent in teenagers.

A report by pollen and allergy expert Dr Jean Emberlin predicts that rates will double by 2030, as temperatures, pollution and urbanisation increase, leading to longer hay fever seasons and worsening symptoms.

The condition can develop at any time over the age of two years. It typically begins during adolescence, but late onset cases are becoming more common. In addition, fewer people are ‘growing out’ of the condition once they reach adulthood.

I’m actually growing back into it. There are now far more remedies available than when I last fell victim back in 1980-something, so I hope at least one will keep the symptoms at bay. I’ve put off buying any so far, because I’m still hoping it’s a blip.

At least there's a silver lining. My hay fever means I can’t possibly help my husband mow the lawn.