Hi Kath - I wouldn't say I "love" gardening but I hope I grow (excuse the pun) to love it. Jane was the gardener and I was the under-gardener who helped with the heavy stuff; digging, raking and shifting bags of compost. Jane did the creative bit that required a myriad of decisions and also meant taking risks. If after a year I haven't started to enjoy it then I might convert the vegetable plot to lawn.
As far as back breaking goes - you're right but I only dig or bend for about one and a half hours before I take a break. In the autumn of 2014 I had a terrible problem with my right knee as a consequence of kneeling down whist weeding and planting out bulbs (under Jane's direction) so I'm very careful not to set that off again.