meaning: dull, wet, gloomy and dreary.  Yep, that is what kind of weather we have had throughout December. Hardly any wind, and quite mild, and just miserable.  None of the plants are looking great just now.  The Hellebores haven’t really got going yet, the ferns have either died back altogether or are looking a bit tatty, there are a few sporadic, sad flowers on a couple of shrubs, and the catkins on the contorted hazel are just starting.  The witch hazel hasn’t done anything yet and even the cyclamen have stopped flowering.  The evergreen shrubs are at least still green but are rather a dull shade and everything thing else just looks grey or brown.  I did just about get a photo of the little fox, but, it leapt over the wall just as I clicked so I only managed to get the tail.  Poor little fox has a sore front right paw and was limping, but. is still got over the wall just fine.  I have also been trying to photograph the long tailed tits that have just appeared again at the peanut feeder.  They come in a little group and are very skittish so fly away quickly at the signs of any movement or noise.

Plans for the new year will include: getting the far end, left corner of the wall mended (once we have a contact for the person who owns the house (they have plans afoot to split that house into two houses), getting some sort of paving put down between the pond and the patio, lift some slabs at the right hand border and make it  a slightly wider border (it has always been too narrow), maybe get rid of the apple trees at the back of the garage as we end up chucking a lot of apples away (they are not keepers but I do make a lot of purée to freeze), and find something to grow over the back wall of the garage – colourful and scented.  And due to the worsening of the arthritis in my hands I must start looking for a new garden helper. Even simple dead-heading has become a painful chore no matter what secateurs I use.  I am soooooo looking forward to spring but there have been rumours of a prolonged period of very cold, snowy weather, depending on what course the jet stream takes.  Not looking forward to that but I do love the silence of those days where the snow flakes are large and soft and it makes a beautiful, velvety white blanket over everything.  Now, where is my camera?