The mild winters of the past few years fooled me into thinking that I had got the problem of winter interest cracked. This December the garden looks a mess and I guess it will stay that way until the daffodils get going. I daren't cut back dead foliage which is protecting live stems at the base of shrubs. At least the geraniums and Thalia type fuchsias are giving colour in the conservatory and Christmas gives me an excuse to add interest at night with lights! The Beauty Pine has grown so sturdy that this year Chris was able to decorate it in safety
About 20 more dead frogs after the pond iced over. I had put a ball on the water so I could aerate it but I found the ball at the bottom of the garden. The neighbour's cat sits on the edge of the pond for hours so it is my first suspect, but the culprit could be the fox.