I blogged on 3 January 2007 that I had disturbed a frog whilst doing some gardening, I thought at the time that it was too early for that particular amphibian to be up and about, well last night its record was beaten by two frogs calling out to each other through the wind and rain as the old year came to an end. 2011 was apparently the second warmest since records began, even though the summer wasn't anything to write about, and as we begin the New Year I can only remember having to scrape frost off the car twice this winter which must be some sort of a record.

The apple tree already has blossom on it and both the banana plants and the canna were still growing when I decided it was probably a good idea to cover them for the winter should the temperatures start to drop. The mild weather has had one big plus though, two weeks before Christmas our boiler finally died, we've been in this house for twenty five years and it was here when we moved in so it had a decent life, and a new one couldn't be fitted until this week. Coinciding as it did with the strangely non-Christmas weather we've not noticed the lack of any central heating and there was a temptation not to bother having it replaced but sod's law dictates that if we didn't the UK would suddenly be plunged into the coldest winter since the early 1960's.