It's such a warm December that...

The hedgehogs are still awake around here, we have hedgehog poos and a neighbour popped a video on his facebook page. I am pleased, because they will eat all the slugs and snails we still have everywhere.

As for insects not being around - I saw a butterfly the other day, and we do still have bees and heaven knows what else. They come down our chimney and fly around the room, the ivy on the wall is still in flower and very busy.

Oh yes, slugs and snails. We still have them in abundance. Can I have one of your hedgehogs please stillhere?

Yesterday I saw whole clumps of daffodils on a grass verge. Fully in flower

Anyone seen a long range forecast - not they are right, but just wondering if any winter is forecast at all?

I go to work in the middle of the night and we are still being bombarded by plenty of big moths!

I think today was the warmest December day since records began.I must say I am a cold bod and need more than a tee shirt on top, but haven't gone into jumpers as yet even so.

It's 11pm and I'm out on the patio in my nightie and summer light cotton dressing gown to cool down.

Blimey gran where do you live -australia?

My DH, a bit of an old romantic, came home from the shops with a bunch of daffodils for me today.

or Africa somewhere?

he had probably grabbed them from the roadside NanKate

I went into town today, and through the window I could see it was very windy, so I put a lace scarf over my hair, and buttoned up my coat, usually I don`t, but after a few minutes in town, I was so warm, so off came the scarf, and I undid my coat.

Picked and ate a strawberry yesterday and I saw several cow parsley plants in bloom when I went for my walk, they did look a bit attenuated, but they are high summer plants, not even early summer plants. I would also add buttercups and irises to the list of flowers in bloom.

I cut the grass ten days ago and it is already looking in need of another cut.

We have been woken by the dawn chorus, for several days. I do hope the birds will not breed too soon. What chance will hatchlings have if it suddenly turns cold.

X

The climbing rose that DH cut right back to about 18" is now shooting I've just noticed.
I haven't worn a coat yet, only one of my thick cardigans or waterproof jacket.

Passed several banks of the bright orange Californian poppies yesterday. They haven't stopped flowering all year.

Sounds lovely, ffinn! I thought I saw one Welsh poppy in flower yesterday but I was driving at the time so couldn't look closely. Other than that, there's only a bit of scraggy ragwort and Common cat's-ear still in flower near us.

Temperature here is down from 11-12° to 7-8° overnight. These are fairly normal December temps for here. Hope we get some frosty mornings in the new year and into the spring, also as usual.

My chives are infested with mites and I still have a red chilli on my outdoor plant!

3 of my Clematis have buds growing all over them I haven't even cut them back yet... such a shame if a cold snap does for them.

I have a Welsh poppy plant which can been seen from my kitchen window. The flowers just keep coming and coming...

So warm that I was persecuted by a fly at DGS's Christingle service, and think I've got a mosquito bite from when I kicked off the bedclothes because I was so hot. So unseasonal as my DM would have said in a voice of doom.

So warm that my neighbours' Christmas drinks party took place in their garden yesterday evening!!

I went ouside this morning to do a bit of weeding, looked at the grass and decided I needed to cut it again, I have pencilled in Christmas Eve. It was last cut two weeks ago, early December.

I thought cutting the grass onec in December was bad enough, but may now be twice!!!!!

Whitewave I'm in N. Ireland.
It's definitely cooler today

All we could hear yesterday (17C, 12C overnight) was the sound of mowing! A bit cooler today at a mere 14C, but still no heating on as this house holds heat.