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Walking down the garden drops of melted hoarfrost are falling from the trees, and for the first time in three weeks, there is water on my pond.
It’s still three-quarters frozen, and all pond-life is suspended just beneath the surface like a snapshot of the moment before the cold snap began: this water soldier (Stratiodes aloides) is meant to have sunk to the bottom for its winter sleep but it obviously didn’t get away in time.
My pond is a little shallow so I’m hoping all the newts are still OK in there.
I may be getting optimistic here but who knows – I may even get gardening again soon!
Sally Nex 
My pond has finally defrosted too. In fact I caught a blackbird having a bath this morning!
Good bye frost; hello wind and rain! An almost normal British winter, at last! Do be careful with that optimism – it seems to be wholly unfashionable these days. We’re doomed, I tell you, dooooomed!
My goodness, I’m just amazed it’s been frozen so long. i laughed about you having to go and buy parsnips! I find with resolutions that making them very specific helps me to keep them. And also be specific about how long you have to keep them for. Just doing January often helps set a pattern of behaviour, but sets a time limit so you don’t feel the commitment is unending. And not “keep fit”, more “run a mile three times a week”. And also, err on the side of what you honestly think you could do, because once you get started, you’ll do more than you thought, but if you aim too high, you never get started at all.
My barrel of water feature has lost its frozen surface and I went out for a few minutes without a coat yesterday. As you suggest gardening might be on the cards again soon. I do hope so.
I noticed some of the ponds and rivers beginning to thaw too. It’s a hint of speing to come!