End of Month Review - January 2013

I am now in the habit of looking at last year's End of Month Review for the appropriate month before starting writing this year's.  Last year I commented that January was snowless, well not so this year.  We have had snow.
It was a couple of days of heavy snow coupled with freezing temperatures that meant that the garden was covered for about eleven days.  For eleven days it was like my garden didn't exist as I usually know it.  It was a new garden, a different garden, a Moomintroll Midwinter garden.  I liked it for what it was, yet mourned for what it had been.
Then the thaw began:
It began to reappear - what a relief!  The front garden continues to please, I liked it under snow and uncovered from snow.
The garden went from being two-tone to having some color overnight.
As the snow thawed it uncovered the sodden wasteland of a mess of the borders underneath.  Patches of green dotting around in what is best described as very cold mud.
The olive tree seems to have got through it all ok.
The woodland border also seems to be fairly happy.
Rays of hope appear, this hellebore was planted in the wild garden three or four years ago, this year it has finally flowered and very welcome it is too.
Hellebores also spread hope in the Spring border.
The veg borders are really sodden too, but the minute the snow clears it can be seen that the green manure is still green and I expect still manure too.
I am a self-confessed disliker of evergreens in general, but in specific cases I make allowances.  This Magnolia Fairy Blush planted last year is rather pleasing.  It will be even more pleasing if it flowers this year.
The first snowdrop has flowered, this must be three weeks later than last year's first snow drop, but I think last year's was particularly early.
I'm liking the grasses still adding shape and color to the pond border.
The prairie border grasses were looking great in today's sunny and breezy weather.
I end as ever with my pond, my beautiful, much loved pond.  It went from snow-bound to snow-free in three days.  It remains very full as it has done for nearly a year now.  I wonder what this year will bring for it?
Thanks as ever to Helen for hosting this meme.