In the garden

Another day of flipping between useful tasks and news updates on the phone.  About the latter, I grasp at straws, perhaps, while reading accounts of the Russian convoy north of Kyiv being marooned in oceans of mud. If the various commentators I alight upon are to be believed, this outcome is the result both of Ukrainians releasing water from a reservoir to increase mud levels, and inadequate Russian vehicle maintenance.  For anyone who might want to ponder in-depth descriptions of all this, try reading the Twitter commentary from @TrentTelenko, particularly the thread on Mud and Trucks.  I'm not predisposed to trust the comments of retired military men. But the renowned investigative journalist Carole Cadwalladr follows this account, which makes me look twice.
I also listen to Ukrainecast on BBC Radio 4, and hear the heartbreaking accounts of Ukrainians under bombardment.
All this while digging out one of our three compost bins. As a job, this is satisfyingly strenuous and it leaves me with buckets of good organic stuff to spread around the more impoverished bits of the garden.
I took the camera into the garden, thinking I might pause and watch for visiting birds for a while. But it was cold and fairly blustery, despite intermittent sunshine. So today's blip is the lovely blooms of the winter-flowering clematis cirrhosa var balearica 'Freckles' instead.
A delicate-looking plant that is nevertheless extremely efficient at invading its neighbours' territory.