Good ladybird

Had the man round from the Stevenage store we visited yesterday to design us a bedroom. This all began when we thought we wanted a standalone wardrobe. Anyway we liked the plans and we think we've got a reasonable deal so he's walked away with our order and deposit.

I can't say I ever feel comfortable with salesmen who give this discount and that discount and just for today anyone with two legs qualifies for a further discount - you are always left with the feeling that there is a better deal to be had, but in the end it's just nice to move on with the knowledge that we can stop looking for wardrobes.

Our Good ladybird doesn't have these worries, although if the old rhyme is true I'd rather have my worries than hers.

Ladybird, ladybird, Fly away home,
Your house is on fire, And your children all gone,
All except one, And that's little Ann,
For she crept under, The frying pan.

This has been dated to at least 1744, when it appeared in a collection of nursery rhymes, you should chant it if a ladybird lands on you: if it then flies away again, your wish will come true. (That'll be for a trouble free bedroom installation then.)

After my Bad ladybird blip I was pleased to find this Good ladybird in the garden. This is one of our native species the seven-spot ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata).

The Bad ladybirds were confirmed by The Harlequin Ladybird Survey as being Harlequins and I also came across more information about their introduction "The harlequin ladybird, an Asian species, was introduced into North America more than 20 years ago for biological control of aphids. Since then, it has spread to Europe and more recently (2004) to Britain. Populations in North America have increased at an alarming rate over the last ten years and there are reports of increasing numbers in parts of France, Belgium and Holland."