Yesterday we tackled one of our least favourite jobs, trimming the ivy that grows up the front of the house. (The ‘home page’ photo is old, the ivy is now passed the bedroom windows.) Thankfully it only needs doing once a year.

It was a pleasant enough day and not too cold, and we started after lunch. Peter goes up the ladders whilst I hang on to them to keep them upright, and he trims the ivy with whatever implements he deems appropriate. Yesterday it was a hoe, in order to remove some of the really long bits from high up the brickwork.

It’s a method we’ve used before and works quite well, as long as you don’t mind the assorted debris falling on your head. This debris includes dozens and dozens of ladybirds of all sizes.

I always feel a bit guilty at dislodging them, but what can you do? We try not to tread on them, but that’s about as far as it goes.

After about and hour, Peter was getting tired and fed up with the job; over-stretched, over-balanced and fell off the ladder. He hurt his knee and his ankle, so decided to call it a day.

He went to rest his leg on the settee and I went into the kitchen to get him a drink and a cold compress for his knee. I noticed whilst I was doing this that I had a baby ladybird on my shoulder.

I decided to sort Peter out first and then take the little spotted fellow outside. The trouble was by the time I got around to it, he had disappeared  and I couldn’t see where he had gone, so thought no more about it.

This morning I was making breakfast and when I took the lid off the Lurpak spreadable, what should I find nestling in the butter, but a baby ladybird! And it was still alive!!

I am at a loss as to how he got in there, as I did not have the butter out again after we’d had our  lunch yesterday. So that will remain one of life’s little mysteries.

Anyway I scooped him out on a little butter plinth and popped him outside in the base of a hosta, the next time I looked he had gone.  I hope he has a long and happy life.

You couldn’t make it up.