An iridescent blue ladybird. Apparently it's proper name is steel blue ( halmus chalybeus ). It was eating little aphids - not scale as it is supposed to eat if on citrus trees. There were in fact 2. Perhaps I will have a family of pretty little garden helpers soon.
I was wrong about the wind not getting us. Yesterday was a shocker. The wind swept short blasts of heavy rain again and again. In between the sun tried to emerge. Today is very chilly....I know they got snow in the South - I hope your animals are okay Nicky.
We couldn't really work for any length of time out side yesterday so made a quick dash to the city to do a few chores and while there remembered to go and buy a shredder... Recently when doing lots of cleaning out of documents I decided having a shredder might be a good way of on the spot recycling of personal / orchard documents.
This is what results. I am going to mix it with the garden rubbish and put as mulch under the avocado trees.I think it will need heavier green waste on the top so it doesn't blow around. A bit of experimenting will tell if it is worth doing. It is however a slow process - taking staples out and feeding the thing. Maybe once I have got rid of the back log it can become an every few days job. Paper does build up around here. We recycle newspaper and crap mail at the recycling depot. This is more for A4 size and old accounts. Looking at it I think it could be used as packaging too. Maybe I should have a worm farm as well as compost bins.They like eating paper. Thinking, thinking.
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See how tidy my herb garden is looking. if your eye sight is good you might see lots of mint at the back, newly emerging radish and carrots, thyme and sage and in the front strawberries and parsley.( lots of moss to get rid of in the little paths )
The sun is out so back to the garden effort straight after lunch.
2 comments:
We have a paper shredder too, and I have been thinking the same thing. When we had our back yard done just recently the gardener planted the new plants, then laid several layers of soaked newspaper round them with tiny holes for the plants. You could put the shredded paper down first, then use the wet newspaper. It was all then covered with a thick layer of mulch.
Here's to lots of baby helpers in the garden....
I bring some of the shredded paper from work and add it to our worm farm.... it's only a small worm farm though and can't take too much at once.
Weather has been terrible here, but the ewes and lambs have come through surprisingly well, thank goodness!
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