Green Grey

1. Here is a question: What is this image from my Advent calendar the other day? The three carpets of Christmas?



2. 'How much would you pay for this Christmas tree?' I asked my mother, showing her the magazine.



She looked at it. 'Nothing.'

'No, but if you had to. If you really wanted it.'

'Twenty dollars.'

'You wouldn't even get the stump for that,' I said. 'It says prices start at $399.'

3. This was after we had been to the open day of a family building a garden in a quarry. It was lovely, more my sort of garden than hers: vegetables and cacti and metal sculptures. More agapanthus than I would plant, though. I'm not a fan of the agapanthus.

4. My garden is full of ladybirds just now. Full, I tell you. Normally I might see one every now and then; this morning I saw seven on one capsicum plant alone. Different sorts, too. I saw three different sets of spots. Usually when I see insects en masse I feel an unpleasant thrill, thinking they might swarm and eat me, but the ladybirds didn't bring that on. Perhaps that's blindly optimistic. If I never write again, you'll know I've been devoured by massed ladybirds.

5. catyah gave me five topics to write about, so here goes:

1. Best month of the year
March: the start of autumn, and presents for me. What's not to like?

Then again, I also like September, the start of spring, when everything bursts back to life. Apparently I like the months when things change.

( The other four )

Do ask for five topics from me if you'd like.