I was at work today and we got talking about murders, I thought it was kind of an interesting lunch time topic.  They were talking about brains and blood and guts and splatters and splodges while others nearby were eating their sandwiches and seemed wholly unaffected by the conversation. 

I then had to go up to the printer to collect some drawings that I sent to print.  The printer is about twenty yards away.  As I was waiting for the Drawings to come out of the machine I sniffed the air and mentioned that there was a strange smell. 

Someone said it was soup.  I said it wasn’t soup at all. 

After a few moments of hard core mental effort I surprised myself by being able to pinpoint the EXACT smell, it came to me like a bolt of lightening: It was of ladybirds!

I know exactly where I was when I last smelled that smell too and I only a young one.  And I haven’t smelled it since. 

I announced it to the lads that it was ladybirds. 

They thought I was cracked but I couldn’t have been more serious.  They came out with all sortsa wise cracks and they had a good old laugh.  I walked away feeling enlightened but somewhat bewildered.  They were still cackling away when I got back to my desk.  I was deep in my thoughts trying to figure out why I associated that smell with ladybirds when Denis the Draughtsman spun around on his chair and proclaimed “I know what you’re talking about…” 

It kind of snapped me out of my trance.  I asked him what he was on about as he’d have to have bionic ears to have heard my conversation at the printer… but surprisingly he did.  He went on to explain that when ladybirds are attacked or feel threatened, they secrete this kinda orange coloured fluid and it has a very strong odour.  That is what the smell is…

I found a photo of it n all for ya.  Here la…

Isn’t that lovely?

It apparently acts as a chemical defense to keep the birds away so that they don’t get eaten.  Now I don’t know was he having me on or what, but I do remember that stuff that came out of the ladybirds and it stank and I wasn’t sniffing it up close either…

They say that the sense of smell has the longest and most vivid memory of all the senses… 

Denis then told me all about the Bombardier Beetle.  He said it’s his favourite insect.  This is him.

If you piss him off he gives you a blast of boiling hot liquid! hup hup!