It's the first day of Spring on Monday

It's the first day of Spring on Monday and also the day that the kitchen fitters start to put our kitchen back together again. I have only been without the kitchen for a week but it seems like a month. My husband, son and nephew have been working hard to prepare the room, there was a lot to do. Everyone keeps telling me it will be worth it in the end! The kitchen units are being packed into every available space in the house as I type, my office is full of the old kitchen contents, there's plaster dust everywhere, oh it is a nightmare.

Back to the bugs, they are all fine, tucked up in their own little house at the bottom of the garden. Regardless of what I do with the heating and lighting the animals always know when it's Spring. I have lots of stick insects hatching, the first baby Hissing cockroaches of the year have just been born and my pet geckos have laid two eggs. I don't know what my South American Fishing spider is doing. She has webbed herself into a flower pot but she hasn't moulted or laid an egg sac, each time I take a peak she just sits there looking at me. I have a Vietnam Earth Tiger with an egg sac so fingers crossed I will have some babies soon. I have several of these spiders, I think they are all female and as they were wild caught there is always a chance that they will lay egg sacs. I collected the spiders from a reptile dealer so I had the pick of the bunch which is always good. I really do prefer to see spiders before I buy them, especially the larger ones. When buying wild caught adult spiders it is generally easy to see the ones that are past their prime. I do have some stunning larger spiders at the moment and I am wondering if I may be able to set up a 'featured spider gallery' on my website. I had a tarantula gallery on my previous website and it was very popular, with the featured spiders often selling very quickly. I'm useless with technology as you all know so it would be reliant on my husband having the time to help me. I'm sure people would prefer to see the actual spider that they are buying but I must admit it did take quite a bit of time when I had it set up before. I am keen on this idea though.

I received an email this week which left me flabbergasted, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry! I sometimes send extra bugs with an order if I have plenty, these are usually creatures that I have bred myself, stick insects, millipedes, beetles and occasionally spiderlings. These are always well received, I know this because I get lots of calls and emails thanking me but this week I received an email from a lady who was 'disappointed' that I had sent her two stick insects when she had ordered only one and she wanted an explanation. I was amazed, I don't like any animal to be kept on its own so I sent a pair. In all my considerable years of selling bugs this is the first 'complaint' that I have ever had. It truly is a case of 'you can't please everyone all of the time' but I will continue to try! I really appreciate my customers, particularly the ones who order from me regularly, believe me I don't take it for granted. Actually I did have one person moan once that she nearly threw an 'extra' stick insect away. I thought this was fair comment so I always write it on the box now when I have added something extra. I must just point out that I don't always add something extra and it is never something that you haven't ordered, I won't be sending a free scorpion to someone who has ordered a stick insect!

Teddi (our Eurasier puppy) is doing well, she is four months now and we have been to two training classes so far. She knows sit and down but in a room full of other dogs she seems to forget everything. I have been asked for more photos of her so I will try and sort that out for next week. Obviously I will need hubby's help, I know it's terrible but I do not know how to get the photo from camera, onto computer and then onto website (perhaps one day).

Last thing, there are still a ridiculous amount of burglaries being reported in our village so I feel on alert even though we had a burglar alarm fitted a few weeks ago. I do have an alarm in the bug house but it is a palaver to set so I have decided to splash out and get the bug house linked up to the main house alarm. It isn't an easy job because I don't want an alarm ringing in the bug house itself, goodness knows what harm it would do to the animals.

Think of me next week with the kitchen being fitted, Teddi and I will be hiding out in the bug house if the noise and dust gets too much.