Harrods was lovely but lots of catching up to do today

Harrods was lovely but lots of catching up to do today. My sister and I went on the Flackwell Heath, annual Christmas coach trip to Harrods yesterday. It really is another world in that gorgeous store (must get an extra lottery ticket this weekend), I bought Teddi a ceramic doggy bowl, with Harrods printed on it for her first birthday next Thursday.

This week has been pretty quiet again but I have sold off a number of stick insects, they were at reduced prices as I need to cut down on the number of cages. Even feeding bramble eating stick insects has become a problem in the last couple of years. We have woods all around us and not so long ago I just hopped over the fence a couple of times a week to collect an armful of bramble for my little friends. Now the woods are full of Muntjac deer and they have even it all. This week I was reduced to visiting the local Homebase car park. The car park backs onto the M40 motorway so there are no deer and lots of bramble. This is only usually necessary in the depths of Winter. The Privet situation is worse but I must admit that the Black Beauty stick insects have sold very well and in large numbers since I dramatically reduced the price. I don't think I will have any but a bare minimum breeding stock soon. The Ecuador Shield stick insects also feed on Privet but they are just not selling. I cannot lower the price as I am already out of pocket on them. I'm not sure why, they are lovely stick insects and most unusual, I don't think I have ever had them before.

It is so difficult to know what will sell and as this is a postal business the common name seems to be important. It's a shame because lots of them are made up by me and mean nothing really! I wish people would do a Google search on the scientific name and then they would see plenty of information and photos. It is crazy when people copy my made up names, some are ok, I try to be descriptive but it is difficult with so many stick insect species. I have gone through all the prickly, spiny, giant prickly, giant spiny, thorny, hedgehog, spiky etc. Lots of stick insects have pointy bits on their body! I am having a dilemma with the millipedes at the moment. I have sold out of Giant Train millipedes and Giant Chocolate millipedes, they are both established species but I have some others that are not selling at all and they are really impressive. I love the Dusky Orange Banded Millipede but obviously my made up name is rubbish and I have no scientific name as yet, I haven't sold one. If I had a pet shop and people could see them, I guarantee they would be all gone. I will be changing the name this week, it would be great if I could identify them but I haven't seen them before. They are a large African species, very attractive and I haven't had a single one die on me. I say that because when buying in wild caught millipedes it is a fact that not all are likely to be in perfect condition and one or two will often die. I think I should call them Giant Chocolate Orange, Giant Moonlight, Giant Orange Blush or something similar. I will add the word 'giant' that always helps and they are a large, stocky species.

Not sure what I am going to do about the new shelving that I need in my bug house. I checked online and looked back through my old invoices. The shelving that I bought two years ago was expensive then but it seems to have gone up by about £150. I will have to look around, someone suggested that I use scaffold boards, it was a good idea as they are strong and cheap (my nephew is a roofer and I am babysitting for his three kids this evening - second time in a week). However, having thought about it I am far too fussy, I want the same or similar shelving to the ones I already have.

Right that's it, I can take no more! There is a terrible smell of petrol in my office and I am gagging. I have sat here for as long as I can. I rang hubby and evidently his motorbike had a puncture when he set off for work at the crack of dawn this morning. He took bike number two but it seems bike number one has now fallen over and spilled out petrol, it is choking me and I am going to evacuate to the bug house and recover from this nausea. All he cares about is his bike but I cannot lift it and I am rather miffed (would like to swear here). I was out all day yesterday and have a mountain of emails and paperwork to get done. I will have to do it in short bursts throughout the day. My office is behind the garage but the entire house stinks now as I had to open the door. I'm off!