Summer is almost over, we are nearly into September and the Autumn. I think it's been a pretty good summer, nice and hot, which is just how I like it. I'm now looking ahead to the dilemma of my Winter postal charges. I have up until now always kept my postal charges the same throughout the year but I am totally undecided what to do this year. Royal Mail Special Delivery costs have soared and once a heat pack is added to the box, plus extra packaging for insulation, plus larger boxes are needed, the price is far more than during the warmer months. Sadly I think I will at least need to charge £1.00 for the heat pack, I don't want to lose customers and have thought of making the heat pack an optional extra. However I really can't do that as it would mean the animals suffering and possibly even dying in transit. I think it would have to be a compulsory charge but I don't think I can just ignore the cost this year. I'm clearly still thinking about it, feel free to let me know what you think!
I was talking to a guy at an exhibition recently, he too supplies bugs via the post. I was amazed what he thought was an acceptable percentage loss during transit. I very rarely have anything die in the post and if it does I feel extremely upset and try to find out why and if any lessons could be learnt. I do spend a lot of time packing up my bugs as I feel it is vital to get it right. When I receive goods there is a huge difference in the way animals are packed. Most are well packed and some look like they must have taken hours as they are housed in individual little pots, with substrate and food and labels. Occasionally bugs are just put in an empty tub or a tub with dry tissue in it. The two main things that can go wrong in the post are the animal being knocked about with nothing to cushion it or getting too dry. I am very careful who I order from, if I receive one badly packed order, I doubt if I would be placing a second one. Someone wrote in my 'comments' section recently that they would have preferred the spider to come in tissue rather than cotton wool. They may prefer tissue but after years of experience, I find cotton wool is much better as a cushion and insulator and I'm sure the spiders would vote for cotton wool over tissue.
I have been avidly checking my snake eggs this week but no babies as yet. I do think my Corn snake eggs are ok so hopefully I will have news to share next week. I will be bitterly disappointed if they don't hatch! The snakes now seem happily settled into their new vivariums.
My website is still in the process of being upgraded. I'm assuming that my web guy ran out of time before he went on holiday for a week? I haven't heard from him but I'm sure I will once he gets it all up and running. I haven't had any new complaints about my online payment system so hopefully it is now fixed. I'm 'thinking' it is but please let me know if you find otherwise.
Most things in the bug house are doing well. I have been sorting out my multitude of beetles this week. Sadly I discovered that one of my beetle tanks had become too damp after rain leaked in through the roof recently. I knew that water had got into the tank but I assumed the heat mat and daytime lights would dry it out. Unfortunately when I came to clean the tank I discovered that most of the cocoons had rotted away and on opening them they contained pupae in a decomposing state. I have tried to rescue as many as possible but I don't hold out much hope for keeping the colony going.
I will hopefully today be picking up some new stock, spiders, scorpions, millipedes, beetles etc. I won't however be going to the bug show that I was planning on visiting this weekend. My hubby only has tomorrow off so we have decided to escape for the day and go to the seaside. I am "bunking off" but I don't feel too guilty as all I seem to do these days is work and look after various animals and people. I honestly need a day away from it all. This week has been a nightmare looking after my nephew's cat, the damn thing disappeared for the entire bank holiday weekend. I was out searching, talking to neighbours and constantly backwards and forwards to their house. My son picked his cat up from us late on Sunday night (after his anniversary break) and yesterday my niece asked if I could have her dog for a few days. I do hate to say no but honestly I just can't. I need to get away tomorrow and can't leave two dogs with our daughter (well, she doesn't have a problem saying no, she point blank refused to look after him). Must go now, I have to get my mother in-law up to London to catch a coach!
It's really weird that I sit down to write my blog each week and whatever has happened during the week the blog always seems to be about the same length. I usually print the blog out so that I can read it properly and it always seems to be just over an A4 page. It is strange because I never plan it that way and I never give myself a set time. Often I get distracted and don't write the blog in one go anyway. I regularly start it on Thursday evening and then finish on Friday morning.
Forgot to say - I went 'pond dipping for adults' on Tuesday evening. It was an event organised by the Oxfordshire Wildlife trust, hubby refused to come so I dragged along one of my friends. It was great fun but I think poor Helen thought she had been transported into a parallel universe. I was straight in the pond and picking up newt and beetles, while she was gingerly holding the net with her rubber gloved hands. Most of my friends don't realise what a nutcase I am!
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