Success!

Success! I have finally managed to house up all the spiders that I bought from the tarantula exhibition, almost three weeks ago. I should never have bought so many spiders in one go and I won't do it again. I have removed the 15% discount code from the website now but I have reduced some of the individual spiders as I still need to seriously cut down on numbers. I have spiders all over my bug room and although they are selling, they are not selling fast enough. It is a very busy time of year, lots of animal exhibitions are getting ready to re-open after the winter and I have plenty of orders (mostly non spider, many for beetles). I got in some new beetles again this week. Thankfully we still haven't had any really cold weather yet this winter (I'm hoping we will skip the ice and snow and move swiftly onto a nice warm 'dry' spring). I have had no problems with the post at all, no loses and no delayed parcels, which is really great. I'm writing this blog a day early as I will be out tomorrow. Friday is my 'floating day' when I don't post out orders due to the weekend. I therefore tend to get out and about running errands, delivering, collecting, etc. I will once again be collecting a car load of empty sweet jars. I really don't need them at the moment as I have plenty but this is probably my last chance to get sweet jars. They have been stored in a garage by a lady who no longer uses them in her shop. She needs the space so I will put them in my old greenhouse (I have nowhere else to put them). My hubby is still trying to erect my new greenhouse that we bought long before Christmas. Every time he has a day off work it is either pouring with rain or we have gale force winds. Isn't the weather crazy this year? I feel so sorry for all the people whose houses have been flooded, it must be just terrible. For once I am glad to live perched on a hill, just down the hill from us is the river Thames. Much of the area is now flooded.

Next week is half term so I will have my nephew's children for some of the time. I may be slower to reply to emails and may not be able to post orders every day. I will have to speed up a bit now as I need to collect them from school in half an hour (I always have them after school on Thursdays). I still have my son's cat here while they are away on holiday. She is lovely but we have to be so careful not to leave any doors open and let her out.

I decided this week to keep my beautiful sub-adult Mexican Knee tarantula. You may recall that she caused quite a bit of controversy on my website, I put her on there more for interest than to sell. I put a price tag of £150 on her so that she wouldn't sell and had a few shirty people pointing out to me that this was far too much. Exactly, I didn't want to sell her! Well now I have had a couple of enquiries and got a bit worried that someone may pay £150 so I have taken her off the website, I just couldn't bear to let her go. I know this is supposed to be a business but it was my birthday and anniversary this month so I'm keeping her as a well deserved present to me! She is now named Lily and has pride of place in my bug room. There has been far too much mention of my age lately. I had a guy call yesterday and he was telling me how he bought lots of stick insects from me when his son was young. His son is now 26, ouch. I am looking forward to my new gym opening next week, it feels very odd without a gym to go to at the moment. It may not actually keep me younger but I'm sure it helps. If I were in power it would be compulsory for everyone to attend a gym at least three times a week (not sure I would get elected on that).

I have run out of time, just had to answer the phone, enquiries about spiders. I wish I could sell them in tens but most people just order one. The only good point is that tarantulas increase in value as they grow. Praying mantids and stick insects get less valuable and die pretty quickly too! I noticed that the bramble in the woods has buds growing this week. Bramble isn't usually out until the beginning of April. Is this a sign that spring is coming early? Hope everyone has a nice Valentine's Day tomorrow. As it was my anniversary only yesterday I've got no chance of a card, let alone a present (that's what happens when you have been married as long as me).