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I'm back (again)

I'm back (again). The cruise was lovely, very relaxing and I do feel lucky to have had two summer holidays this year (thanks to winning the cruise in a competition). This week however has been a bit of a trial and each and every day I have yearned to be away again! The beginning of the month and the beginning of a new school term are always busy so it wasn't the best time to go away. I returned to a huge number of emails and have spent all week trying to catch up. I have posted off the orders received while I was away so I'm pleased with that but personal matters have made it difficult to concentrate. I can't go into details in this blog but among many other things my mother in-law has been ill all week, the car broke down, a dear friend is very ill in hospital. I haven't even managed the time to go to the gym this week, those who know me personally will realise how desperate that is! I just hope next week is a little calmer.

The bugs faired really well while I was away, my daughter and her partner did a very good job. I think he has moved in permanently now (I don't like to ask). Georgie did think she had killed my Horse-head grasshoppers but when I looked they were just moulted skins on the floor of the cage. I hate to mention it after last year's saga but my Corn snakes have yet again bred, one egg hatched the day before I went away. I was pleased with one baby snake and thought I had better take the eggs out and sort containers in case any more hatched while I was gone. I didn't expect any to hatch as I hadn't incubated them and when one did hatch I thought fine "I will keep it". Well they continued to hatch while I was away and beyond! I now have 15-ish babies and counting. I don't know what to do with them all, I absolutely adore snakes but our house is being taken over by them. I won't go on any further but if you want one (or half a dozen) let me know!

Cruising is certainly 'enforced relaxation' for me. There are no animals or plants to care for, the wifi (£10 per hour) was rubbish and the mobile phone calls from the ship cost a fortune. It was great sunbathing, eating, sleeping and drinking (the onboard gym was excellent too). This was my third winning cruise but I can't see us actually paying and booking one until we are at least 20 years older. It is a very 'odd' holiday experience for me.

I have ordered lots of new bugs since getting home and I am still working on all the website changes. The new card payment system is in progress, I hope to start on specific tarantula information next week. Have you seen the YouTube videos on my site? My brilliant and talented website guy Simon did it for me (obviously I wouldn't have a clue). I wish Simon lived a bit nearer to me, I would love him to help me 'in person'. It would be great to have videos of me carrying out daily tasks with the bugs. It would be nuts but lots of people have said they would like to see how I pack the bugs, set up my cages and feed everything (watch me chase a tarantula around the bug room that has leapt out of its box at meal time). It's just another of my great ideas. I am still working on my 'local' project that I hope to get off the ground for the winter months, I just need a few extra hours in a day!

I am finally getting to grips with the new tarantula layout on my site and whilst I was updating the status information I realised that all my tarantulas are actually captive bred other than the large Chile Rose and Chile Beauty. I am delighted as I hate animals being brought in from the wild. I could make much more money if I were to import bugs but morally I just can't. It makes sense to bring in the initial breeding stock and then sell the offspring but I would prefer not to sell the original wild caught adults. That reminds me, great excitement! I have been trying for ages to breed the Giant Train millipedes (they are always imported as adults) and I found a baby in one of my cages this week. I didn't want to disturb the cage until I have more time but fingers crossed that there are more in the substrate.

Must get on now, my 'dog walker' has just left. I thought my daughter's boyfriend was off work today and he had promised to take Teddi for a walk but evidently his day off was cancelled. I had better get dressed and sorted out to walk her. Great joy, she is such a lunatic, her birthday is coming up in a few weeks and I keep telling her she will be getting a nice electric collar if she doesn't calm down soon (hubby says she just takes after me).


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