Virginia Cheeseman Blog

Panic! It’s that pre-holiday time when I think “why am I going, is it worth it”? Obviously, I know it will be great in Costa Rica but the next couple of days will be crazy. I’m always organised so today is packing and Saturday/Sunday is feeding, cleaning and sorting out the animals. It has been a busy week, I was extremely pleased to receive a flurry of orders. I don’t know why but the previous couple of weeks were really quiet for orders. Perhaps it was just everything settling down after the school holidays. I certainly feel we are going away at the right time, the weather seems to have changed dramatically towards the end of this week. We had our first frost yesterday and it is pretty chilly in my office this morning (mind you I am up so early that the heating hasn’t come on yet). Although we are well into October now I have been in a quandary as to whether I should use heat packs in my orders or not. Yesterday was a no brainer but before that I was worried about over-heating the bu...

I have a stinking cold! Everyone around me has been ill for weeks and now I’ve caught the lurgy but I am way too busy to be ill! Thankfully I was fine last weekend and enjoyed the annual AES (Amateur Entomological Society) exhibition. I was extremely sensible and only purchased a few animals, I bought some lovely scorpions, several new species, and as always, I will give it my best shot to get them breeding. It was great to meet up and chat with everyone at the exhibition but I must admit that the ‘true insect people’ are getting older and there was little sign of the younger generation showing an interest in carrying on their parent’s/grandparent’s hobby. I have never had an interest in set specimens, I like my bugs to be alive but I’m sure there is a place for set specimens as they can teach us a lot. I don’t think that small scale collecting does any harm compared to the rapid habitat destruction and blanket insecticide programs that are a massive problem (in my opinion)...

A productive week, still not a lot of orders but I feel like I have got lots done. I have a daily tick list (most of you will know by now that I love a list) and this week I have managed to complete that list every day J This might not sound amazing to you but it is a rare event so I’m feeling quite smug. Tomorrow is the AES exhibition, the only show that is truly dedicated to insects, other invertebrate animals are permitted but essentially it is insects and the show has been going forever (well I’ve been going each year since I was a teenager and that’s a long time ago). There are obviously live bugs but also set specimens, cages, books and all manner of things bug related. It is a great chance to catch up with everyone and I am thoroughly looking forward to it. However, my famous shopping list and clip board will be staying at home. It is only a couple of weeks until we are off on holiday (did I mention I was going to Costa Rica? J J ) I will be buying equipment, chatting to frien...