Long overdue as ever

Long overdue as ever J My life is changing, it always has but things are so very different now. Covid, leaving the EU, dare I say it ‘not being as young as I once was’ and last but not least, shifting priorities. The bug room is my very own sanctuary to escape to but I don’t want to spend all my time in there! The master plan is going well, I have stuck to my guns and now have a zillion tarantulas and plenty of other arachnids, plus various creepy crawlies but no more leaf eating bugs J (ok, just a couple of Horse-Head grasshoppers but they are so cute)

I am certainly seeing results from my new regime. I have more time to concentrate on care, breeding and learning about the creatures that I keep (I do love a Google search, how did I ever live without it?). My husband is away this week on his annual ‘boys motorbike trip to Spain’. Much as I would love to go to Spain, I don’t fancy whizzing around the Pyrenees on the back of a motorbike. I have been learning Spanish for several years now, ever since we went to Costa Rica. We are hoping to go back next year when we both have ‘big’ birthdays. Another good reason to reorganize my work, it would have to be for two weeks rather than our usual one-week break. It took us me a week to get into the time zone, for several days we were up at 4am exploring the wilderness. We saw some amazing animals, both big and small. It’s the most magical place I have ever visited. Me encanta Costa Rica! Pura vida!

Just before my husband set off on his trip I realised that it was no longer practical to continue the last of my Ginny’s Jungle events – the WI talks “my life as the Bug Lady”. The talks were great but just like the parties and school visits etc. it became too much to do on my own. If I had found someone to take the pressure off me by driving, lugging the equipment around and setting it up, I would still be going but doing it all was as I say, too much. It’s sad but I know it was the right decision, the talking bit was a doddle, no problem at all!

I have spent a lot of time in the bug room today. This morning I was packing orders and this afternoon I have been clearing up and rearranging some of my shelving and tanks. I have got rid of quite a few larger glass tanks. I never have enough room for everything and they are too heavy and cumbersome to pick up and move around. I prefer plastic boxes or smaller glass tanks. It is much easier to move containers onto the table and feed the animals there, rather than just opening lids on the bigger tanks. It is also much easier to keep everything clean. I don’t like working in a mess and as a control freak I need everything to be in order. I am continually making notes and checking my coloured dot system to make sure that every creature is checked and fed each week (now you can see how I come to spend so much time in there!).

I keep seeing Stag beetles on Facebook but sadly I haven’t come across any this year myself. I live next to a wood so I generally see them, they are stunning and have always been my favourite bug. The screensaver on my iPhone is a Stag beetle, he was a stunningly handsome chap. I was out one evening when a lady brought him round in a jar for me. My husband didn’t recognize her and I never did find out who she was J I fed him sugar water and released him into the woods.

All in all things are going in the right direction, I have lots of orders this week, which is great. I continue to receive super feedback and lots of lovely reviews on my website. Recently a customer put a glowing review of me on Trust Pilot. I was very pleased and need to set up a profile on there. I have thought for ages that lots of the reviews are praising me, rather than the animal being reviewed so it would be really good for business to sort out a profile (it’s on my list). I have worked hard this week on my “to do list” but I’m never going to finish it, especially when I add to it every day J.

Lastly ‘scorpions’, I have always liked scorpions but there is so much that is unknown. In recent times I have met a guy who is changing all that. He has worked hard to learn more about them and is very successful at breeding. Forever the big black, Asian scorpions have come into the country with an array of names and nobody seemed to know which was which so I usually listed them as Heterometrus species but Tim Baxter is correctly classifying them which is great news. Every time I see Tim at a bug show, I have more questions for him! He is a super friendly guy and always happy to share his knowledge with others. There certainly seems to be a new interest in scorpions and I would certainly put the credit down to Tim.

We saw lots of scorpions in Costa Rica and several were in our rooms. The one in the photo was under our door and I almost trod on it in the morning. I scooped it up in a glass from the bathroom and released it away from the hotel. A nice little walk before breakfast that day J

(Sorry no photo, tried to upload the photo and it says it is the wrong format? I have no clue how to rectify that with my IT support not here!!!)