My master plan is going well
My master plan is going well. After realising that my life is crazy, I am always in a rush and I am not getting any younger, I have really looked at how I can change this. Having just read my last blog entry, I think I am finally getting there. I have sold off all my praying mantis and I am phasing out stick insects. I have some beetle larvae but they take forever and need more space than I have available so I will have to think about that one. I now have even more shelves full of tarantulas and I have increased my other arachnids too. Scorpions fascinate me and I especially love the Tail-less Whip scorpions (they remind me of Costa Rica – my favourite place in the world J), I now have two lots of homegrown babies (soon to go on the website). I have plenty of juvenile black Asian forest scorpion babies, as well as captive bred adults (it has taken years for them to reach adulthood). It is fine keeping arachnids long term as they fit my main criteria of being able to “look after themselves for a week”. I want to be freer to be able to go away, at least for a weekend without having to give my daughter pages of instructions to follow. She now has two jobs and a busy life of her own.
Clearly, I am making more time as I have been entering more competitions (my favourite hobby) and November has been a good month for wins, I have won a jam advent calendar (I love jam), £50 gift card and various toys. I have also found time to have some good chats with customers on the phone and in person. I am offering a mince pie and drink to everyone who calls to collect their order during December. It is lovely seeing people face to face, so if you can, please do pop in, you will need to contact me first or I may be out J. You are also welcome to choose your purchases on the day and pay in person.
The postal strikes are still causing total disruption but I am working around them and thankfully have not experienced any delays in delivery. I did look at a courier option but honestly, I don’t like change and Royal Mail Special Delivery is a very reliable service. I hope the dispute is settled soon, I don’t actually have that many posting days before Christmas!
I have some lovely new, captive bred baby scorpions coming in this weekend I will be avidly restocking bugs in January. January is always a busy month but most years as the weather cools so do my sales. The approach to Christmas is generally the slowest time of the year (my theory is that people don’t spend money on themselves before Christmas but then they have Christmas present money to spend in the New Year). However, this autumn has been really busy, I had a bumper October and November is so far going very well too. I must be getting something right!
I still need to work on my social media but it doesn’t come easily to me. I’m such a perfectionist that I spend ages on a post, sorting the photos and wording. My hubby says that it is supposed to be a quick snapshot but that just isn’t my way. Anyway, it is past my lunch time and I’m starving so I will make a sandwich and then get on with feeding the isopods. They are next on my list of weekly tasks. Friday is the last day of the week and each week has a sticker colour, today is still green so I have to feed everything that doesn’t have that colour and then the weekly feeding/cleaning regime begins again tomorrow. I told you I was a perfectionist J
Happy weekend everyone.
Photo is of my Giant Train millipedes, there is a lot of love going on. They are not easy to breed but I have my fingers crossed!