A week with my new website

Wow what a week, I have learnt so much! My new website has been up and running for almost seven days (I am writing this blog a day early as I will be busy with my mother in-law tomorrow), I have been toiling away behind the scenes to get to grips with everything. My web guy is brilliant and the new site certainly seems to be a great success. I was inundated with orders last weekend, I had the first Monday in ages when I had more orders than I could get off in one day. You can probably tell, I am really chuffed to bits and long may it last. Things have slowed a little over the last couple of days but it is the end of the month and generally the time when people are waiting for pay day. I have of course purchased a lot of new stock this month and on Sunday I will be at a reptile show purchasing even more. All the cages and boxes that have been vacated this week will soon be filled again!

I have pre-ordered some spiders and scorpions. There will hopefully be some new millipedes, I am almost out of Train millipedes. I will as usual have a long shopping list for the show but it is primarily a reptile show so I am not expecting to get everything on my wish list. It is only ten minutes from my big brother's house so we will be going there for a full roast dinner, a very nice bonus. Generally we end up at McDonald's after attending a show or eating a microwave dinner out in the bug house (as I did after the recent AES exhibition).

I need to find a new home for one of my Crested geckoes, he is lovely but his dad won't tolerate him in the same tank and I just don't have enough room in the bug house for two large Crested gecko tanks. It was fine when he was younger but as he matured dad was bullying him. He currently lives with a female gecko who sadly lost her tail. If you can give Harry a new home he is free to someone who can care for him (they live for many years). I am happy to let Emily go with him but it isn't essential as Emily can live in my other tank. Female geckoes are fine together but there can only be one male per cage. You would obviously need to call and collect, I cannot post geckoes.

Back to my new website - there are so many things that still need to be done, I need to sort out the home page (not sure how to get into it), the links page, the pink box (hubby changed the colour for me but I would like to change the words when I can work out how). I desperately need to send out a newsletter, most of my customers won't even be aware that I have a new site until I tell them. I would really appreciate those of you that use forums to let people know about the site and all the changes taking place. The photos look stunning, they are the same pictures but have been enlarged. I have noticed some photos that don't do justice to the animal, especially some of the spider photos. The pictures were taken when the spider was smaller and now they have blossomed into far more beautiful adults. My husband sometimes uses pictures from the internet but we prefer to take our own wherever possible. Talking of photos, I have been planning this year's Christmas card. I think I have the theme but I will need help if I am to be in the picture this year. Last year was chaos, Teddi was very good when I covered her in bugs (even my dog doesn't like bugs) but she kept wincing when they moved and I had to keep stopping to rearrange everything. She was only a pup then so I had to 'undress' her to let her run around and then try again when she had calmed down. She will be two next month but she is still pretty nuts so I don't know how this year's 'photo shoot' will go. She has to be in it as she is just so beautiful.

I have gone off the subject again, so back to my website! We have done away with the comments box when ordering. My website guy forgot initially and the very second order that I received had a message for the postman. I had to get rid of the box as about a third of orders came with instructions for the postman such as "leave next door if out", "leave in the porch", "our main door is around the back", "hoot horn loudly" etc. I use the address provided by the customer, it is printed from the order. I cannot put these instructions anywhere. I was always informing people that the best thing to do was put a note on their door. The other favourite subject entered in the comments box was informing me which day to post the order. This too was very frustrating. If a specific day is required then this needs to be arranged in advance. I will always do my best to send ASAP or on a day to suit my customer but I cannot post each day. I sometimes have other things to do or places to go. People often don't realise that this business really is just me, chief bottle washer to managing director! I don't think the comments box will be missed as I have had enquiries in advance this week or a following email to request a specific day or specific sex of animal. Time will tell, it is a work in progress and my super web guy always manages to solve any problems. I know that because I have been on the phone to him each and every day since the site went live. I haven't found anything that he can't fix or explain yet!

Lastly I read a great article in the Daily Mail this week. It isn't just me that loves looking for snakes! I quote "Snake-spotting in Dorset's heath-land is apparently among the best experiences Britain has to offer, according to Lonely Planet's Best In Travel 2013 shortlist", "The guide recommends: 'Walk softly on warm spring days to witness adders, newly woken from hibernation, coiled like ammonites, with the chance of seeing Britain's other two native species, grass snakes and smooth snakes". Guess where we are going for a short break in the spring? I will just have to tell hubby that we are having an extended visit to Monkey World. Both my hubby and daughter know that snake hunting translates in "traipsing around in the undergrowth for hours and not seeing anything", plus neither of them are actually that keen on finding a snake!