I love it when a plan comes together

This quote just came to me as I was thinking of a title for the post, it seems very appropriate and comes from "The A-Team" from way back in the 1980s, it was spoken by the character Colonel John "Hannibal" Smith, the late, great George Peppard.

My plan is indeed coming together and going very well, both January and February have been really busy months, despite me selling off my tarantula collection. I have reduced things down considerably but I am way off giving up on tarantulas just yet. Having one posting day a week seems a long way off too. I’m not actually sure I could ever have just the one day to post orders. I am currently posting out on a Monday and Wednesday and it is going fine.

Spring is now just around the corner, the first day of March tomorrow J It seems to have been a very long, damp, dark winter. As you all know by now, I absolutely hate the cold! We are booked to go away to Cyprus in May, I can’t wait (should be a good time for bugs, flowers and my favourite animals to look for, snakes). Walking around in the sunshine feels like a dream as I sit here freezing in my office. I have a lot of little creatures that are about to have babies. It always amazes me that the animals just know when it is springtime. I have three tarantulas carrying egg sacs. I have just checked them and the Kochiana brunnipes egg sac is looking quite bumpy. I think the spiderlings are about to hatch at any moment. I had better get some newly hatched Banded crickets ready, this is a dwarf species, very attractive but small. The babies are sure to be really tiny. I also have several scorpions that I’m pretty sure are gravid. After all these years I still get really excited when baby animals come along.

Talking of baby animals, my gorgeous little grandson Milo has just turned one and he is now going to nursery two days a week. It is a nursery attached to a very popular, local farm attraction. Evidently, he enjoyed watching a lamb being born during half term week J Milo’s birthday party was at our house and my wonderful five year old grandson Bob was leading guests into my bug room to show everyone Nanna’s creatures. He loves demonstrating shining a UV light onto a scorpion and watching it glow green/blue (I was there to supervise!). I am going to rear some caterpillars with the boys this year.

It will be great when I no longer need to use a heat pack in every parcel. They work incredibly well but I don’t charge for them and they add weight, therefore a cost to each parcel. Thankfully I still have enough to last for this season. Each autumn I have to estimate how many I will need for the colder months, I don’t want to be left with loads extra but I certainly don’t want to run out either.

I was going to have a glass tank sale, mostly Exo Terra vivariums but I think for now, as I sell off my larger tarantulas I will replace them with scorpions. I still have a lot to learn about scorpions but one thing is for sure, they are very active at night and really appreciate a larger area to roam around. I might have sorted out my tanks to sell at one of the bug shows but sadly I can’t make the main ones this year L I missed the SEAS due to issues with my mother in-law last month, I hadn’t realised when we booked the holiday that the BTS show fell between our dates and now I find that the AES exhibition is on Bob’s birthday. With a hall booked for his first proper party, I cannot possibly miss it (still hoping I might make it for an hour or so beforehand).

Lastly, I will try to write a blog post once a month this year (I have just made it in February). I have always said that it seems rather self-indulgent to me but I have had a lot of feedback recently and it seems that a large number of my customers and also friends and acquaintances, really enjoy reading it. I have spoken to several people who are getting too old to keep these little pets but still enjoy looking at my website and reading what has been happening in my life and the bug world. On that note – I have just this week received my first pension payment. Am I happy? No, not really, I cannot believe that I’m that old, where did all the years go? Still, all I can do is work hard to stay fit and healthy. Having Milo one day a week certainly helps with that. I can’t wait for him to walk, he’s nearly there, my poor back doesn’t like carrying a heavy baby around all day J

I love being a Nanna but I’m fighting against being old!