Lots of new spiders have arrived this week
Lots of new spiders have arrived this week but I have unfortunately received very few orders. The bug house is bursting at the seams and I have another lot of spiders coming in again today. My life is a constant round of housing up, cleaning and feeding at the moment. I suspect that the drop in orders is due to the British Tarantula Society show this weekend. Everyone is saving their money for the show (oh dear for me). I always go to the BTS show, I have been a member since the eighties and I don't think I have missed a single show since then (even when my husband had meningitis, but I didn't know he was 'that' ill when I set off), this year I cannot go along as it is on our daughter's 18th birthday. We are well into 'the birthday' week in our family, five close family members in almost as many days. I am especially sorry to miss this show as it is the 25th Anniversary. Before the BTS came into being I was selling bugs but no spiders back in those days. It was Ann Webb from the British Tarantula Society who convinced me that tarantula spiders were the future pets and how right she was! Ann was a great character, sadly she and her husband Frank both passed away last year, just short of the anniversary. I always met up with Ann and Frank at the exhibitions and we enjoyed a good laugh and a chat. Back in the eighties they ran a printing business and I still have my bright yellow exhibition table cloth with Virginia Cheeseman printed all over it in huge black letters. The table cloth was used at many exhibitions over the years. Nobody could miss our stand, people visiting the show would look out for the bright yellow colour. I wonder what I would be doing today if Ann hadn't persuaded me to give spiders a go? I couldn't make a business out of moths, butterflies, stick insects, praying mantids and the like these days. I am still trying to cut down on stick insects and praying mantids. People keep offering me new species but I am staying strong and saying 'no'. I cannot devote my time to these bugs when I have so many other creatures to care for. At this time of the year when many animals are breeding I really must try and concentrate on the more profitable animals. I know that sounds awful but I need to make money to pay the bills, mortgage and for everyday living. Much as I love the bugs, the ones I like most wouldn't keep me in chocolate these days!
I am sending more animals to Europe now and I am really pleased to have so many repeat customers. Most of the orders are for spiders and they travel absolutely fine. Airsure is a good service and generally only takes two or three days. Although I no longer have the time to exhibit at exhibitions, I certainly enjoy visiting them. I have heard so many good reports about the regular german shows in Hamm that I would really like to go out there some time soon. I don't think I would be much good at haggling in german but I'm not much good at haggling in English either!
It is a beautiful sunny day today and I have just checked my camera nesting box to find that our baby Great Tits have flown. They were there first thing this morning but they are now gone. I could see yesterday that they were preparing to fly the nest. I'm really pleased that they survived. Last year our Blue Tit family were a bit of a disaster and I ended up taking the babies to St Tiggywinkles. This year the Great Tits have been brilliant parents (they have cost me a small fortune in mealworms and waxworms) but they almost came a cropper when a woodpecker cut chunks out of the box and then a squirrel tried to climb in and get them. We managed a temporary repair and now the box will be taken down and reinforced with metal around the entrance (I will put it on my hubby's never ending list of things to do).
Think of me tomorrow with a house full of teenagers staying over. Our daughter has plans to get into a club with most of her friends at midnight, when she is finally 18 but some of her friends are not yet 18 so they will have to stay here and I can imagine the commotion when they all arrive back. I doubt we are going to get much sleep and we have two birthday parties to attend on Sunday. Hope it stays sunny, I will be asleep on a sun lounger away from all the kids (big and little)!