What an eventful time

What an eventful time I have had since writing my last blog. I’m thinking “where should I start”? Last weekend hubby and I went to SEAS (the South of England Arachnid Show). This is always my favourite show of the year, the venue is great and the organisers (the Invicta tarantula club) are a super friendly bunch. It is held in a lovely spa hotel in Kent, as it was my birthday this week we booked a couple of nights in the hotel. Unfortunately, hubby had to work late on the Friday so we didn’t arrive until almost bedtime and then Saturday flew by so I didn’t get to use the spa/gym but we went for dinner with the spider club in the evening and had a great time. We got up and took a leisurely breakfast the next day and then walked into the halls and chatted while everyone set up their tables. I then did what I said I wouldn’t do, I got totally carried away with myself, spent a fortune and have practically doubled my stock. I have been kicking myself ever since but it was fun! Consequently, I have been run off my feet this week, housing, feeding, labelling and adding the new stock to my website. I would like to say that I have almost finished but that would be a lie. I have fed everything and they are tucked up warm in my bug room but there are many, many creatures ‘queuing’ for a new home. I have received lots of orders this week and each time I sell something it gives me a cage to instantly fill with a new inhabitant (after I have cleaned it out). I have done an awful lot of washing up this week and the family have had to put up with dirty tanks on one side of the breakfast bar and clean tanks that need to dry out on the other.

I purchased many spiders at the show, lots of tarantulas of various species and sizes and I managed to get some young Regal Jumping spiders (I just love them, honestly they have oodles of personality). Talking of personality, I also got some huge Land Hermit crabs. I love crabs and I’m sure they are brighter than most bugs. I’m not sending them out because they really don’t like to get cold and I couldn’t bear to risk them perishing in the post. They are on my website but marked as ‘collection only’ (I must admit I am quite happy to keep them). I had arranged to pick them up at the show so I had set up an Exo Terra vivarium in advance. It was a good plan but I bought ten instead of the six that I intended to get and they were far bigger than I had realised so I have had to turf out my pet Mexican Red Knee, Lily and use her tank in the dining room. Poor Lily is currently in a plastic box but I have cleaned the Exo Terra vivarium today and will re-house her tomorrow. My family seem quite happy with the Hermit crabs in the dining room instead of a tarantula (although the crabs are very noisy) but they haven’t realised that Lily will be back in the dining room tomorrow. My husband is very patient but he did point out that the dining room has been taken over by my pets, I have noted his objections but after all these years he knows that he may as well just accept it!

We had a near disaster last week when one of my snakes escaped from his box (after his weekly bath). I was very upset but even more upset when I realised that he was under the tumble drier. My nephew called to pick up his kids (who were hiding out in the other room) and tried to help my hubby move the dishwasher, I was terrified that they would squash Jerry so I desperately tried to get my hand under to pull him out but he actually managed to climb up into the tumble drier. My poor husband then had to dismantle the machine with me screaming down his ear to be careful. It was a fraught evening but as you may have seen on Facebook we eventually got him out and I’m pleased to say he is fine (not so sure about the almost new tumble drier).

Back to my purchases at the show – various scorpions, stick insects, firebrats, cockroaches, snails and the list goes on. Now you can see why I have been so busy and sending out short replies to the many emails that I’ve received this week. Why don’t people ring up anymore? It’s so quick and simple but the vast majority of my customers just won’t/can’t. I try to reply to all emails but it takes a lot of time. Much as I love the bugs I could really do with some help when I’m busy like this. My great-nieces did make up ‘spider houses’ after school yesterday (I always have them on Thursdays) but they won’t have anything to do with the spiders so I will be “potting them up” today. It really is like potting up seedlings but takes much longer as spiderlings and crickets move around and plants stay still!

Well I had better get on, not only have I got all the new animals to deal with, I am way behind with my feeding regime this week. It’s going to be a busy weekend! Oh, I forgot to say that I managed to leave two full bags at the show. I photographed all my bags on the table when I got back as I thought I would post a picture to Facebook and I then thought it didn’t really look all that much, when I started sorting things out I realised that I hadn’t got the snails that I had purchased. I then realised that some spiderlings were missing and became really worried when it dawned on me that a batch of very expensive spiderlings were nowhere to be seen either. Hubby tried to calm me down (not easy at the best of times) and we attempted to mentally retrace our steps. I was worried that I had put them down when we had a cup of tea but we finally realised that they must still be under one of the tables where I was stowing some things as we walked around the show. After a couple of frantic phone calls I tracked them down and discovered that a friend had taken them home not knowing who they belonged to. Thankfully the friend wasn’t too far away so we set off to retrieve the bags and all was well (after a couple of Bacardi and cokes). I am always being told that I should calm down but at my age I don’t think it is ever going to happen, do you???