snakes!

Occasional readers of this blog may be aware of my phobia about snakes. I may have mentioned it a couple of times. So you may be interested to know I’ve had a close encounter of the dreaded slither kind, well almost. I forgot to mention in the last posting that as we were preparing to empty the pool I noticed what looked suspiciously like a snake lying on our slope bank down to the pool. Gulp. It was very still and I walked up gingerly to have a closer look, with a deadly garden hoe in hand…

Actually this is what I found; a shed snake skin about 4ft long with quite distinctive markings. It’s harmless of course and quite fascinating to look at. But …it does indicate that the owner is around somewhere which is the unwelcome news. Later in the day we came across another skin. Aw gawd. The girls noticed it at the place where Ronato and I were piling down the bank to the roadside to unfurl the hoses which were emptying the pool. I hadn’t noticed it at all. But there it was – pretty broken up because we’d been piling over it. And this bugger was a lot fatter, probably about an inch and a half across his belly. And he was lurking in the hedge somewhere watching me as I traipsed up and down that greasy bank holding a cupped hand over a water hose and wearing my loafers. If he’d wanted to have me, he’d never have an easier shot. I wish C and Mary Lou hadn’t pointed it out. Now I couldn’t get him out of my mind and I swear Renato was sending me down that bank unnecessarily just to test my English nerve. He knew the bugger was lurking there. Well fellow Anglos you’ll be proud to know I didn’t flinch. Hasta la vista snakey.

But today I’ve got to go and empty that pool again and it’s just me and C this time trying the old syphon trick. I’m tempted to send C off down the bank – after all today I’m the gaffer but she couldn’t manage it bless her. So it’s me and the serpent. What if there are more than two of the bloody things? Jeez. If you don’t hear from me for a few days you’ll know who won. Where’s that hoe?

pp

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