There's an old, grainy, black and white photo somewhere up in the shed of me with about a metre and a half of diamond backed carpet python wrapped about my shoulders.
It's a cool photograph even with the 1980 hair.
It was taken at the school I was teaching at, in a controlled environment with a python which was used to being handled as part of a travelling reptile show run by Andrew Wegener who is apparently still doing this stuff
Most of the other staff gave the animals a wide berth but I popped in after class on the first day with #1 son who was about 5 at the time - must've been cos he was in preps - and we both got to handle the 'safe' snake and a few lizards.
The next day, when the preppies got their turn at Andrew's talk, he handed the snake to Stephen because he already knew that he'd be okay with it. Normally he wouldn't have been able to do that of course. So there's a second photo... somewhere.
Snakes in a controlled environment - interesting.
Fast forward a few years to me living here in the middle of my 10 acres of pretty much virgin bush, and my attitude to brown-and-wriggly is a little different. It's sort of "Eeeeee [shudder] snake!!"
A country-born-and-bred friend of mine from quilting once famously described my block as being so dry that " you couldn't run one snake to an acre" and I sincerely hope that she was correct.
All the snakes I might be likely to run across here would be the nasty variety. Mostly aggressive browns... but I haven't seen any in the 3 years I've been here.
I did see a teeny weeny one of these last summer
BUT apparently PNDs daughter - safely in car - saw one crossing their driveway between my dam and his, last weekend.
Blerkkkk
a six footer
Well away from my house, and heading further away but too close to both Pete's house and livestock for comfort... and that was the second one seen coming from the direction of my dam in the last few months.
So
no trotting up the block to visit Ms Bella, and no rambling around any part of the block where I can't see bare earth.
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5 comments:
Gah! I'm not really afraid of snakes. But I do have a healthy respect for them. Especially ones that are described as, "aggressive."
Watch where you're walking, please!!!
Yep, can't be too careful, especially with Aussie snakes. Just 'cos you don't see 'em doesn't mean they're not there!
BTW, is your block still dry? We've had so much rain in Sydney over the last couple of months it's hard to imagine 'dry'!
Wear gumboots and you should be right! They're just going for water and frogs or lizards. Take a stick and do very stompy walking - gives them time to escape!
Walk noisily! They'll avoid you.
ah yes, so people generally say but Brown Snakes can get very aggressive so I prefer not to take any unnecessary chances.
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