Snakes and Ladders

Well, OK, there were no ladders, but it was a bit of a game.

It started when I was talking on the phone to a friend.  I was outside in the garden (it's been a blisteringly hot day) and I saw a movement in the weeds plants next to the house wall.  

It was a snake.

A Western Whip, to be precise.  Now these snakes are not venomous, but they are L O N G and give you a nasty hiss 

This is not MY picture...

And they move FAST.  REALLY fast... Straight into your kitchen if the back door happens to be open (which mine was).  Oh dear... lots of places for a snake to hide in my kitchen.

So that was when the game began.  Hunt the Snake.

First I put on my wellingtons (you can't be too careful) and then I looked under the sink. Then I pulled out the fridge and the freezer, then decided it must be under the washing machine, which was too heavy to move.  Of course, it could have gone upstairs...

Oh no, I HAD to find it or I would never sleep tonight.  So I began looking again.  I lifted the curtain hiding the rubbish cleaning products under the sink and gingerly looked at the back.  I could hear something - just a tiny noise.  I squatted down, and this is what I saw...



So - now what to do?  I had no snake gear.  I got my heavy leather gauntlets on (remember - can't be too careful) and a pole with a hook on that I use for opening the Velux windows upstairs.  I hooked the snake but it writhed and hissed...  and vanished into the hole where the pipe came out from the dishwasher.  

BOTHER.

So, I pulled out the dishwasher.  I hooked the snake - now cowering (well, I like to think it was cowering) on the floor in the space left by the dishwasher. It moved like greased lightning and jumped (yes, jumped) up under the table. It looked as if it had gone into one of the drawers, so I put on the gauntlets again and gingerly removed the drawer.

Another picture for the snake album...



It had flattened itself into the drawer runner space.  Inventive, this snake.

By now we were fairly near the back door, so I thought I had a good chance of persuading it to go out again.  I hooked it round the body (have you noticed it had a pretty long body?) and pulled it out and off the runner.  It was not a happy snake. It hissed and writhed, tried to get up the chimney and under the dresser, but finally I got it to go in the direction of the door and eventually out into the garden.  It raced away at speed, or should I say whipped away at speed, so now I'm safe to go to bed without fearing a slithery companion, and M.Snake has retired to the countryside, to find another warm spot to sun himself.