Well, let’s just say, there is one member of the Minti.com community who is going to turn even more purple upon reading this (it is rss fed through to my minti homepage). Minti members are going to know who it is straight away, and the wonderful member is going to be sitting at her computer yelling at me to get to the point.
Hold your pants Queen of the Daft. I’ll get to it all when I am good and ready. Not yet…still not ready…maybe soon…got to go for a walk now…Back again…sorry, baby needs feeding…too tired now…
Ok, enough teasing. I’ll get to it now.
Last night, I went down to the laundry to finish my duties for the night. Being dark down there, I reached to turn on the light, almost falling over the broom handle in my way. Light finally on, and I turned around to walk to the washing machine. Uh oh.
Right in front of my beloved machine was a rather small, scaley, and obviously quite cold reptilian friend. It was a baby snake (or it could have been a fully grown crown snake, though couldn’t be verified- keep reading to find out why). I had woken it from its peaceful slumber, all in the name of getting something remotely domestic done for the day.
As my little visitor became aware of the light, it sleepily lifted its head and began testing the air with its thread like tongue. ‘What? Who turned on the sun? I thought it was bed time’. You had to be there to see the way it moved.
Carefully placing the wash basket back up the stairs (to avoid another tempting hiding place), I went and got Les. He came down to have a look at our new visitor, which hadn’t moved at all. Yep, I wasn’t seeing things, phew!
Gradually, as we watched, our new tennant (remind me to remind him the rent is now overdue) began to make his (??- not verified) way very slowly off to the behind of the washing machine. Now, when I say very slowly, I mean as if it were moving in slow motion- the journey from being in front of the washing machine to disappearing somewhere behind it took about 5 mins.
A quick check in the limited light to see where it had gone to revealed nothing, and being right where we walk all the time, including our school babies too and from the car, it was time to call in the experts.
Les’ computer was on (mine was on holiday for the night) so I quickly did a search for the local snake relocators (sounds better than catcher don’t you think?) and promptly called them.
First problem- the local snake relocator was about 1 hour away from us, and wasn’t expected to be home for several more hours yet (something about a seminar on snake handling and care at the University of the Sunshine Coast, how rude!). Ok, no biggy. I was given the number for the guy in Tin Can Bay instead.
Call him, yep, he’s on his way. Going to cost $5o, but who worries about that? Not me until Les casually informs me that, due to being take away night, he doesn’t have $50 dollars yet. Ok, no biggy, could give the guy a pocket full of change, but hindsight says thankfully I didn’t.
Being bedtime, there was no time to go to the atm to get the $50, so it was going to have to wait. Hopefully when the snake relocator turned up, he’d understand that Les would have to make a quick trip to the shop.
Once all the girls were in bed, and just as I was starting to relax a little (a hazard in this house, to be sure) and with Les having gone to the atm, the snake relocator finally showed up (1 hour after calling him- but it is 45 mins drive from Tin Can Bay to Gympie).
Well, my Queen of Daftness, you are not going to believe this! Or maybe you will, I don’t know. The snake relocator pulled up on a Harley!!!!! Yep, he is one of those snake relocators who has a very nice bike, has the near middle age balding head (shaved to cover that fact of course!) and the full, long greying beard. Trust me to get the ’scary’ guy!!!!
Ok, he wasn’t scary, just likes living a more exciting life to most people, which is probably why he gives up his time to collect the rogue snakes of the area. Actually, given the ‘image’, he was very polite, respectful, and more than happy to accept intelligent conversation from a woman (I’ve known bikkie types in the past, and those haven’t been so accepting of a woman with a mind of her own).
Down to the laundry we head in search of the mystery package (apparently, going by my descriptions, it could have been any of about 25 different snakes to be found in our local area). I pointed out where we had seen it and where it had last been seen heading too.
A quick, but thorough inspection, of the little laundry nook revealed nothing except plenty of potential hidey and escape holes. Not finding the scaley critter, out came the washing machine for a thorough inspection of where it had disappeared to. Not there, thanks to many escape paths, including the hole in the wall behind the washer.
By now, both the ‘expert’ and myself were feeling pretty dejected that our ‘find’ had not been made, Les was also back by now and helping with the hunt.
Finished with the laundry nook, it was on to the rest of the underside of the house. Through the boxes, rubbish (we don’t have the money to hire a skip and it takes many loads in the car to get rid of the broken prams etc that are down there) and plant matter that had accumulated over 2+ years (how did that sneak in??????) became the concentration of the search. Out came the old, retired fridge (anyone who wants one that doesn’t work, come and get it) for a closer inspection of the underside,nup not there. Behind the old chest freezer was empty too.
I should probably mention, that all the rafters were scrutinized too, just in case we were looking for a tree snake or a python of sorts- way to go for telling me that there are pythons and tree snakes in our immediate area and that I have effectively provided them with the perfect ‘home’- poor little critters, they’d be cuddled to death if I found them!
The whole hour revealed nothing but the potential hidey holes and escape routes, of which there are more than you can poke a stick at. Yes, it took over an hour before the search was abandoned, and we paid $50 for it. Never mind, the conversation, info and facts were well worth it, including that there are several species of snake that will live in your everyday compost bin, and they are highly venomous (sorry gardeners, it is true). I guess that means we will be moving ours from under the back stairs to around to the ‘waste of space’ corner (much better for the snakes and for us too).
So, my purple obsessed minti gal, does that sound like the kind of night you would have enjoyed? I know I had a ball, even if the end was not what had been hoped for. Maybe next time hey, with that glass of wine (or bottle…case…whole collection) I keep promising.
And yes, surprisingly, I do appreciate the Harleys. Not sure why, but they do seem to have a magic something to them. Never been on one before, and I doubt I ever will (that’s where I am a whimp), but they are works of art in their own right and even I can see that.
Well, before I sign off (over 13oo words already-sorry), this morning, there was a different little snake hiding in the rotten doorway to the laundry. Alas, it too, escaped, especially seeing as Les decided to pour iced water in its hidey hole in an attempt to slow it down ready for removal. Ah well, I’m sure they are all down there awaiting to surprise me again and distract me from my laundry duties (like I need any more excuses).
Tell me one thing though, why on earth do they seem to be attracted to me. In the last 6 months, I have had one happily dance around the line hanging space (me on the other side of the house- sort of- ok 5 feet away), another casually slide over my foot while I was hanging up the washing, and now these babies coming into my daily used space (there are more snake encounter stories too, but they can wait-I know another minti lady who will be ’sick’ on the days I publish those)? Have I suddenly developed scales, a forked tongue and lost my arms and legs? Or, do I just provide such a loving home that even the usually aggressive wildlife want to move in?
Hit 1500 words, so I guess I had better sign off and rest my hands (which feel like they are about to fall off!) as well as your eyes.
Best wishes to all.
NZ.