.comment-link {margin-left:.6em;}

Christel's Diary

Google

09 July 2011

Snake season

Summer is late and the heat is bearable until now because of temperatures going down to 20 degrees Celsius in the evening. Coming from 40, it feels quite fresh at night and we still sleep with a blanket.

All the wheat has been harvested, the hay taken in and the fields burnt. That causes animals to shift location.

Last week Zakaria and I were quietly enjoying the garden when I heard something move through the dead leaves behind me. I looked and saw a head appearing and thought: pretty. Then I noticed that it moved like a snake and while more of it became visible, I grasped Zakaria and ran away.

Afterwards a search party has been held to find it. Eggs have been placed on a strategic spot, but no sign of it anymore. It was clearly not expecting to encounter us, same as we did not expect to encounter it and may just have been crossing the garden.

As Jabr, Zakaria’s eldest half brother, living on the other side of our garden, spotted a snake 2 weeks ago, we decided to put traps with bait and poison.

Jabr and I don’t agree on the colour of the snake. I clearly saw a brown one with a dark pattern. He claims to have seen a black one. We do agree on the length (about 1 meter). So, there may be 2 out there, although I think it is a matter of difference in opinion. I had a closer look on it.

In the meantime, I’m very nervous and alert when in the garden, especially when Zakaria is around. He is not allowed to wonder off on his own and is told to never touch any animal, to stay clear of it and to call me whenever he spots one.

This makes him call out to me whenever he spots ants, grasshoppers, birds or cats and raises my stress level each time.

Snakes usually live in quite places and avoid contact with humans. Our neighbour’s garden is such a quite place and contains a rich source of food, him having a large hen house with lots of chicken.

Last week noisy grand children of our neighbour’s were playing in the garden after a long absence so that may have frightened it and may have caused it to move.

I will be more at ease, if we catch it, but it may have found another quite place where it will stay until annoying humans will force it to move again.

Google