It had to happen soon, so I guess that it is a relief in a way- this morning I saw my first snake. A red bellied black, fair to middling on the venomous scale ( as in, you could die if it bit you but would probably survive).
http://www.australianfauna.com/redbelliedblacksnake.php
The worrying aspect is that the farm is 150 acres and we wander around it regularly, and where was the snake? In the garden obviously.
James and I were deciding where to position an irrigation system for the newly planted trees, snake was in the mulch at the base of one of the trees. It slithered under a bush ( a bush I pruned a few weeks ago ) so we threw the three dogs indoors, donned our wellies, and prodded the bush with a big shovel. It shot out and disappeared into the field.
Kids have had a lecture on appropriate garden footwear, and I have returned to the van with James Dog to watch the Australian Open Tennis in a cowardly fashion. The next few weeks are the height of the snake season so extra vigilance required.
Not as scary as I thought it would be, they obviously try to avoid any human contact if possible, but a worry that it was where the dogs and the children play. Just another thing to get used to but I may not be gardening for a while, and will be picking vegetables with extreme caution- the risks of sourcing your five a day!
No comments:
Post a Comment