Snakes

Since coming to live in France I have had to get used to snakes and I HATE snakes.

We have both vipers and grass snakes.  The vipers are more prevalent than the grass snakes and every year there is a near miss with them.  The reason I am posting this is that one of those near misses occurred today.

But to go back a week or so..  there was a grass snake in our pond, as there was the year before and, of course, one of our fish went missing.  This year we couldn’t get it out as it had found a hiding place under the wood but, eventually it disappeared until I nearly stepped on it.  I screamed, the snake screamed and then did disappear!

And then today, I was in the greenhouse and bent to pull up a weed and almost pulled up the viper instead.  Adri is the person who rides me of snakes, (now Adri LOVES snakes) one on the steps earlier in the month. One in the hall a few days later and now the one in the greenhouse.  For all we know it is the same one who just loves it here.  We try not to kill them so the favoured method is to sweep them up (vipers are not that big) in a brush and pan and let them go in the field opposite..

I hope this is the last one but it is only May and there is a whole summer to go….