Snakes

I didn't hear the knock at the front door, but my girl did and soon returned to the kitchen with a look of disgust on her face - "Mam, that was Helen. She came to tell us that there is a large brown snake up at the bus stop, and thought that we would want to know".

I trained my girl well!

Very soon, the brown snake was common knowledge throughout the family, not only here at home, but up at the shop as well (which is directly across the road from the village bus stop, and home to the Grands). The Machinist and my lad went up to check 'things' out, but the snake had already met it's demise; somebody had ran over it with a car.

Most farmers in our area won't tolerate snakes. Even though they are protected by law, (the snakes, that is), there is a common bond and understanding of 'relocating' deadly snakes. That understanding is not to capture the snake and relocate it to another area (from which it will return to it's last port o' call - ie - probably an unsuspecting resident's garden), but rather to relocate the snake's head from it's body with a swift flick, clout and chop, using the average garden spade.

I'd hoped not to hear any snake stories for at least another couple of weeks, but it seems that the "Whispering Smiths" (as my mam calls them) are truly up, out and about. I'd also hoped to do more gardening before the heat and serious Ali-G's (allergies and hayfever) set in, too. In fact, just to whet my gardening appetite, my middle girl took this photo last week. She knows I love the rain and she knows I love to garden. These photos were taken by her just before large storm clouds billowed over our village:

Granny's bonnets, lambsears, catmint and a rosebush - struggling through the mass hysteria

The golden ash I planted in the olden days. I had no idea how large it would grow.

Our above-ground pool, like a small oasis, surrounded by fruit, berries and vegetables. Hmmm... so much gardening to do, such little time, too many snakes....