Snakes

I stupidly never expected to see a big snake in the garden of our new house. In fact, I never really considered seeing any snakes in the garden. Thinking that there are so many people here and lots of gardeners, workers etc., snakes would not have been allowed to survive…………..

A few weeks ago while washing Tess our dog by the back door I did see some rather fast moving what looked liked worms. The way they were moving was just like a snake. Then it dawned on me. These were hatch-lings as worms don’t have markings on them. OMG. By the time the penny had dropped and I got Tess out the way and my gloves on (baby snakes can be highly dangerous) but they had disappeared into thin air.

Then on Tuesday Buddy was barking outside. That deep, there is something/someone there bark. I just assumed there must be someone near the big gate. Stupidly I also let Tess out to see what was going on. There was Buddy giving chase to something. Then Tess joined it. They had it cornered. I just presumed it was a rat until they both jumped back and I saw the snake. It was blooming fast. Up the tree it went. It was very pale in colour and long. About the thickness of my wrist.

Sorry I didn’t stop for photos. I had no idea what I was dealing with. I got the dogs inside and ran for the guard. The guard has a little house at the end of the row of streets. There I was shouting away about a snake, big I said in Thai when he shouts ” A snake- big”!! couldn’t believe it. For over 2 years now I have been practicing the word snake in Thai. Its really hard to get the pronunciation as its a noise made in your throat and nose.  Didn’t need it this time.

He followed me on his bike. I grabbed my pronged snake stick and my machete, popped my wellies and thick gardening gloves on and off we went. The snake was still there. It was hanging upside down from the tree. It didn’t look half as thick this time but it was long. What I could see was a good 4 feet and that wasn’t the end of it.

The guard jumped back and obviously wasn’t going to tackle it until back up arrived. By that time the snake had gone. I found that there was a man hole cover for the water drains in the corner of the garden by the tree it had climbed up. There was gap in each side. Just as there had been at Harry’s place. It had gone.

Back up arrived and I tried to explain with gesticulations what had happened. He was very brave. I gave him my gardening gloves and he opened the man hole cover, jumping back as he did so.

There was nothing there. It had gone. Mores the pity really as I would much rather it had ended its days there and then. I hate it when they disappear because you know at some point they will return. Maybe it was female and it had laid its eggs. I really hope not.

I let Buddy out and explained to the guards he wouldn’t bite them. He picked up the trail. The snake must have been right near the front double doors and also by the car port then around to the corner of the house before it crossed over to the wall between us and next door. Thank goodness I have insect screens now or it could have been in the house!!!

The  thing about encountering a snake is:

1. They are really fast movers and 2. you never really know what you are dealing with unless you recognize it straight away. Cobra’s don’t display their head shape unless they raise themselves up to threaten or attack.

On looking in my snake book afterwards, the colour etc., pointed to a cobra. I just hope it doesn’t come back.

The lady opposite was out in her garden when I shouted the alarm. As far as I know she doesn’t speak English but she knew by my Thai that I meant a snake. The guard went and talked to her afterwards. Would love to have been a fly on the wall.

So from now on I will have to be more vigilant when I am gardening. No more leaving the screens open either when I am popping outside.

I saw the Danish lady waiting for the bus on Wednesday morning and asked her if she had had any snakes in the garden. Unfortunately too many she said. some small, some big……. They are everywhere she said.

Of course we have lots of ponds on the compound. Snakes like water and there sure are plenty of toads and rats about.  Praying hard for no more encounters.

I wrote an email to our  landlord and K.Ya his brother appeared the same day. I explained what we had done at Harry’s place with the man hole covers. Trying to show him what I wanted by drawings. When I came home the next afternoon all manhole covers were/are fitted with chicken wire mesh underneath covering all exit holes. No snakes coming in that way anymore.

Good job done by K.Ya. So I am making him a cake today to say thank you.

 

 

 

I know I said I would back track. I was so excited towards the end of the week. At last we have a move date. Paul came around from JVK Movers to survey the property. He hadn’t been gone very long when Buddy is growling near the bedroom door. There near the door way is a snake. OK, its just a small one but its still a snake.

Shoved the dogs and the cat in the bedroom and ran for my kitchen knife. Got back and the bleeding thing had gone!!!! OMG it had gone under the door and was now in the bedroom with the dogs and the cat.

So did a jiggle about and got them out and killed the snake. Chopped its head off.  I know some people would think it very wrong to kill it but until you have identified the snake you don’t know if its harmful or not. Some are not venomous, but it can still inflict a rather nasty bite.

Turns out the Golden Tree Snake is not venomous but I don’t know about its bite. Better to air on the side of caution and as I am not Steve Irwin I am not about to pick a snake up by its tail and hope to avoid getting bitten. NO THANKS

Mondays start early in our house. OH gets up an hour early to start his journey to Bangkok.
Monday to Friday until we move house.  I was a good dog owner this morning and decided I would get out early just as the sun was rising. Much cooler then but so hard to get myself out of bed. I am hopeless at getting up and usually by 7am its way too hot for me walking dogs. I try and get out between 6am-6,30am

We had had our walk around Horse Shoe Point and were back before we normally would have  even been out the door. I had my coffee and the dogs had their breakfast. I might add that Buddy won’t finish his biscuits until milk is poured on!!! excuse me, is he spoiled or what????? He is such a Molly dog.  Bless Tess, she’s like a dustbin but still enjoys that milk and in fact waits for it.

Out into the garden to sweep the leaves.

I am sure this garden takes more effort than the huge garden (Park I called it) we had before. These bbbbbllly trees, as soon as the wind blows (which of course would be lovely under normal circumstances to get a bit of a breeze) down the leaves come. What a mess every day. Then of course the house is surrounded at the front with trees on the outside of the perimeter wall. They fall too.  Nearly every morning is spent sweeping leaves. Good exercise that’s for sure.

This morning, earlier on before our dog walk I had seen in the semi darkness and again without my glasses on, what looked like a fat toad on the terrace. When I opened the door it disappeared under the decking. No way  I thought could that be a toad. Maybe a big spider or something. Well after my coffee what I actually found under the decking was a toad and a frog. Cheeky monkey”s  eh??  Over the wall they flew in an over arm action!!!! I am sure they just hop back in later on no matter how hard I throw them.

I could see a hole in the soil in one of my pots and the miniature rose bush had died. Buddy had very kindly dug a hole at the edge of the grass so I thought I would put the remaining soil in the hole to fill it up. What tumbled out the soil was a bit of a shock. Eggs…… about an inch tall, oval in shape. White as white could be.

I felt cold, I knew exactly what was going to be inside. I counted at least 10-12 of these + there were 4-5 empty ones too. I always wear thick gardening gloves so I squeezed one egg hard. Out came a baby snake. Goodness  knows how squashed it was in there as it measured about 4inches in length when it unraveled itself, so sorry guys I had to squash it.

The other eggs I squashed to make sure no snakes survived. On snake programs they say baby snakes are the worst as they will be the worst to bite, while big snakes try and get out of the way. Yeh right, it would seem in my garden they just want to fight and not be moved.

So much for taking my lovely plants with me to the new house. No way……..they will have to stay here. I took some of my pots outside by the bin and half an hour later when I looked they had all been taken by others. So that’s good that they got new homes already. I checked as many as I could for eggs. Found another frog. How they survive buried right at the bottom of pots is unbelievable. Last week I emptied a pot where a plant had died and there were 5 frogs in the bottom. Maybe that’s what is killing my plants from the inside out. Do frogs eat plants?? not sure.

I have checked my bigger pots and can’t see any holes in the soil so I hope they are safe. Still not going to take them now though. Such a shame as I have some lovely bougainvillea and standard verbena  bushes.

Just want to get out of here now.

The agent from Asian Tigers Mobility arrived a few hours later for a house survey. He asked if I was taking my plants. So the story was told about the snake eggs this morning and all the snakes that came before…………. Hope one of these companies can get us out of here before 1st August.

Happy Days eh????