General Chat

Don't take everything so seriously Rollo.

I've had 3 'close encounters' with snakes, and one very scary encounter with a spider.
My first close encounter with a snake was when I was about 3, and living in Malta.
I was about to walk down a pathway bordered by dry stone walls, when I saw a grey snake slithering between the stones. I went in to tell my dad. He came out and said ‘It’s only a rock snake, it won’t hurt you’. Even at that age, I remember thinking ‘How would I know?’
Asking him about his reaction later, he said ‘Well, you hadn’t been bitten, so you didn’t get too close, and you stayed back when I looked at it closely, so you had no intention of poking it – there was no problem’. Such trust in a toddler!!

Second encounter was when I was sitting in my mum’s garden in Portugal, in the shade of a huge bush, reading a book. I stood up to go indoors, and saw the mother of all snakes, behind my chair!!
It was at least 6 foot long. Transpires it was a Montpellier (mildly venomous) snake, but I didn’t know this at the time, but decided that. as it hadn't attacked me, there was no problem
He was just ‘chilling out’ , like I was.

Third encounter was an adder in the New Forest.
We were at a horse show in Brockenhurst, and I saw an adder basking rather too near the path.
Some people think they’re going to strike ‘cobra like’, and feel the need to batter them with sticks, in an attempt to avoid this ‘strike’.
So, in an effort to get the beast to move, to avoid someone ‘freaking out’ and injuring it, I started jumping up and down – getting closer and closer - jump any nearer, and I would have jumped on it – did it move? Of course not! In the end, I was face to face with the little b*gger, hissing, snarling and cursing it – and it eventually moved. :-S

For those who doubt the existence of Drop Bears as I posted a couple of days ago here is a link to the Australian Museum

https://australianmuseum.net.au/drop-bear

Species:plummetus


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As the late Dave Allan once said regarding the serpent

in the Garden of Eden.....I don't like snakes, if one came

near me I'd back off, if one spoke I'd crap myself ;-)

:-D :-D :-D :-D

No British snake is aggressive including the adder.
The adder is widely distributed in S England esp the heaths of Hampshire and Dorset. It is very shy and will usually flee if it senses oncoming hooves or feet. Sometimes it is caught napping when it will stay still. The snake should be left alone to move in its own good time. Any attempt to force it to move is illegal adders being a protected species.
Walkers in adder areas should wear strong shoes as the adder cannot bite through them. Tourists and grockles often opt for flip flops. In any case the bite while painful is not lethal to adults if the antidote is given within an hour or so.
The barred grass snake is often mistaken as an adder. It is not venomous.

Thank you for your 'lesson' on British snakes, Rollo - aimed at me, I presume?.
Did you try to teach your granny to suck eggs too?

Having spent a fair portion of my childhood living in both Dartmoor and the New Forest, amazingly, I know the law on snakes - and sloworms and newts for that matter..
There was a reason I wanted the adder - yes, I CAN identify them - to move, which I stated.
It was a public show, with non-Foresters, women in sandals (they'd obviously never read your 'missive') and small children, dogs etc.
I was actually protecting the snake.
But, of course, I really enjoy being patronised.

It's also illegal to pick up an owl .
Despite being very aware of this - I picked an owl up - and then noticed it was injured.
Now, it's not illegal to pick up an injured owl - but you may not know this until you pick it up - however, the chances are, it you CAN pick it up, it's injured.
You see, it's all very well spouting laws on wildlife, but sometimes a bit of common sense is needed.
I suppose we could have walked by and left it in agony.
Instead we took it to the New Forest Wildlife Park - where we knew they'd have a vet, and if the owl had any chance, had an owl sanctuary.
We thought this better than taking it to Tesco's.

Transpires, it had flown into a twig that had pierced it's eye.
Yes, perhaps I should have abided by the law, being (apparently) some sort of urban 'numpty'.

You also failed to mention that wood ants - specifically 'Formica rufa' which are in the New Forest, are a protected species.
I have seen a tourist go to sit on a 'convenient' ant hill.
I advised her not to - not that she would damage the hill, but she would have been bitten to b*ggery

no not aimed at MW at all my post was in the general sense.
Her paranoia is of no interest to me.

Of course!! I should have realised I was paranoid, and you weren't patronising

*Tsk'

(Beware sarcasm overload) :-D :-D :-D :-D

It always amazes me when grown men and women are scared of spiders and snakes ( and mice etc) , especially here in the UK. .I am so glad I am not, as it has meant that son is also not scared.

True I am not over fond of wasps, they scare me but only in as much as I know the results of getting in their way... when you're cycling to work and one flies down your shirt it is not conducive to road safety :-)

When it comes to things that creep, crawl and scuttle, I tend towards what my mum used to say when I was young, "They are far more scared of you than you should be of them" ;-)

A phobia is different from being a bit scared of something. It has nothing to do with whether the snake (or spider, whatever) can hurt you or is venomous. In other words, it's 'irrational'. :-0

Rose, the only reason I dislike mice, is, if I find one - where are the rest :-S

First night in a croft in Shetland, alone, with the lodger's dog (who I'd only just met, so he was in the kitchen) blew the candle out (yes, no lights), snuggled down, felt something in my hair, then brush my face - turned my torch on - what seemed like hundreds of mice, all over my bed and the floor!!!
Got the dog in, encouraged him to attack the mice - he learnt quickly - lots of mice were killed, the rest disappeared - cleared up the dead mice, and, henceforth the dog slept on my bed :-D :-D

I tend to try and ignore wasps - not easy, but as their numbers are dwindling, I've been very nice to them this year :-D

Another slant on this fear of spiders. ARACHNAPHOBIA has thirteen letters ;-)

Oooh, I hadn't noticed that, David :-S :-0

If we can't explain our fear of spiders.....can we explain our fear of thirteen ?

Ah - has that something to do with the disciples?

About mice - where they are 'residing', you might be relieved to know that there will be no rats thereabouts. They dislike each other.

That's comforting!

Oh yes - very comforting, Dermot! :-\