Snakes alive!!

Ok, so it was 1 snake, but it was still a snake. In my kitchen. This evening. And I was alone in the house.

I had to go back to work today to prepare for the AGM. Goodness... no matter what I do and how much I do, the work just seems to go on and on and on... well, anyway, it had been a looonnnggg day (long week actually) and I'd just come home and was relaxing in front of the telly, too lazy to go upstairs and get out of my clothes and have a shower. Russell started barking first. At first, I thought it was the normal barking but then I heard that tone in his bark that told me he was on to something. Then Tinkerbell started. 2 dogs on to something? Maybe it was the new neighbours but it didn't sound quite like the "hey-newbies-this-is-my-house-so-you-better-watch-it" kinda bark. It sounded more like the "hey-there's-something-here" kinda bark so I got off my butt and went to investigate. Good heavens!! They were after a snake! In my kitchen!! I only got a glance and it looked black so I was afraid it might be a cobra or something. Ok, so it was small, but a baby cobra still packs a deadly punch. I got the dogs out of the kitchen and called C, my friend from the Nature Society. She wasn't anywhere nearby but laughed at my panic and said it was probably a harmless juvenile house snake and told me to pick it up and put it into a bag and then let it go someplace safe. Yeah right... let's see HER pick up a damn snake! Then I called my big bro who was at football with his kid and wasn't ready to come snake hunt with me.

So ok, I was on my own. So I took out a big cloth bag - one of those things your handbag comes in, a long clothes handle and started poking around the rug where I had seen the snake go into. I saw the tail first and I slowly worked my way up to where the head was. I wanted to be sure it wasn't anything poisonous. It was dark grey with light grey markings. I googled house snake but only came up with African House Snake which is brown and big, so that's not it. Anyway, it looked a bit like a mini python. I prodded it a bit but it didn't move. So I prodded it a bit more and it still didn't move. Then I prodded it harder, trying to make it go into the bag, and it LURCHED!! OH F***!! I screamed and got the hell out of the kitchen and went back a minute later but it was gone! Where to, I have no idea. I just hope it doesn't end up in my bed. I've heard of snakes doing that. They get into all sorts of things. Oh man.... I'll have to watch every step I take and especially where I put my butt. I wish I'd taken a picture of it, but photography wasn't really on my mind then, ya know?

Now that I think about it, the snake must have been hanging around in my backyard the past few days, cos Tinkerbell and Russell have been especially interested in the backyard these past few evenings, in particular the planter trough. I'm just relying on my dogs now to tell me if there's a snake on the prowl. As long as they don't get excited and go into hunting mode, it should mean the snake's not in the house anymore. But I have a sneaky suspicion that it's gone into the washing machine. Good reason not to do the laundry then...

I still have goosebumps thinking about it. And my friends and big bro... bunch of snivelling cowards. Laughing at me but not daring to come and face the snake themselves...