“Do you want to hear about our snake?” asked Jade, the handsome pilot’s daughter from across the road (from where I am house sitting at present).

I was just returning on my bike from swimming at Joanne’s followed by shopping at the Hyperdome this afternoon (fourteen kilometres all told – desperately dieting and exercising) and I had stopped to speak to the children who were roller-skating at the end of the road near the turning circle. Jade’s six year old brother called Drew (the one with the spiky hair) had already told me that I ought to “get back and guard Sue and Glenn’s house” (I knew from previous experience I could count on Drew for some humour!). Danielle and Bella (their mum accompanied by the family dog) soon came out and joined us.

I nodded with interest and Jade told her tale of the two metre long tree snake that had appeared last week when the family were having a barbecue – her heroic father, in the style of an expert, caught the snake and picked it up by the back of the head before depositing it on wasteland.

“I don’t know why it chose us, out of all the people who live here…” ten year old Jade finished with a wistful ponder.

“How funny that we should both have had snake experiences recently,” I got in quickly because I had my own snake story to tell.

And I told them about my unforgettable trip to Redcliffe last Saturday and my visit to friends who have snakes (as well as dogs) for pets. How could I refuse when asked if I would like to hold a large yellow constrictor named Bonnie? What an excellent opportunity for unusual photographs for my blog! My initial response was purely instinctive – I froze and held my breath – as Bonnie wended her way over and around my head; her tongue licked my face and I felt like Tarzan’s Jane in the jungle. A green snake called Clyde was placed around my neck and the dynamic duo pretended to strangle me, just a little pressure here and there to remind me of their raison d’être (they were not to be tangled with although, indeed, they were tangled around me). Sid, the yellow snake, was a sweetie; he gave me a nice massage on my shoulders.

“Do they get to know you and like you?” I asked.

“No, they just think you’re a warm spot,” said Kendall, the beautiful snake charmer in one of the photo’s, “and don’t hold him like that or he’ll bite you…”

And the following snake photographs are for Jade, Drew and Danielle, so I can show off how brave I am (not, as you can see by my face). The dog is there on the basis of his cuteness, likewise, Kendall is there for her cuteness and the Bee Gees Statue is for fans who may be interested to know that the Bee Gees lived in Redcliffe when the Gibb family moved to Australia.