I had a visitor last night...

ozziepost

G'day all,

The signs are that the drought in Oz is getting really BAD. Yesterday two things brought this "home" to me.

First, the fair city of Melbourne has announced water restrictions. What will Beck and R.F. and others do now? No washing your car now, eh?

Secondly, we had a very unwelcome visitor last night. Let me tell you about the "visit". Mrs Ozzie and I got home rather late and I switched the backyard floodlight on and went to retrieve my washing. (Yes, ladies, Ozzie does the laundry! )

As I approached the line, I noticed something black on the ground. Didn't know what it was, so I did the aussie thing, I kicked it!! Well, I thought it might be something fallen down from the line. Remember it was dark at the time and although the back light was on, it was in half-light area. It didn't move, so I bent down to touch it. I grabbed it with finger and thumb; it felt fleshy and slimy. Uh-oh! I thought, and quickly dropped it. I'd been rather stupid. I knew instantly I'd picked up a red bellied black snake. It was dead, thank goodness! I told Mrs Ozzie who freaked out. Well, not too much, as we used to have a farm, and are used to that type of thing. But we now are enjoying retirement in a semi-rural area. Who would have imagined one of these creatures so close to the house? A sure sign that the drought is hitting, or will hit, everything and everyone here in the Great Southern Land.

In case you haven't heard too much about these red-bellied visitors, here's some details:

R ED-BELLIED B LACK S NAKE

The red-bellied black snake is rather dangerous.

It is usually about 1.5 metres long but can grow up to 2.5 metres long. It has a purple-black body and a red-orange coloured belly.

It hunts by day catching frogs, rats, mice, birds, lizards and even fish!

It likes damp places and usually lives in holes, rabbit burrows, hollow logs and under rocks.

It has between 8 and 40 live babies.

The red-bellied black snake is rather shy and will normally leave you alone.

It will only attack if you annoy it. So if you see one don't try to kill it or catch it. Just walk away from it slowly (scary stuff).

Its bite is very very painful and can kill a child and make a grownup very very ill.

IF YOU GET BITTEN BY A SNAKEApply a pressure bandage and splint immediately to the bite and get to a doctor or hospital straight away.

Let's hope there isn't another visitor today!

Cheers, Ozzie

Mulan

I've heard about those. Some people in this part of the world have to call exterminators to get rid of bugs in their houses. But I saw a show on TV, from Australia, where people there have regular snake exterminators at their houses. It showed one big black snake all curled up in the bathroom. How do they get in the house??

Ugh. Now, I don't know if I want to come visit you.

Tinkerbell4125

Ozzie, thats when I would have crapped my pants! Right there on the spot!!!

Undecided

We have white bellied black snakes which are harmless. They in fact eat poisonous snakes, mice and rats so we leave them alone to do their work. I killed a poisonous snake at my daughters the other day while my wife and I were taking a walk. I hit it with a rock but it wasn't dead, when I reached down to get the rock to hit it again it struck me on the hand, but I had broken it's neck so it's mouth didn't get me. I would have let it go unharmed but I was afraid it might get my grand daughter, Emily. The snakes here are usually not dangerous unless you step on it or something like that. There is a lot of wildlife up there, when I was going down the driveway to her house today I saw a deer, wild turkey, and a rabbit at the same place. I love the outdoors. They live only about a mile from the city, but it is out in the country near the Smith river and there is about 40 miles of woods on the other side from the city.

Ken P.

Angharad

URGH now that is why I couldnt live in Australia - I'd be a nervous wreck!

Glad your ok Ozzie.

Edited by - angharad on 30 October 2002 18:45:16

ozziepost

How do they get in the house??

Not through the door!!!!!!! And they don't knock!!

Seriously though, Mulan, I guess it's like with all the unwelcome creepy cralies, how do they get in the house? Through nooks and crannies, through plumbing spaces etc. I s'pose the houses featured on that TV show were in a rural area. Mrs Ozzie and I found things were much different on a farm as respects what we imagined were the "norm" for houses. Dust for one thing. Creatures in the house-yard for another. In times of drought we would be awoken by kangaroos in the front yard. Another year we had a mice plague. Then there were the years of locusts..... Need I continue?

Aren't you glad you're in colder climes?

Cheers, Ozzie

ozziepost

I'd be a nervous wreck!

I guess that explains something about the posters from Oz!!!!!!!

BTW how's the Blues getting on?

Cheers, Ozzie

Vivamus

OMG.

Let me get this straight tho..... You live in a country where dangerous creatures inhabit your garden, and you KICK something that will only attack when you ANNOY it...... OMG.

Glad you're okay.

ozziepost

you KICK something that will only attack when you ANNOY it

Well, that's what farmers do, don't they?

Don't worry, Viv, we don't kick people............well, not often!!!!!

Cheers, Ozzie

ozziepost

This news item just up on AAP:

10:49 AEST Thu 31 Oct 2002

Anderson begs banks to help farmers

Deputy Prime Minister and National Party Leader John Anderson will continue asking banks to be understanding in their dealings with farmers as the widespread drought deepens.

Mr Anderson said that the banks had assured him to date they would do all they could to meet farmers' needs.

"I have had some initial conversations with the banks. I intend having more," he told ABC Radio.

"They are all, at the moment, assuring me and the government that they'll do everything they can to meet farmers' needs.

"But they are going to need to be flexible, to be prepared to restructure loans, and not be unreasonable in the sort of margins and charges and on-costs that people sometimes get hit with when they have to restructure their affairs."

Mr Anderson said that, although last year was a better year for many farmers, none had had the chance to put fat away.

"Now, with the drought deep into spring, the opportunities for summer crops ... are rapidly fading," he said.

"The second (reason) is, that livestock producers are getting to the end of their capacity to hang on to their core breeders.

"That does raise, for farmers, the real prospect of having to go to their banks and say 'We just aren't going to have the cashflow for 12 months, 18 months, depending on their circumstances for some breeders, potentially a couple of years."

AAP 2002

I had a visitor last night...

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