My Husband Frightened a Snake
Poor little thing (the snake, not the husband)
In the UK, we don’t have many snake species — just adders and grass snakes. They’re mostly harmless, and scared, so we don’t need to worry much, even if we do spot one.
I’d never seen a snake until a few years ago, when we were at Otmoor Nature Reserve in Oxfordshire. Someone pointed out grass snakes curled up and sunning themselves in the afternoon heat. It was wonderful. But they weren’t doing anything. I’d never seen a snake in action.
Then a few years ago, we went on holiday to the Cotswolds and we were sitting on a bench beside the River Thames in Ashton Keynes, when my husband jumped up onto the bench and squealed.
I looked to see what the fuss was about and this poor grass snake was darting away from us, like his life depended on his escape. My husband had frightened this beautiful little creature, who was now trying to find a hiding place, away from prying eyes.
“What did you do that for?” I asked. I’d love to have seen the snake slip past us and go for a swim. Talk about an amazing opportunity for a bit of wildlife photography.
