News Country Notes
July 15 was St. Swithin's Day, so there were no surprises when it rained and, as the saying goes, there will be rain for 40 days and 40 nights. It is certainly ringing true this year, and I think that it will be etched on everyone's memory that this summer has been our wettest ever.
However, there have been plus points to all the rain - but perhaps our neighbours might not think so. Part of their field was flooded and this attracted a number of mallards and waterhen to the 'lake'. Then there was a different visitor to our waterlogged lawn. I saw my daughter's cat looking at something rather warily, as if it wasn't sure what to do about it. When I went out to investigate I discovered that it was a grass snake, a very large, fully-grown grass snake, with the distinctive white v on its neck.
I have seen small ones here before, and only the other evening on the television it was stated that the grass snake was becoming an endangered species. It slithered through the watery grass, its forked tongue flickering in and out, with the cat watching quizzically, and shaking its wet paws.
I quickly dashed back to the house to get my camera, so that I could take a photograph of this 'rare' creature. so exquisitely marked but, sure enough, when I returned it had made its way through into the shrubbery and disappeared from sight. So I took a photograph of the cat, still looking rather perplexed.
Rosemary Roach
Published on 2nd August 2007 in News.
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