Uncle Wayne has left me – like they all do sooner or later. The good news though is that I am able to get back in my box on the table – I wasn’t allowed to do that while he was here. He didn’t say it straight out but as that dreaded spray bottle (which he isn’t afraid to use) is right next to it, I decided it wasn’t worth the risk.
Where has he gone? He’s taken himself off to see the Toowoombas – it’s been a while since he’s seen some of them although Aunty Wendy did come down and spend some time with him and me while the Mummies were away.
So we’re settling back in to our routine here with M Kaz taking over my feeding, watering and looking after my tray. Speaking of my tray, it’s still Outback and it looks like it’s going to stay there for the Summer. I don’t mind, because while it’s Outback, that means I can go out there any time. And I love being Outback because that’s where Mimi’s cat tower lives and I love that cat tower. I am going to have to ask the Mummies to check with Aunty M that Mimi really doesn’t want it back because if she does, I am going to have to work out how I am going to hide it because I love it too much to even think about giving it back.
The good thing about it too is that if I’m at the top of it – and I do love it up there – I am well out of reach of any wildlife that might wander in to the yard – and we know that the Outback is built so well that not much can get in – besides my dinosaurs and now those tiny cane toads – and I really don’t know how they’re getting in … neither did Uncle Wayne – although he did what he could to get rid of them. He spent a lot of time on the interweb trying to find a way to keep them out or to move them on (that might be a euphemism for something else).
And then yesterday afternoon he was on the interweb again trying to work out what type of snake he had found in the front yard when they came back from the HOTA markets. The Mummies had already come inside when we heard Uncle Wayne saying “Snake. Snake.” He was very careful – trying to take photographs of it so it could be identified – but being careful so it wouldn’t feel cornered in the front yard and do something unpredictable. It went into the pots in the garden and then he couldn’t see it for a while. He was in the middle of packing so he went to concentrate on that and M Kaz kept a watch – and finally saw it stretched out along the green plastic border.
Uncle Wayne came back out and carefully approached it so he could take its photo – but it was very skittish and you could almost hear M Kaz gasp (or was it a stifled scream?) when it jumped up in the air and came back towards Uncle Wayne. He did get the photos though and M Kaz sent one through to the snake catcher. Yes, it surprised me too that M Kaz had a phone number for a snake catcher in her phone! He came back within a couple of minutes with an identification of the snake – it is a keelback, non-venomous, but if she was worried about it, the snake catcher would come and fetch it. They decided to leave it be – and will spend the next while on the lookout for it. Uncle Wayne is very brave – he was even sitting out there within an hour of seeing it!
Uncle Wayne talked with one of the neighbours who knew about the snake – it has been in their yard a fair bit over the last couple of weeks. They were happy to hear that it was, in fact, non-venomous as one of their friends had apparently identified it as venomous . Hopefully it will leave Jannie and go back to live with them.
Nigella ... 