Holy SNAKE!!!

Our Pictures I took Dec16. 2011- Actually I had Zed snap the one of Wade & I... what talent!

Just about every night I take our dog, JB out for an evening run. Sometimes I jog, most times I ride my bike, especially with it being 'snake season' and all. I have to say that I did think I would see more of those heart pumping, adrenaline spiking creatures, but I have not. I have seen a couple dead ones; all baby size, but nothing more interesting than that. I have heard stories from my friends and even seen the pictures of them holding 5 foot long dead ones that had found on their and (illegally) killed. One time I had seen one slipping into the bushes as we were driving to Mackay, but nothing else.  So I became a little complaicent thinking that the likelihood of me seeing one was close to none.
Well about a week or so ago I saw, what I thought, was a little dead one on the road. As I had done before I circled around on my bike, lifted my feet up (just in case) and rolled over it... opps THAT one was defiantly alive!  A moment or tow later I saw it turn back towards the bush and quickly blend into the grass and it made its way back there. It was just a baby one, most likely a baby brown - very poisonous still but just a baby. I thought "cool" and didn't think much more about it. Then the other night, I decided to take Zed along with me and we rode our bikes. I usually ride alongside the road so JB can run next to the bush and enjoy all the smells and grassy area instead of her running on the hard sidewalk and stopping to pee on peoples property (pet peeve of mine!). Before I knew it a huge (and I mean HUGE) snake let out a violent hiss and a warning lunge toward JB and she tried to get a better look as she ran past it. The snake must have been making it way back across the road from the houses side (yikes).  Immediatly I yelled for Zed (who was just ahead of me and heading straight toward the waiting snake) to go to the other side of the road. JB is not a stupid dog and she too made a large circle around the snake and followed Zed to the other side. Even now my heart is thumping crazily. Within in seconds I was with Zed and JB directly across the road from the snake... massive snake. This snake was either really dark brown or black on its back and at least six feet long.

This is a pic from online but looks VERY close to the
size we saw that night.

Its body was about the size of my forearm, as far as I could tell in the poorly lit road and being across the road as well. I wanted to stay and watch it but I immediately thought of Wade - he too desperately wanted to see a live, decent sized snake. We bolted back on our bikes, and I told Wade to take my bike and go see it. Unfortunately the snake had already returned to the bush. Bummer. I now have no desire to talk JB on walks in the bush... actually knowing the size of snakes that are living in there.
It is different to be told about them and actually seeing them! Wade and I looked up the snake online and from what I described it was either a inland taipan  or a red-belly black snake.
BOTH snakes are deadly and considered to be two

Red-belly black snake 

are considered to be the most venomous snakes in the world. As I understand it, the inland taipan is tends to be on the shy side and would rather run then fight... the red-belly black snake though... not so much. They tend to be very aggressive and will attack with little to no provocation. I am leaning more the side of the inland taipan from what I can remember about the color and 'mannerisms' of the snake. It could have easily gotten JB the first time around but chose not to....
No one will know for sure and I am kicking myself for not taking the time to get a really good look at it - from a distance of course! But I really wanted to give Wade the opportunity to see it; maybe next time.

Anyway, nothing else interesting has been happening. We've been continuing with school, but completing more christmassy type crafts and activities. The older boys have written christmas stories, with illustrations, and the younger ones have done some crafts. We attended a not so great christmas party for Wade's work, took our family picture and set up the family christmas tree.

We have a couple of house guests.... we are caring for two birds and two mice for our friends who are away until the end of the month. The kids love to watch the birds fly around the house, and truly enjoy holding the mice.

 I am not a fan of either it seems.( Funny how age changes you.) I don't like how the birds poop on everything, and I really and truly don't enjoy the smell that radiates from the mouse cage. Thankfully, we can put the mice out during the day and the birds also have their own outdoor cage they spend the day in. Those two can be VERY noisy!
Today we have a family appointment for skin checks... what a way to end the year. Checking for skin cancer! It is wonderful living in a part of the world where you tan through your sun screen and sun shirt but it comes with it's down sides too... one of those being the greatly increased chance of skin cancer. The other day I was outside for barely two hours mowing the lawn, and I'd gotten the worst sunburn I have had since moving here. It was 9am for heaven's sake!!!
Ah well, it is lunch time, which means it is time for the cook to return to the kitchen. We love and miss you all very much. This Christmas isn't feeling at all like christmas....