While we were in the mountains on the weekend, my neighbour rang to say we had a visitor hanging around our entrance – literally: an 8-foot python was draped around the pergola. She thought we might be away so, just in case, she roped off our path with a sign saying, “Warning: snake ahead.”
Later she saw it climb up a palm tree and onto our roof.
Last night, when we returned home, we had a nervous few minutes making our way to the door, imagining every wind-rustled branch and vine to be the python swinging down to greet us. With still no sign of it this morning, I’m wondering if it might have slithered into the roof cavity and scared off the pesky possum who keeps peeing through the ceiling.
I’m not sure which lodger I’d prefer: at least the snake would make less noise and keep the native rats and bandicoots away.
Here’s a photo our neighbour sent us – taken on Saturday from her balcony, looking down at our roof.
Where did it go from here?
Devoted Eclectic 
Ann-Marie Sjöberg
/ September 17, 2012OMG!
LikeLike
Elizabeth Lhuede
/ September 17, 2012Ann-Marie, I knew you’d appreciate the wildlife here. 🙂
LikeLike
Becky (Page Turners)
/ September 17, 2012scary!!!!
LikeLike
Elizabeth Lhuede
/ September 17, 2012Reckon – but I’m pretty sure it has gone back into the bush.
LikeLike
The Australian Bookshelf
/ September 17, 2012Agh how scary! Sounds like you have very thoughtful and caring neighbours!
LikeLike
Elizabeth Lhuede
/ September 18, 2012They are lovely. Very thoughtful. (Even if the python did come via their place!)
LikeLike
whisperinggums
/ September 17, 2012That’s a real beauty … viewed from afar. Am I right in understanding they’re not poisonous? Whatever they are though, they’re creepy!
LikeLike
Elizabeth Lhuede
/ September 18, 2012That’s right – they’re not poisonous, but they grip their prey. It’d be scary to have one on you.
LikeLike
whisperinggums
/ September 18, 2012Thanks Elizabeth … I had a feeling it was squeezing that they did. It would be scary. Even thin looking ones are pretty strong I believe.
LikeLike
Cathy Powell
/ September 18, 2012Really scary Elizabeth. Funnily enough, the title of this blog post had me humming a tune from a TV series based in Melbourne 🙂 ‘Everybody needs good neighbours….’ – it sounds like you have them.
LikeLike
Elizabeth Lhuede
/ September 18, 2012Hi Cathy – I got teased about the title and that TV show on Twitter, but it’s true, I do have good neighbours. I hate to think of the fright I might have got, without their warning..
LikeLike
Cathy Powell
/ September 18, 2012Yes I saw that on Twitter 🙂 Lucky you for having good neighbours who warned you about the snake. It would have been a big frightful surprise otherwise…
LikeLike
Julie Proudfoot
/ September 18, 2012What state do you live in Elizabeth? I’m moving to Q’land in a few years, will I be seeing this?? I really hope not…..
LikeLike
Elizabeth Lhuede
/ September 18, 2012Hi, Julie. At present, we’re on the northern beaches of Sydney, but right on the edge of a reserve. Several Queenslanders commented on Twitter that they had resident pythons in their gardens. I don’t want to alarm you, but I’m pretty sure they’re more common up there.
LikeLike
Julie Proudfoot
/ September 18, 2012I almost stood on one once in our bathroom when I was a child and spent a long time sitting on the bathroom sink waiting for help to come. Eventually my Father arrived and killed it with a golf stick. I don’t fancy a repeat of this. 🙂 They’re everywhere I guess.
LikeLike
Elizabeth Lhuede
/ September 18, 2012How terrifying for you! Was it a python, though? They’re not harmful. (If it was a brown, well…)
LikeLike
Claire 'Word by Word'
/ September 18, 2012Watch this space, where will he/she turn up?
LikeLike
Elizabeth Lhuede
/ September 18, 2012Ha! Don’t say that. I’ll have nightmares. 🙂
LikeLike
Julie Proudfoot
/ September 19, 2012Victorian bush Elizabeth so would have had a nasty bite…
LikeLike
Elizabeth Lhuede
/ September 19, 2012Oh! Not good. Reminds me of a time when we were down at the Snowy Mountains on Lake Eucumbene and I saw this snake, not two metres away from me. I stayed very still, hoping my partner would catch up and take a photo of it. It looked so beautiful… yellow belly, brown skin, coiled body with head rearing. Luckily I stayed so still, it relaxed, slithered away into the rocks and disappeared. Still, I was so disappointed that we didn’t get a photo – until I described it and found out what it was. I’d had no idea it was deadly!
LikeLike
shallowreader
/ September 20, 2012I’d be carefully checking my bedding too! Snakes up at my sister-in-law’s farm give me city girl nightmares.
LikeLike
Elizabeth Lhuede
/ September 20, 2012In the bed? No…!
LikeLike