I have always loved the season that is Autumn - we are out of that unbearable, sweltering heat which leaves me puffed up, red faced and unable to conceal my sumo wrestling sized upper arms.  I love the cooler, more temperate days, the slightly chilly nights, and I don't even mind the odd bit of frost that is around at the moment.  I love the changing colours of the leaves on the trees, and the creeping ivy that changes from mamba green to crisp, blood red. 

Speaking of mambas...I also love that our snake population has decided to move off and stop seriously affecting my "chi" on a daily basis. 

I was told before I moved here that in terms of snakes "about one a year" would be found in the garden.  WRONG!  So far, we seem to have averaged one every eleven days, and I am starting to realise that "one a year" was a bit of a marketing trick, especially knowing how much I fear and dread all things reptile.

My first experience with a Table Farm snake came in the form of a huge cobra which was found slothing around in the sheep shearing shed.  They apparently have a "mate" at most times of their lives, which means that it's little friend is still wondering around here somewhere.

I thought I had got my head around the fact that I did not see the snake and had not seen its friend, so I decided I needed to be brave and move on from the troubling news.  However, not eleven days later, I was walking through the garden when I was nearly deafened by a blood curdling scream from Julia, our resident gardener extraordinaire, who came sprinting past me shouting "SNAKE, SNAKE".  I turned around and ran into the house faster than even Caster Semenya, screeching like a wild woman for my all too calm fiancee to come and help immediately.  No problem was the response, and soon enough the male boomslang was removed from the bush right near our verandah, and sent off on his merry way.  I was told again, that these reptiles ALSO like having a mate around, so now I was dealing with not one, but TWO friends somewhere...

Another eleven days passed and lo and behold, a puffadder in our rubbish bin... not two meters from our kitchen door and on a path frequented not only by us, but our children.  My nerves were starting to shatter one by one and these snakes were getting to me in a big way.  Not to worry, I was told that we had "had our three" and as everything happened in threes, we were now over our snake experiences.

But clearly someone has a sense of humour, as eleven days later, whilst driving happily along the national road in his "bakkie", my fiancee noticed something out of the corner of his eye whilst looking ahead... there was another boomslang, clearly the other chaps little mate, who was IN the engine, emerging at pace along the windshield.  The brakes were SLAMMED ON and the poor chap in the car behind narrowly escaped driving straight into the same said bakkie.  This bakkie is rather old and sadly, it's window does not not electrically wind up as quickly as it should, or as it used to in its year of purchase (a long time ago), but that button was pulled so hard whilst watching the snake slither its way along the window, clearly not loving the wind it was meeting on the ride!!  Upon reaching the farm, the snake had disappeared, and when opening the bonnet, was nowhere to be seen.  There have been hunts high, and hunts low, and nowhere is the resident reptile...

I have learnt two huge things from this... firstly, I LOVE Autumn the acceleration of hibernation I hope is taking place and secondly, no matter what, I need to travel in my own vehicle at ALL times...