26 April 2011 (Tuesday) - Slow Worms

Following on from yesterday’s little ramble, we’ve decided we’ll go up Sugar Loaf Hill when the God-Botherers are somewhere else. Possibly we might be so adventurous as to follow the hills from Capel all the way to Newington where there’s a little railway museum & tea rooms. If any of my loyal readers would like to come along on the ramble, drop me a line (or leave a comment) and we’ll find a date over the summer…

Talking of dates for the summer, I had an interesting conversation today with a chap who finished work last Thursday afternoon, and then did precious little other than wait to go back to work today. For him the last four days holiday were effectively wasted. He did absolutely nothing but stare at a TV screen (that didn’t interest him in the slightest) for four days. This chap commented about what an eventful Easter break I’d had. He seemed rather jealous. I had an eventful Easter break because that’s the kind of guy I am, and I couldn’t imagine sitting about doing nothing.

But if any of my loyal readers find themselves at a loose end, check out the “Dates for the Diary” page of this blog: there’s plenty of stuff I’ve got planned for the summer. Come along and join in (!)

(I’ve been criticised in the past for advertising when my house is going to be empty – it’s apparently an advert for burglars. However I don’t advertise when my house is going to be empty. I advertise when I’m not going to be in it. And when I’m not in it, “My Boy ^TM ” takes full advantage. I pity the burglar who disturbs him!!)

I came home from work this evening to find a message on Facebook – a friend who lives just round the corner had found some strange beasts in her garden: she and the children were rather scared. The photo she’d put on Facebook was the smaller photo above – mummy and daddy slow worm (who obviously loved each other very much) were doing what is best not mentioned in polite company.

Before we ransacked our garden to make the pond and gravelled areas we used to have lots of slow worms. All the building work we did scared them away. I’d like to re-populate our garden with slow worms, and I offered to re-house the ones in her garden for her.

Within five minutes I was in her back garden with a box. Needless to say, when you are looking for slow worms, they are nowhere to be found. We searched for ten minutes and gave up; I left her with the box and a firm reassurance that they won’t bite (they won’t!), and that when they turn up, if she boxes them, I’ll very happily re-home them. And then I came home and had a look round my own back garden for slow worms. And I found the bigger one pictured above.

If any of my loyal readers are unsure, slow worms aren’t worms at all – they are a form of lizard. They are really good for the garden; eating bugs and slugs. If you find them, they are best left alone, but if your kids don’t like them or if your cats and dogs keep eating them, your local reptile rescue people will lend a hand. As will I. Some people like cats and dogs. Me – I go for things with scales. I honestly think slow worms are some of the most beautiful animals on the planet.

In other news “My Boy ^TM ” has had the thumbs-up from the hospital about his broken foot and he’s now to try to use it as much as possible, and “Daddies Little Angel ^TM ” would seem to have given her new cat (Princess) an identity crisis by giving him a rather unsuitable name….