I'm not sure that I can say that today has been quite what I had hoped for. I decided that as dinner monitor I would go and get lots of shopping from the nearest supermarket in Poggibonsi 40 k away so that we didn't have to worry about shopping until next week. On the way back to The Villa I decided to remove the grime from the car and let the world know that it's black again. The petrol station was entirely credit card run with no human presence. This turned out to be a Good Thing because I had to use my credit card before I could fill the tank. I had no credit card. Argh. I had paid cash for the groceries. Was my wallet at the store or at The Villa? Drove home. Drove back to the store. Wallet there. Grazie. Normale.
160k later and it was 1730 and wine time. Then out to the pizzeria for dinner. Good meal. Happy service.
The highlight of the day for me was arriving home for the first time to hear a commotion because there was a snake on the patio. Camera at the ready I approached it. I got too near and this 30cm or so bundle of fun took a severe dislike to my attentions and became distinctly hostile. Needless to say he held the upper hand and I kept my distance. Since then we have been trying to identify it. Wiki has a list of Italian snakes but it doesn't seem remotely like one on the list. Its head is very distinctive. Someone must know what it is. Any ideas?
Having done an image search on google I think it might be a Balkan Whip Snake (Hierophis gemonensis). It seems to have quite a variable head, but some of the photos look similar to yours.
ReplyDeleteThanks Helen. I did a Wiki search on each snake on the list bout couldn't find a photo anything like it. Your help is very much appreciated. Mind you I assume this was a baby because I can't see it eating any sort of mammal however small. I wonder what they eat until they get big enough to eat what the books say they eat. Note to me: learn more about snakes.
DeleteThey dislocate their jaws and swallow.
DeleteYes Adrian but the head on this was so small that I couldn't see it swallowing a mouseling never mind a mouse.
Deletethanks, Helen, I really wasn't up to a search!
ReplyDeletefabulous shots, GB
Thanks Norma.
DeleteHelen is correct....I used to see them in Reggio de Calabrio.....It's okay they are harmless.
ReplyDeletePS. That is unless they bite you.
DeleteLook for Italian grass snakes they are big. They do bite but aren't poisonous.
Thanks Adrian (and I haven't forgotten about yesterday's comment). Snakes don't worry me as a rule (although I did nearly step on a viper in France a few years ago when wearing jandals/flipflops which was a bit scary. I don't go too near though because a bite from almost anything can be unpleasant and most will attack if cornered. This one certainly got quite threatening and moved towards me very quickly.
DeleteI have been bitten twice by adders...still yet to get a picture. They are poisonous but not very...like a wasp sting times three.
DeleteSnakes??? Yikes!!! At least it was harmless.
ReplyDeleteI'm happy that you did not lose your wallet forever.....honesty seems to be reigning in Italy, thank goodness.
What a good dinner monitor you are...you are doing a great job.
Thanks Virginia. It keeps me out of trouble!
DeleteObviously does NOT keep you out of trouble (losing your wallet)... ;)
DeletePhew! Glad you got your wallet back; losing one's wallet is not that much about the cash that one may (or may not) carry around in it, but much more about losing all the cards, starting (if you are German) with your ID, then your health insurance, credit cards, library card, bus/train ticket, card for the gym, and so on and so forth. If I ever had my wallet stolen, it would take me quite a lot of hassle, nerves, time and energy to get everything back.
ReplyDeleteThe snake is beautiful!
The cash was separate because I took it out to pay. That was my mistake. Usually I pay by card and when I put it back I put my wallet back in my pocket. As you say the hassle is replacing the identity and similar cards and sorting things out in a language which I hardly speak was not something I was looking forward to. But all's well that ends well as they say.
DeleteNo idea about the snake but I enjoyed your mention of Poggibonsi. I suspect that my wife and I used to grab food in the same restaurant. I knicked named Poggibonsi "Traffic Circle City."
ReplyDeleteThe snake is a Balkan Whip Snake Mark. In the days before satnavs I would agree with your description of Poggibonsi. I've circumnavigated it several times trying to find the way out.
DeleteGlad you got your wallet back, as Librarian already said the real trouble is usually all the other stuff you keep in it besides the cash. I got my handbag stolen once (way back in the 1970s when working in an office in a public building). No credit card to worry about back then but losing my ID/driver's license was trouble enough, and my keys, which meant I also had to have the lock on the door to my flat changed...
ReplyDeleteNightmare stuff Monica. My dream type nightmares are bad enough without real ones too.
DeleteI'm confused! You went to the pizzeria for dinner but you were dinner monitor!!!!
ReplyDeleteWe are here for two weeks Sue. Six to feed. I'm not cooking every night!
DeleteOK You're forgiven! x
DeleteThanks Helen, saved me doing it.
ReplyDeleteCan you bring one home in your luggage, GB, I'd love to get a photo.
That might get me into a bit of trouble at customs CJ and, to be truthful, I really don't fancy the idea of one in the car as a travelling companion.
Delete