Snakes alive!

I'm a city girl, born and bred, give me a nice solid pavement under my feet, my rare bushwalks are limited to well trodden tracks, rustling in the shrubbery is enough to send me scuttling back to the car park.

I've had two close encounters with red belly black snakes in my life - as a child, we were on holidays in Queensland, snake was sunbaking on a footbridge over a stormwater canal near our bungalow, I had new shoes with slippery soles and as I ran back up the concrete path to the house my shoes kept slipping, I had nightmares for days of me sliding down the hill into the snakes' gaping jaws.

Next encounter was as a teenager, again on holidays, (why do we have this urge to escape the city on holidays, cities work for me!) friend and I were sitting on the lawn sunbaking when my father said quietly but firmly "don't move!" we froze as a red belly slid between us and went on its way, so you can imagine why this site really gave me the shudders, and another reason to stick to the city.

thanks to Barista for the link and lots of other interesting reading.