On a recent family walk near Beesands in South Devon (in the fog if you look carefully), we spotted this sign on land behind the beach. Perhaps we were all in a silly mood but it made us smile and lead my wife to sum up the mood: “I see the adders are multiplying”.
Some background
The adder is the UK’s only native venomous snake and every year as many as a hundred people are bitten.
Beesands is basically a long stony beach with a few houses, a pub and a café. There is also a small lake (Widdicombe Ley) with a bird hide. Not much goes on here although the café features in lists of fish shacks and there is fishing off the beach. The pub, the Cricket Inn, is popular and I was amused to discover that many years ago Keith Richards and Mick Jagger gave their first public performance here as an Everly Brothers-style duo.
Ha! Perhaps Henry should take a look, given his “It has not escaped our notice” category…
Yes, you are right, it does fit in to his category
Just wait. Next thing you know, the little upstarts will want to integrate.
Yes, but if they did, this might not be their normal distribution.
I hope somone has put down lots of logs for them.
I still have trouble getting my head around the idea of venomous snakes in the UK, even though there is one featured in the Arthur Ransome book Swallowdale, which I read at a very young age (and several times since).
Adders multiplying. Argh.
Also Argh at Bob, chezjake and yourself (again).
Let me also add that the composition of that photo is excellent, and that the background fades into the mist beautifully. Very nice.
Thanks Bob and thanks Richard.
Arthur Ransome was a favourite of mine as a child and although he is now unfashionable we did read some of his books to my daughter. She eventually got bored by them but in a recent school presentation on Lord of the Flies and Animal Farm she did weave in a reference to Swallows and Amazons (unprompted by us).
Thanks for the kind comments about the photo. I have to admit it was actually taken by my wife who is the artist in the family (http://www.hazelstrange.net/index.html). I have shown her your comments.