After months of nagging my son to mow the yard I grabbed the mower myself and wheeled it to the driveway gates.
I was asked to mow my mate's rental property (a few blocks from here) as he lives two hours away in the bush.
Along the way to my side gates I was intercepted by an Eastern Brown snake (2nd most deadliest snake species in the world).
Although we'd had plenty of them in the yard and house over the 25+ years of living here, this is the first I've seen in my yard this year.
I was about one foot away from it when I saw it which scared the crap outta me. lol
Still holding onto the mower I took a step back and we both just stared each other out for about minute or so.
Its only a juvenile of about a foot or so in length. So that means that more of them could be close by.
Also being a juvenile brown means it is aggressive, dealing with confrontation head-on as opposed to most other species that tend to avoid human confrontation.
We were in a confined space of about a meter between the house and the car port and there isn't an alternative path.
I decided to cautiously continue pass the snake and it bit one of the rear wheels of the mower.
I jumped back and completely lost site of the snake. Not a good thing.
Thinking that it could now be under the mower, ready to strike at my feet I took a huge jump to the side/front of the mower, grabbed the handle and dragged it out to the front yard as fast as I could over rough terrain where I tipped the mower onto its side to look for the snake.
The mower actually rolled 180 degrees landing upside down with fuel leaking out of the cap so I rolled it again, back onto its wheels then onto its side as first intended.
No sign of the slippery little sucker.
It could be on top of the round disc that the blades bolt onto or even in the grass catcher.
I really don't want to load it into the back of my vehicle (Land Cruiser station wagon) where it could slither into a new hiding spot inside the car itself.
Its currently 32 degrees Celsius so I don't feel like walking the four or five blocks to my mate's house dragging the mower behind me.
I guess he'll just get more nasty letters from the local council. lol