Reptales

By Lindsay Laurie

i’m sure many readers who read this book have had at some stage in their life experienced that horrible feeling, depending on their personal fear of course, of coming into contact with a scaly creature ranging from the tiny skink right thro ugh to an enormous python that has left the hairs standing up on the back of the neck. the exposure is etched firmly into the mind forever as possibly one of the luckiest escapes in one’s life.

reptales has been written to acknowledge all these people who have over the period of my life-time sat down over a cup of tea or a beer around a campfire and when the subject of snakes, lizards, goannas etc. has arisen, have come forward with their weird but wonderful story of the narrow escape from the clutches of one of these dangerous scaly creatures, that they would have us awed listeners believe seek out humans just for the pleasure of frightening us half to death when in reality the poor creature would be quite content with not having any contact with us at all.

snakes in particular prefer to escape what normally becomes their tormentor and it is in some of these verses written that will show the contempt and stupidity that can occur when there is a preference to kill instead of the philosophy of ‘live and let live!’

in fact reptiles can become friendly and loveable pets, and in these modern times, many people have a friendly snake slithering around their lounge room and some have even come to the conclusion a snake is a wonderful preventative against car theft. a blue-tongue or a stumpy-tail make wonderful ornaments on an arm and readily accept a strawberry or piece of mince meat contentedly. maybe you the reader should consider a shiny friendly red-bellied black!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lindsay Laurie
• Release date: Feb 18, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301241347

Lindsay Laurie

Born in the Royal Women’s Hospital in Melbourne in 1946 and as a child I lived at Deer Park before my family moved to Longwarry in West Gippsland. I have one brother who was born at the Warragul Hospital in 1948. For forty-five years I lived at Longwarry, being educated at the Longwarry State School and the Drouin High School. I left school at sixteen and for thirty years worked in the dairy industry at Longwarry Milk Factory, employed by four company’s working as a butter maker, dryer operator and at times either a cream room or milk room operator. I never moved but the companies did. For four tomato seasons I worked for White Crow as an evaporator operator. Ill health with a muscle wasting disease forced me to retire eventually. My sporting interests have always been Australian Rules football, Cricket and playing Basketball. I played all my football and cricket for Longwarry, but played basketball for a number of clubs. My hobbies over the years have ranged from keeping aviary birds, especially finches, growing native fruit plants as well as attempting to grow everything I could from either seed or cuttings. I am one of the founding members of the modern and very successful Longwarry fishing club that in it’s first three years won a number of state trophies. My preference was river fishing for either blackfish or the Gippsland freshwater crayfish. I have been married twice. My first marriage failed after seven years and from that marriage I have three children, Karen, Janet and Brad. My second marriage with Joy has seen a long and happy period of thirty-two years. We have three children, Teresa, Glenn and Megan, plus nine grand children, and a tenth grand child due. I also keep in constant touch with my brother Ron, who lives in Melbourne. He is a constant source of information toward my writing. From 1993 until 2010 I lived in Irymple Victoria, and today, I am back in my home town Longwarry in Gippsland and because of my disability, I spend most of my time writing about the people in my life, and of course as you will read, fictional people who I do not wish to have in my life through this Creek family. November 1 2012 Lindsay Laurie.

Book preview

REPTALES

A SELECTION OF POETRY BASED ON REPTILE CONFRONTATIONS

Written

by

Lindsay Laurie

Poems to highlight our scaly friends who are never far away from us in their hiding places and inadvertently frighten the living daylights out of many of us if we happen to stumble across them enjoying their favoured pastime; sun-baking.

SMASHWORDS EDITION

PUBLISHED BY:

Lindsay Laurie on Smashwords

Reptales

©Lindsay Laurie January 2013

Cover image: ©Gary Rymer

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

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CONTENTS

Introduction

Plague at Harold’s Creek

Sharing Lunch on the Latrobe

Sitting with the Enemy

Aspiring Olympian

Tiger Snake Stomp

Unravelling a Trio

Harry’s Tiger Trap

Silver beet Surprise

Sofa Hiding Spot

Mountain Retreat Nursery

Where the Murray Meets the Chicken

An Acrobatic Nature

Scavengers of Lake Tyers

Diving Practice

Rubber Mileage

Naked Dash

It’s Green! It’s Active! It’s Lost!

‘Wheely’ Dangerous

A Question Answered

Replacing the pet Collie Pup

Baled Up

‘Blind’ Faith

‘Whatcha’ Reading

‘Sleepy’ Tiger

Unintended Nature Calls

Heeling the Sole

Bed Mates

Know your Polecats Fred

Snakebite! Safety First

Saved by the Net

Three Times for the Whack

Quick Recovery

Close Action Camera Shot

Waders Filling

A Weak Mind Feeds a Strong Heart

Barking Tigers

Greenies

For Cars Sake

‘Crazy’ Ray

Community Need

The Final Hiss

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INTRODUCTION

These little yarns you’re ‘bout to read, will put a shiver in your life,

when you think about these situations, and found yourself in strife,

as you, like me in work and pleasure, put life and limb at stake,

and hairs stand out upon our necks, when confronted by a snake.

Of course it’s only when you see them do you feel so ill at ease,

never realizing close at hand, there’s a big’un no one sees

probably just a foot away, with it’s fork tongue seeking heat.

They really are reclusive ‘blighters,’ so just check around your feet.

Many times while camping in the scrub, and even in the home,

a snake has crawled across a body and the soul has never known.

They have lived in bedrooms, pantries, and lounge rooms in the house.

I suppose you’ve never thought about why you rarely see a mouse.

And if by chance you come across a sloughed skin in your yard.

Hope like heck the moult is over for that’s when a snake gets hard.

Its eyes you see, are out of focus, and cannot tell what’s near.

When you make a sudden move that frightened snake strikes out of fear.

Snakes like to hide throughout the day ‘though will sun-bake on a log,

and prefer to hunt their prey at night; their favourite food is frog.

And a frog will clamour for a moth that’s attracted by a light.

And where’s the light! That’s right. Your house is lit up well at night.

I’d be flamin’ careful where I walked in the darkness ‘round the home.

There could be a hundred snakes about and you have never known.

Each with a pang for human flesh or to test their venom’s power.

Striking, hissing, crawling over you… in the darkness as you cower.

Snakes! Viscous scheming evil creatures, Satan designed in Hell.

The scourges of mankind, slimy, dirty… rumours I must dispel.

A snake is shy and quite retiring, who hunts vermin on its own,

and will live side by side contented providing it is left alone.

Now goannas they are different; they have enormous tearing claws.

Teeth that resemble needles and such power in their jaws.

I hear that if they bite you; from their scavenging