too much excitement

My knowledge of the noble game of ‘willow on leather’ (whatever that means) is somewhat limited; but even I am pretty sure there should be more of them. 

We’re on a quick bike ride just to get a bit of fresh air when we come across this scene.  As we turn for home I see a snake slithering across the gravel path ahead of me.  It slithers in that zigzag fashion you see in cowboy films - and although my knowledge of snakes in the English countryside is even more limited than my knowledge of cricket - I  know it’s unlikely to be a rattler.  I’m going to guess that it’s a grass snake.

It’s moving from left to right, from one grass verge to another.  It stops in the middle when it sees my approach - I don’t know who’s the more surprised - it or me.  

I go to the left and bounce up on to the grass verge in order to get round behind it.  But it decides to go into reverse gear and get back to where it came from.  Have you ever seen a snake zigzagging backwards?  I didn’t know they could do that.

I have fears of it wrapping itself in my front wheel - or worse - but manage to miss it by inches.  I look behind - Anniemay’s coming up fast, but the snake throws itself into forward gear and slithers across the path in time.

We get home and have a nice cup of tea. That and the cricket is too much excitement for one day.