Jake and the snake...

Jake's party was fantastic!  I was well prepared ahead of time and had plenty of time on Saturday morning, to relax and enjoy the final preparations with Jake and my family.  We even had time for a mini food-fight.

Jake was a star, he slept in a little and was very excited to help me get everything organised.  He especially enjoyed decorating the cake...

Working on our masterpiece...

Jake with the final result.  It turned out even better than we hoped...

At 2pm, Jake's friends arrived for the party.  The snake guy arrived in the middle of everything, but the kids were all super excited to see what he had hidden in the boxes for them...

As soon as everyone was there, we quickly sang happy birthday...

Blew out candles...

And got down to business...

We were super blessed with the weather.  It had been raining on and off for a few days ahead of the party, but the sun came out for a little while and we were able to have the snake show in the garden, rather than in the house...

We were definitely not disappointed by the show, Tim, our snake handler, brought every snake the kids could've hoped to have seen.  Here he's showing them how a boomslang (tree snake) can get itself out of a knot.  These highly venomous snakes have small mouths with fangs right at the back of their mouths and don't bite often.  Apparently, Tim tells us, in the olden days, people thought they were non-venomous and let kids play with them...

He brought along a fat, lazy puff adder...

Which he let loose just in front of me.  It didn't move an inch, which is what makes them so dangerous in nature...

Next up was the Cape Cobra. These are the babies my parents get in their garden from time to time.  Not in a while, but they've had something like 7 over the years.  They come in a variety of colours, but are always bright yellow underneath and are quick to strike.  The kids were lucky to see this one with his hood up...

See his yellow belly...

Finally, a chance for a volunteer.  Check Jake's face, it cracks me up every time I look at this picture - mememememepickmemememeeeee.... haha...

So, being the birthday boy, he kinda forced his way and was picked to go lend a hand...

He got handed this little corn snake, which is what he wanted me to get him for his birthday, but didn't get...

Tim's next subject was our common mole snake.  It's not venemous, but with 120 teeth in it's mouth, it can inflict a serious bite...

Tim's not scared though.  He was pretty funny and both the kids and adults enjoyed his show.  Come to think of it, so did he.  He's a pretty interesting guy to chat to.  And he loves snakes.  His dad was 4 years old when he caught his first puff adder.  He didn't tell his parents (Tim's grandparents), but kept it hidden in a shoe box under his bed for ages, giving it a goodnight kiss every night...

The kids were allowed to touch the mole snake, but Tim kept his head well away from them.  Thank you, Tim...

Corky was even brave enough to have a little feel...

Tim brought other things besides snakes to Jake's party.  Like this girdled lizard.  These guys are more endangered than the rhinos, so it was pretty special to see one up close...

They're pretty nifty too.  If you put your hands over them like this...

then flip them over like that...

And give them a little tickle on their tummies...

They go sound asleep and there's nothing you can do to wake them up...

Jake loved every moment of the party, it was totally his thing...

Next up was a black mamba.  It's one of the fastest snakes in the world and they get very long.  This guy was 2m!  They're grey-ish in colour and the inside of their mouths is black.  They're super deadly, if one of these bite you, you probably won't even make it to the hospital. 

I felt much better once he was back in his box...

Next up, Jake got to hold an iguana...

Happiness is...

Another funny photo from the day.  This was Jake learning that the iguana can give a serious bite and that it can hang onto it's victim for up to 3 hours...

Danie was very brave when he was forced to face his fears.  I'm sorry I did this to you Danie...

Actually, the boa was really pretty and his skin patterns were super fascinating.  Looks like little alien faces all along the length of him, especially along his tail end...

All the kids (well those that weren't bored, or frightened) in a line to help with the next one...

Jake got the head...

Meet Fluffy...

This was definitely a highlight, everyone got to help hold Fluffy up...

Then they got to put him on the ground and watch him move around. They got to put their hands on his body and feel his muscles working to help him slither along...

When the time came for Fluffy to go back into his box, Jake was there to make sure he was comfortable and get that last touch in...

But while Tim wasn't looking, Fluffy snuck back out...

And the kids all got another moment to experience this beautiful creature...

After that, it was photo time with the boa - Jake didn't want to let it go home...

I even had a turn...

Having another go, this time letting the boa wrap around his arm...

Kisses...

Even someone who doesn't like snakes, has to admit that nature is beautiful...

Once most of the kids had left, we managed to get Tim to let us have a shot at holding Fluffy.  Let me tell you, a 35kg snake, is no easy thing to lift off the ground...

All in all, it was a happy party and everyone seemed to have a good time.  Jake had fun and the kids all learnt something about the importance of snake conservation.  Jake was very well behaved the entire day and our evening braai with the family and a few friends was wonderful too!

Sue X