Apparently it’s not a snake, it’s a legless lizard called a slow worm.  It looks like a snake to me though, and I’ve seen a few, being an African girl.  On Sunday, Ayrton and I were picking some bits for supper at the allotment and I found this beauty when I lifted the carpet on top of the compost heap to add a few weeds.  It just lay there, perfectly still and waiting to be photographed.  Apparently slow worms are protected in England under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 from being killed, injured or sold.  We have invited our slow worm to stay and eat as many of our slugs as it likes.