Snakes and ladders
Firefighters in Conroe, Texas responded to a house fire caused by Christmas tree lights. When they arrived, they were faced with more than 100 snakes. This from CNN: "The reptiles included several five- to six-foot-long pythons and boa constrictors and were in glass cases but still needed to be carried outside the house. With the help of the home's owners, fire crews ferried the snakes to safety ...
"The homeowner wasn't willing to give a lot of information on why they had so many snakes. In fact, they told us the snakes don't like people in uniform," an anonymous firefighter added. 'But as firefighters, we will do anything to help anybody'."
No blunder after all
A reader writes: "The pohutukawas in the photo of the Pine Harbour street trees (yesterday's Sideswipe) look the same as those planted in Mt Taylor Drive Glendowie. They are, in fact, not pohutukawas (which grow enormous), they are hybrid pohutukawa/rata, originally found on Great Barrier Island. They are much more compact and upright in growth so much more suitable for street trees.
