The accommodation was ideally arranged on three floors with a kitchen diner on the entrance level, toilet and integral garage. The first floor had a living room and the first of three bedrooms, the others and a bathroom being located at the top of the house.
Looking out to the back of the garden from the elevated height I could see a nice bit of dense woodland and the shimmering, on what was a scorching hot day, of a sizeable stretch of water.
The occupants explained that the land beyond the rear fenced lawn was in fact a fishing lake in a forest setting.
I could think of nothing more idyllic than trees and the possibility of the gentle sound of a lapping on the shore.
That must be a real bonus for the children when playing out I said, all of that fresh air and nature.
This comment met with an ominous silence from the parents before they told me that they in fact discouraged any outdoors play because the forested scene was the home of a nest of Adders, the UK's only poisonous snake.
The young and older snakes were often seen in the undergrowth and also making their way across the house garden as though on an ancient route long pre-dating the housing estate.
I have been fortunate enough to see this species albeit a dead, shrivelled up one on a cycle path alongside a local canal but even that spurious observation still puts me in a minority of those who have witnessed an Adder at all.
It is indeed an elusive creature steeped in myth and often much maligned on the basis of more anecdotal tales than fact.
That carcass, a bit ragged from partial congestion by a Buzzard or another rather unlikely predator, a pheasant, was striking and vivid in its colours and markings from an olive grey to brown, with that distinctive dark zig zag and a dressing of diamonds shapes.
Dedicated nature lovers have documented unique head markings of the Adder making it possible for the same creatures to be identified and followed for year upon year in their local habitats. In this way a longevity of around 30 years has been proven.
As for size, the male can reach up to 60cms and the female slightly longer although it can take 15 years to grow to full size.
There was no chance to dissuade those parents from their fear of the snakes which is not surprising given the bad press surrounding the Adder.
In fact, only around 10 fatal cases of a venomous bite have been recorded over the last 100 years and these were no doubt down to the snakes being disturbed or deliberately antagonised by their eventual victims. A bite can be painful however and requires anti-venom serum at the nearest hospital.
The Adder is of the Viper strain and this designation is convincing enough a deterrent to many and add to that the less than endearing references in popular literature, culture and folklore and you can appreciate the public perception of the animal.
They are commonly found throughout North and Central Europe, as far east as Asia and are one of the few species to be hardy enough to survive and breed in the Arctic Circle.
In the UK their common habitats include as diverse environments as sand dunes and clifftops, moorland and heath, woodland and meadows.
That micro-climate behind the back fence of the family house was undoubtedly suited and before being built on will have been part of the extensive peatlands that are a characteristic of the pan flat landscape in that part of Eastern England.
In stories and fables the Adder similarly comes off poorly.
Early writings attested to the practice of adult Adders swallowing their young for protection before regurgitating them up without any apparent harmful effects. Crossing the path of one of the species or dreaming about them were portents of ill fortune or mishap. The mating ritual, often carried out by males and females apparently oblivious to any human observers comprise an hypnotic type sequence of moves giving a rather demonically possessed demeanour.
The Adder were sacred to the Druids in early history and to add yet more fear and suspicion there was a general consensus that the Adder and the Dragonfly were one and the same and shape-shifted between these forms.
Actually, having read a bit more about Adders I can sympathise with those parental fears to some extent. The fear they engender is obviously deep rooted in the human psyche from all of the back story..
As for that day at the house, I declined an opportunity to go into the garden myself giving some feeble reason about not wanting to damage the lawn or tread dust or debris back into the carpets.
What a coward!..or you could say that I made a calculated decision.
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