Look what happens when the temperature hits a scorching 42 degrees. The native wildlife escape from the trees and into your swimming pool! Ok, so it's not quite a kangaroo jumping down the street, but still... ! This past weekend was just incredible; temperatures over 40 degrees (105 F) on both days, and hot nights where sleep was impossible.
This baby possum suddenly appeared by the pool as my family were swimming - in fact, right behind my uncle's back. It was evidently distressed and heat-affected, and had found itself at the nearest source of water, which unfortunately was a chemically treated swimming pool. Apparently it was shaking, so my uncles approached and tried to splash a little water over it, but that made it fall over into the pool! So they fished it out and gave it a bowl of fresh water.
I wasn't around to see any of this, having escaped to the (relative) cool of a cinema, but I was told that the possum just sat quietly, drinking the water for ages. They were amazed at how tame it was as it stared quietly at them with its big baby possum eyes. Although, it probably couldn't see a thing, possums being pretty blind during the day.
My mum ran off to find some fruit for it, but by the time she came back it had decided to make its way home again and crept off around the pool, climbing the vertical bars of the gate, onto the fence and up into its leafy tree.
When I first saw the photos, I nearly had a fit 'cos this wet little possum look not unlike a big, nasty rat, and rats are definitely not something I would like to see crawling around our swimming pool, but this possum...wish I'd been there to see it!
Ah Niki, that's devotion to be blogging during this heat. I Just Could Not Face It, I was too hot!! And he looks very cute, despite the, ahem, resemblance!
ReplyDeleteAw, it's so cute - especially given that it's a possum. Poor little guy.
ReplyDeletePlum - oh god, there was no chance I was blogging in that heat. No, i tried to sit quietly all weekend and waited until the cool change hit!
ReplyDeleteCin - Don't think I could have surivived without airconditioning! Although I rather stupidly stayed with a friend on Saturday night, who had no airconditioning and kept the windows open all weekend - rationalising that any air is good, even if it's stinking hot and straight off the desert. I sat with a handful of icecubes dribbling down my neck all night, like out of some dirty movie!
Nic - Yes, poor little thing. Hope he's still ok!
That is so cute & glad your family saved the poor dear!
ReplyDeleteWow, that's incredibly hot. Poor little possum; looks the worse for wear. I don't think I've ever seen a possum before, let alone a bedraggled one.
ReplyDelete