Autumn and Winter busyness

Another well overdue update! Thanks for sticking with us snakey followers, and if you’re new to the crew, then welcome!

It has been a very busy autumn-winter season for us here in and out of the snake den! Throughout November and December we were out almost every week, using carpet pythons Chainsaw and Misha, and boas Tabitha, Talulah and Tyla, for a mixture of photo shoots and live events. It has been nice for Tabitha to get out as she usually stays home due to her massive bulk making her rather impractical for toting at events, and also difficult for most models to handle. However, when a job came in requiring a large snake to sit on the floor for a shoot she was the only choice for the job! And due to the nature of the method of photography being used by the client, we got called back twice more after the initial shoot! It was this same shoot that got Chainsaw out of his vivarium. Those of you who follow the blog or twitter will know that Chainsaw semi-retired last year when the flirtatious Tyla joined the team, since he doesn’t really like doing live events, and it is very important to us that all our animals enjoy their work and are not forced to do anything they do not want to do. So Chainsaw only does occasional photo shoots now, which he doesn’t seem to mind.

We debuted a new outfit at Cambridge’s famous Salon Rouge burlesque event, strutting our stuff in gorgeous Egyptian outfits that will hopefully get more calls. It was my first time using a wig with the snakes, and I must admit I was rather anxious that the snakes might attempt to pull it off, but thankfully all went smoothly and there were no mishaps to report!!

At home, Wotan the bullsnake and Ripper the California kingsnake are both fully into their brumation period now. This is a period of deep sleep they would naturally undertake in the wild when temperatures drop and food is scarce. It is also an important stage of their reproduction, necessary to stimulate the females’ ovulation in preparation from spring mating. I plan on pairing Wotan and Ripper to create what I believe could be a possible UK first- “King Bull” hybrid snake babies! There is a record of a wild hybrid of this combination being captured in 2005 but that’s all I can find in the literature on them, aside a few people possibly breeding them in the states. I’m quite excited!!

Salon Rouge Nov 2010!

_MG_4211-Edit
Originally uploaded by Salon Rouge

Daisy Duke with Tyla and Good Gracious with Talulah

Walking like Egyptians tomorrow night!

We are happy to announce that we will be in attendance with a couple of reptillian beauties (and gorgeous snakes!) at The Junction's monthly Salon Rouge burlesque night in Cambridge. Unfortunately the popular event has sold out as usual- for more info visit http://www.junction.co.uk/artist/334 and be sure to get an advance ticket for next time!

This month we have had an Egyptian theme requested and are much looking forward to trying out what will be a new look for us! Pictures to follow.

Yours slinkily,

Good Gracious x

Latest photoshoot

We had a fun time shooting with Lottie Ettling this afternoon, despite the cold, failing light and technical hitches! She was kind enough to run off a few nice shots of me and Chainsaw at the end, and the rest of the shoot team (see below, Rami, who was assisting).

We are much looking forward to seeing the final "Eve" themed pictures when they are done and dusted (watch this space) and are very happy to have been asked for additional near future bookings with Lottie to work on the project further. Nice one!!

A Bridget Jones Moment

Dear readers, my most heartfelt apologies for the lack of news updates lately- it is not that there is nothing to report, more like not enough time with which to report it!

As usual we had mulitple jobs for Halloween, which this year was celebrated by most on the 30th rather than the 31st, the former date falling on a saturday night. What was unusual was that although we had three snakes and ladies out, two of them were not actually attending a Halloween party but a Hawaiian themed wedding!

Kitty Kat took Dhara to a halloween party in Corby, and wore her best, raciest burlesque outfit, teamed with slinky halloween gloves and gothic makeup, only to find when she got there... it was a kids party!! Needless to say I was mortified for her, but thankfully noone was offended by her lack of clothes, and she saw the funny side!!

This saturday coming we will be doing photo shoot with Lottie Ettling http://www.lottieettlingphotography.co.uk/ with our largest reptile, Tabitha, as the shoot requires a snake to be positioned on the floor by the models feet, so a big, chunky (and reliable!) snake is a must to give the most dramatic effect. It will be great for Tabby to get out and about as due to her weight (about 22kg) she is unsuitable for most walkabout jobs these days.

Autumn is here

Hello all, apologies for the absence! The Great Amazon Raft Race was a huge success for both myself and fellow snakecharmer Fyful Smith, and out two brave teammates who joined us. Between the lot of us we raised around 10,000 dollars!! For a full account of the adventure, go to www.grace-eye-view.blogspot.com

So what does the Autumn/winter season hold for the snakes and ladies? Well october is upon us, which usually means a busy time with Halloween parties, but this year we only have one halloween party to go to! Kitty will be heading up to Corby with Dhara representing Explosive Events in her best burlesque halloween finery. we are double booked on that night although the other event is in fact a wedding party! Myself and Alexandra Perrina will be donning our grass skirts for the hawaiian themed event and most probably taking along the two 8 foot boas Talulah and Tyla.

We also have an photoshoot coming up next month, in which our big girl Tabitha will star, that will be great as due to her size and weight, she doesn't get that much work these days, so she'll enjoy a day out. Finally we have an event pencilled in for early december, so it's all go in the office!

Snake den wise, Inca is getting bigger by the week and will be ready for live events by the new year as our first golden snake on the display team. We are fattening bullsnake Wotan up for a winter hibernation, after which we will get her back together with Kingsnake Ripper, and try for some fertile hybrid eggs, which could be a UK first if we are successful!

Plans wise, myself and our stand up friend Tommy Ettling are in talks about a short sharp stage show that will involve a victorianna magic and mystery theme, with plenty of dark comedy, danger, and blood and guts... watch this space!

I made the news!

I made it into the Cambridge News this week with the story of my forthcoming charity raft race!! Please support Action4Cancer by donating now!!

Internet Banking:

account number is 81502379

sort code - 402602

make sure the reference DONATE GRACE.

Thank you so much!

Book a snake now and 50% will be donated to charity!

Just like the title says folks, there has never been a better time to book a snake charmer for a live event. For the next two months, we will be donating 50% of our booking fee to Action4Cancer.

If you would like to help out without getting friendly with a reptile, you can buy a Tabitha's T-shirt, or simply make a donation. For more information on what we are doing to help this charity or how you can sponsor us, scroll down to view our previous posts, or follow Tabitha's MD Good Gracious on her personal blog www.grace-eye-view.blogspot.com

Many thanks :)

25% off all sleeveless tops at Tabitha's Tee Shop this August!

Thats right! The wonderful people at spreadshirt who host our online shop are kindly giving all our customers 25% off all sleeveless tops until 17th August, so get your orders in quick!

To give you a helping hand we have converted a bunch of designs (and added a few new ones) onto gents tanks, ladies tank vests and spaghetti vests so you will save money AND look super cool this summer!!

All you have to do is use the voucher code NOSLEEVES at the checkout!!

Better still, by purchasing any item during the next two months, we will be donating 100% of our comission to Action4Cancer so not only will you be pledging your allegiance to Tabitha's Cold Blooded Crew, you will also be supporting this most worthy breast cancer charity.

Go to http://www.snakesandladies.spreadshirt.co.uk/ now to bag yourself a bargain or use the "shop" button on our website.

Alex goes solo!!

This month Alex is going solo for the first time! Dropped in at the deep end our latest member of the team, the Swedish blonde bombshell will be representing Calmer Karma entertainments at two events, both (by strange coincidence!) in Ipswich, this saturday night and also next saturday night, the latter of which I had originally booked myself onto before something came up. Both events are bollywood themed and Alex will be showcasing a brand new bellydancing outfit in royal blue and burgandy. I look forward to hearing the feedback!!

Tabitha's supporting Action 4 Cancer- please sponsor us!!

Let the training begin! Myself and fellow snake charmer Fyful Smith have taken on the challenge of a lifetime, in order ot raise much needed funds for our friends breast cancer charity, Action4Cancer, we will be flying to Peru in September to compete in the Great River Amazon Raft Race 2010!! This entails building our own raft from logs and paddling 112 miles down the river Amazon- in just 3 days!!!

Please please support us by donating anything you can spare- we each aim to raise £2000 for thismost worthy of causes.

Cash and cheques made payable to "Action4Cancer" can be sent to:
Tabitha's Snakes And Ladies Raft Race
134 Cromwell Road
Cambridge
CB1 3EG

or by internet banking using the following details:
account number is 81502379
sort code - 402602
make sure to reference your donation: DONATE GRACE (so as not to confuse the accountant!)

You may also find collection boxes at the following locations for dropping your loose change into:

• Billy's Bike Shop, Burleigh St, Cambridge
• The Zebra Pub, Maids Causeway, Cambridge
• Shepreth Wildlife Park Education centre, Station Road, Shepreth
• The Cross keys Pub, Madoc St, Llandudno
• Pythons Lair, Drayton Road, Abingdon, Oxfordshire

Many thanks to these kind establishments for their support!!

Thank you so much!!

To follow my training and fundraising antics you can follow my personal blog:
www.grace-eye-view.blogspot.com

and join my facebook group at:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=134736266557666&v=info&ref=ts

Furthermore, 25% of the profits from all snake jobs in the next 2 months will be donated to the charity (more reason to make a booking!) and 100% commision from all tshirt and apparrel sales from our shop, Tabitha's Tees will be donated to Action4Cancer. Visit our shop via the website.

Thanks again,
Squeezes,
Good Gracious. xx

Back online, and thinking about spring cleaning

Oh it's been quiet from us here in the snake den, but not because things have been quiet! Quite the opposite infact, June proved to be crazy busy not only the the Bizarre ball, but shortly followed by a gig in london for our friends at Explosive Events and two may balls. Durning this time new chap Dhara was put through his paces some more and proved himself to be a true star taking it al in his stride, and he wasn't the only one...

This year we have seen more mish mashing of snake handlers than ever before due to all kinds of different things- anyhoo at the very last minute I was truly stuck for a male handler to don our aladdin costume and assist me for the Explosive gig. As fate would have it, while phoning round at 11pm the night before the event and at the pinnacle of my stress capacity, my old friend and at that time soon-to-be Cold Blooded Crew member, stand up comedian, Mr Tommy Ettling came to the rescue. Now myself and Tommy had been in talks about drafting him in as our compare/ring master for our forthcoming circus stage show for next year, but he has now proven himself as an accidental but wonderful snake handler! It makes sense in retrospect, the guy has been handling snakes since we were 14 years old and used to hang at my house after school... anyway, thanks Tommy, a true life saver and a great friend. Here's to more future gigs together!

We have another last minute newbie in the form of Swedish Blonde bombshell Alex (still working on show name- all suggestions greatfully recieved and considered!), a lady I met through my previous employment as an animal wrangler, who by chance has now taken up employment at my current day job. She and Dhara have hit it off and he is now under her full time care. She made her debut at Clare college may ball in belly dancing get up and was an instant hit! Funnily enough, at the same event was a chap with camels, whome I used to jockey camels for at public races- small world!

In other news Wotan is recovering well from laying 9 eggs and is eating like a horse to make up for her loss on condition, Dhara has settled in well in his new home at Shepreth Wildlife Park adn Inca is growing mighty big and fast!

You may have noticed our main website (www.snakesandladies.co.uk) has been out of action for sometime- this is thanks to the service provider going bust and not telling us about it. Thankfully all is sorted and pretty much in order again. Our most sincere apologies for any inconvenience our lack of availability may have caused. Now wer are getting back to normal we can get on with sorting out our handler profiles and gallery, which will come as a welcome relief I'm sure. Watch this space!

Squeezes,

Good Gracious x

video from the Bizarre Ball!

So the Bizarre Ball 2010 was a great success and a fabulous evening was had by all. Check out a video at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dB_p-hAMYAU

We also showcased new male handler Tommy at a Bernados silent auction evening in London on thursday on behalf of Explosive Events, which also went down rather well- we saw Nicole from Girls Aloud there!!

Tonight we have two teams out for Cambridge university may balls- two at Clare college in belly dancing outfits and two at Jesus in their circus gear!!

Will be updating pictures to our flickr site as and when- watch this space!!

G :)

Tyla in this months digital photographer mag!

Originally uploaded by _Sophie Ellen

We are very pleased to announce that if you pick up a copy of this months Digital Photographer Magazine, you will find a lovely big picture of our newest boa constrictor, Tyla, as photographed by Sophie ellan Lachowycz, who is their photographer in focus. :D

Hello Dhara, goodbye Tigerlilly

So, snake number 13 in the Cold Blooded Crew is settling in, ate a meal of two large rats last week, has struck at my through the glass but also given me a good hour of quiet cuddles! We're still getting used to each other and the busy bee has also done a good and thorough job of wrecking the interior of his vivarium.

We definately have a character on our hands, and because of this he has thus proven the hardest snake I've ever had to name. After wracking my brains and nothing off my favourites list suiting, I consulted an old school friend, who's fiance is Sri Lankan (same origin as the Burmese python) for some authentic suggestions. They got back to me with Dhara, which means strong and mighty, which just seems perfect, so Dhara it is! Well done Helen and Chaminda for their idea!

On rather a sad note, one of our longest standing crew members Tigerlilly has decided to hang up her grass skirt and call it a day. We understand that a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do, and are so very appreciative of all her hard work, dedication, input and support to the company and our animals- we'll miss working with you!!

new boys, new jobs and a new snake!

What a hectic week!

On wednesday me and Matt (AKA Matthias Bussman Strongman) went down to Brighton to pick up a rescue snake from the RSPCA reptile centre. He is an 8 foot common phase Burmese python (pic to follow when I get one!) and his story is a sorry, but not uncommon one. Likely purchased by his owner without much thought or prior experience he quickly became too large or "aggressive" for them to handle, he was left in a viv under the stairs and pretty much forgotten about. Nervous, frightened and malnourished, the RSPCA took him and have been getting him used to people and being handled again, and getting him in good condition for the last 6 months and trying to find him the right home- which they now have! He is from now going to enjoy a fullfilling career in both education and also glamorous entertainment as he will be lodging at Shepreth Wildlife Park (to be used for daily talks and school visits), while also working for Tabitha's on his nights off! Perfect! At the moment he is quarantining with us in the snake's den before moving to his new home at the park, and his debut will be at the Bizarre Ball on 14th June, with handler Hope Rising.

We are very happy to be working with a new (to us) entertainment agency by name of Calmer Karma http://www.calmerkarma.co.uk/ who have sent an enquiry our way this week fpr a bollywood event that will give us a chance to show off another new costume (above)!

Also this week we have had several calls from the lovely people at Hellfire Entertainment now known as EXPLOSIVE EVENTS http://www.explosive-events.com/ who had a few enquiries for us and who were keen to hear and see more of our male handlers, who I've been doing photo shoots with this week.

Matt has now been joined by Mr Mill Millican Cagefighter, a tattooed scotsman, to aid in his snake wrangling escapades and together they will make a perfect team.

The photos are in editing at the moment but I have a few quick snaps to share today for those impatient from hearing me bang on about them for so long!

Bizarre Ball! Get your tickets NOW!!

Greetings from the snakes' den! We are especially proud and excited to announce our presence at the Bizarre Magazine summer ball on Saturday 5th June 2010 The whole Cold Blooded Crew will be out in force with our reptillian charges, including a new snakey team member (as yet to be announced!)- That will be six snakes and handlers in one venue!!

It promises to be a crazy and wild night- Circus themed, with alternative djs, live bands and jaw-dropping acts aplenty.

If you would like to be there at the Bizarre Ball at the Coronet Theatre in London, find out more and get your tickets now by visiting the following links:

http://www.bizarremag.com/bizarre-events/bizarre-ball-2010/8467/info.html

http://www.wegottickets.com/f/1314
http://www.seetickets.com/see_multi/price.asp?code=444893&filler1=see&filler2=multisee&pgroup=all http://regonline.activeeurope.com/Checkin.asp?EventId=797495

We look forward to seeing you there!!

Good Gracious and tabitha xx

Sponsor Tom- he's climbing kilimanjaro for Marie Curie!

Budding Cold Blooded Crew member, Tom Mean is bravely climbing Mount Kilimanjaro this summer to hopefully raise thousands of pounds for Marie Curie Cancer Care.

Tomorrow night he's holding a masquerade ball to raise funds- if you're not doing anything, be sure to pop along. Tickets are £10 on the door with 100% proceeds going to the charity! The location of the ball is:

Seth Ward Community Centre

Luynes Rise

Buntingford

Herts

SG9

We are proud to announce not only our support for Tom but also our sponsorship!! We have two new tops (a gents tee and ladies vest) available in our shop for you to wear so you too can support Tom's Trek, and also to pledge your allegiance to Tabitha's Cold Blooded Crew! Not only that, but for each and every tee sold, Tabitha's will donate 50% of the commission we make to Tom's Trek for the Marie Curie Cancer Care!! What other reason do you need? So slink your way along to Tabitha's Tees and get involved! Go via our website or direct: http://www.snakesandladies.spreadshirt.co.uk/ !!

We've kept the tees nice and simple (but they do all have text front and back) for the pure reason that they're cheaper for you to buy, and we can give more commission to the charity.

To find out more about what Tom's been up to visit him at http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=106522530063&ref=ts

GO TOM!!

We're in the newspaper!

Exciting times! Well, the Cambridge Weekly, actually. And it's not "us" as such- it's Hairy the tarantula with Daisy at Honey Pr, featured in the business section following the pr company's arachnophobia day last week!!

The girls at Honey Pr blogged about our visit too: http://www.honeypr.wordpress.com/

and Daisy's full set of pictures from the day can be viewed at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/daisyduke/ These shots also give you a good idea of what goes on during phobia and coaching sessions, as we took Talulah the boa constrictor along aswell!

We're really chuffed that Hairy has made it to press, and especially pleased because this is actually our second mention in a Cambridge publication this month! The first being in the Cambridgeshire journal, where we get a mention in a "people" feature on Kim Brinnen, our chief seamstress and costume designer.

Other news from the snakes den: Chainsaw enjoyed his first mousy meal since the autumn, not his mating urges have passed, and the springtime is here, and Inca tried her first ever rat pups last night, which thankfully she put away quite happily (even though they don't taste so good as mice), so her growth will really rocket this summer!!

We have another exciting june job in the pipeline and more media exposure to share with you soon- watch this space!!

Arachnophobia day at Honey PR!

The lovely ladies at Honey PR have started a new adventure that some of them may regret- an A to Z of out of their comfort zone activities!!

Today it was A for arachnophobia, so Honey hired Hairy the tarantula to put the intrepid PR girls through their paces. Not the usual day in the office for five lovely ladies usually busy helping businesses on a national as well as local scale improve their profile, sales and profits, though these girls are always up for a challenge and their existing client base includes the likes of Airkix indoor skydiving and Go Ape assault courses!

The sweating plams and fearful eye rolling was soon forgotten as soon as I took Hairy out of her container and the girls each had a go at handling her, quickly overcoming their fears and admiring her curly pink hair, and learning about all her special adaptations- even looking at her fangs! Well done everyone!

Most of our clients and prospective clients don't realise we at Tabitha's are not just snake specialists, but we also supply a range of other "creepy crawlies" for phobia coaching and also for studio photography. In addition to Hairy the tarantula, other creatures on our books include giant tree frogs, rats (including hairless rats) and mice, giant cockroaches and lizards, all of which are accustomed to fearful people and studio settings.

Full info on creepy crawlie hire is available via out website http://www.snakesandladies.co.uk/

Full photos from the day at the Honey PR can be viewed at http://www.flickr.com/photos/snakesandladies

If you would like to find out more about Honey PR and what they can offer to improve your business visit them at http://www.honeypr.com/

Charity Masquerade Ball Get Your Tickets Now!

Ok so our next booking is in support of Marie Curie Cancer Care. Our good friend Mr Tom Mean is doing a trek up Mt. Kilimanjaro in the summer, and so has been doing all manner of fundraising stunts to raise lots of nice dosh, including chest waxing (and other body parts- eek!)! Now the good chap is organising a jolly in the form of a

MASQUERADE BALL!!

Which will be held on

Saturday 27th March 2010

at

Buntingford Community Centre, Herts.

Tickets are priced at £10 each and all proceeds will go to the charity. For more info on the project and to get your tickets, join the facebook groop by following the link:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=106522530063&ref=ts

We will also be there with some snakes, and also showcasing our new strongman, so come along to support us aswell as Tom and his most worthy cause!

Special Discounts for May Ball Entertainment in Cambridge!!

Yes indeedy, before we know it the May Ball season will be upon us! For those not from Cambridge, May Balls are the yearly knees ups held by each university college in the city- about 20 in total. They are huge mega parties with amazing themes and entertainments, and usually happen in June rather than their May namesake, because the weather tends to be more agreeable in June.

We at Tabitha's are proud to appear at Corpus Christi may ball last year in our finest belly dancer attire with Chainsaw and Misha the carpet pythons and are hoping to dazzle at a few balls this year too.

Because of this, the summer being a busy time for us and the balls being on our home turf, we want to give booking priority to may ball organisers PLUS special discounted rates!!!

So if you are on the committee, get in touch right away for a quote and we will make you an offer you can't refuse!!

We look forward to hearing from you soon, and discussing what we have to offer to suit your ball themes, including Burlesque, Tribal, Hawaiian hula girl, Chinese silk, Greek Goddess, Circus (including male "strong man" handler), and Belly Dancer costumes.

Tabitha's Snakes, Ladies and new Gents!! xx

We love Strongmen, prison blues jeans, bug meet and cryptozoology!

This morning I have been researching traditional circus strongmen. The reason? Very soon, Tabitha's will be unleashing the first of what will be two dashing old school strong men- new to the team!!

We have a shoot planned for this sunday based on a local farm- Matt and Grace will be modelling Prison Blues jeans for Vintage Home and Wear for a new advertising campaign for them, and then for good measure we are sneaking in a snakey shoot aswell while we have the photographer on location, so we can get some nice profile shots so we can showcase Matt on the team pages of our official website, and also at the same time, as an exchange for modelling services, Kim from Vintage Home and Wear will be measuring our boy up for his strongman suit. We are very excited about it as have sourced a fabulous vintage leopard print faux fur jacket to customise for the job!

So a fun and busy day planned, but now we are worried that the fresh batch of snow being dumped on us this week will cause the shoot to be called off because not only is it too cold to take the snakes outside but it is also too cold for even the manliest of men to be outside in just a wife beater!

While researching the fashions of the traditional strongmen I came across a really useful blog with some interesting history on the profiles of a number of well known stongmen of yesteryear. If you're interested, check out http://www.oldtimestrongman.com/. This website is actually a bodybuilding resource about the use of vintage training techniques, but the blog has all the info on the greats, and its a generally interesting website!

Now while I have the chance I want to talk about the afore mentioned Prison Blues jeans- Kim is currently one of only 4 shops in the UK that stock these jeans and for any of you budding rockabillys and vintage junkies out there- you need to get along to the shop and try a pair on- these work jeans are hand made by actual prison inmates in a facility in Oregon USA and they are becoming renowned for being "the toughest jeans in the West!" though in Europe they are quickly becoming popular fashionwear. The vintage 40's style unisex style stocked at Kims shop www.vintagehomeandwear.com The Old Chemist Shop on Mill Rd Cambridge (UK) are brill (not to mention very rock'n'roll), and whenever the shoot happens we will stick some of the pictures up for you to have a look at.

The Cambs and Herts Herp and Bug Meet was a giggle last night. We meet on the first sunday night of each month in the Zebra pub on maids Causeway, Cambridge for a gossip on all things reptile, bug and rodent related, most people usuall bring exotic animals, artefacts and items of interest along and anyone is welcome to join in. There we no snakes present last night, but I did take along Tabithas lastest shed skin which measures 10'8" and is very fat! Also present were some fancy mice with short fleecy fur, sandfish (type of desert lizard), a bald rat, giant centipede and one lady had a few tarantulas for sale. I also introduced a copy of animals and men, the publication by the Centre for Fortean Zoology- lots of good articles about mysteries of nature, mosnters, myths and extinct (or not?) species.

If you're interested in the bug meet, check out the facebook group at: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=117367202272&ref=ts

And if you want to learn more about cryptozoology and the CFZ visit: http://www.cfz.org.uk/

Here's reminding all you cold-blooded folks to keep warm in this yukky weather, and crank the thermostats up!

Grace and all at Tabitha's Snakes and Ladies x

Costumes!

As you will have noticed, we at Tabitha's are very dedicated to dressing up and pride ourselves in our costumes and outfits not only being as eye-catching and authentic as possible, but also representing the clients' desired theme or vibe to the very best of our ability. Wearing an intricate, revealing or risque costume can occationally be nerve wracking when the order of the evening is being on show, but throw a snake into the mix and things can get very interesting! Unless you tried it out yourselves it would probably not occur to you how much snakes will grab and pull things with their tails (e.g. straps, waistbands, tie-strings) and also push their heads places that can result in all kinds of entanglement. It has been said more times than once, that some of my snakes are more deft at undressing a girl than the average bloke!! Tops are lifted, drawers are dropped- all sorts, in lightening quick speed and with uncanny timing- more often than not the moment you step foot into the public eye from the dressing area.

It is important to note this is not a regular occurrance and all our current outfits have been doctored and adjusted accordingly in order to minimise indecent exposure and potentially embarrassing moments as much as possible! However, all new outfits must be road tested at home, with the snakes, in order to be sure we can move freely and comfortably, and that the clothing is "snake proof"!! This ensures the maximum possible safety and comfort not only for the handler but the snakes too, and in turn, any client or member of the public we may encounter.

Things run very smoothly for us the majority of the time, and I like to think this is down to the insight I have from my previous experiences with a company I used to work for as a reptile handler, now and again doing live events in costume. As mentioned already, costume faults can only really be found by practice, and in those days we often would find ourselves testing the costumes for the first time with animals while actually on the jobs! The experience that stands out above all others was at a very large corporate event- a circus themed summer party. We were there with a number of handlers and species- my job was manning a whole tent full of reptile exhibits. My main charge for the day was a 12 foot long burmese python, who was accessory to a fabulous tribal style costume made up of a stiff leather beaded loincloth with raffia on the hips, raffia leg band around the tops of my calves and over the top of an animal print vest was a sort of chest plate made of the same leather as the loin cloth. It went over your shoulders with a piece ont he front and back, shoulder plates and leather loops the went under your arms, presumably to secure it. This all sounds well and good, I hear you cry- let me explain the sort falls of this attire. firstly the arm straps. They dangled rather and this made for an irrisistable anchor point for the snake to grab with the end of his tail, resulting not only in the breast plate being rearranged and looking dreadful, I was also throttled and garrotted and regular points throughout the day which didn't looks proffessional at all, called for much struggling with the animal and I can tell you, was not a very comfortable situation to be in. Now since I worked for a company with many staff and ever variable jobs and a limited budget, costumed were required to be "one size fits all". This means the poor seamstress had fitted my loincloth with an elastic waist band. BIG MISTAKE! The trick for maximum ease and safety when handling a massive snake, I have found, is to wrap them around your waist once so your hips bear most of the weight evenly, and the other half of the snake is passed over one shoulder, like a life belt. So this great big snake is tired from working, and starts sliding down my body and I realise I need to get behind the tent and rearrange him where noone is looking, so I shimmy around the side as this flipping thing is sliding down, but still gripping me all the way around. The elastic waistband fails me (of course) and so the loin cloth comes right down exposing my knicker-clad (thank God) bum, right as my boss comes around the corner!! Red faces all round, and a lesson learned. Zips and buttons are a must!

There is always that issue of snug fitting costumes for handlers of different dress sizes, and since going freelance, I tried out baggy belly dancing trousers based on those wrap around and tie up fishermans trousers, again to be foiled by Chainsaw (it's nearly always the same snake) pulling the bow undone in seconds, so we now resort to individual outfits for all the handlers, which though more costly, is safer, and also looks much better in many ways. We are also very careful about swags, sashes, all that dangly stuff, so everything is carefully considered, and stitched or fixed so prevent entanglement, throttling and goodness knows what for snake or handler.

So who does all this, I hear you ask? We are very privilaged to have the majority of our costumes made from scratch, altered or customised by Kim Brinnen of Vintage Home and Wear. An experienced seamstress and designer, Kim does alts and such by commission, but also deals in antiques and vintage clothing, homewear and accessories including her own lines of unique one-off jewellery pieces and fascinators. You can find Kim at The Old Chemist Shop on Mill Road in Cambridge- drop in on a wednesday when she is manning the fort. You can also a have a peek at examples of some of her products at www.vintagehomeandwear.com be sure to pop along to the shop, its one of Cambridges best kept secrets and a real aladdins cave of goodies!

Stray to Light - Photography worth investing in!

Are you interested in dramatic, out-doors photography? Or wanting a unique family or pet portrait taken from an original angle? Rebecca Green AKA Stray to Light photography specialises in just that. Whether its a beautiful landscape, countryside portraiture, or capturing real life moments between family and animals, her vibrant work is well worth a look. You can purchase prints from her website or commision her for any type of photographic work including show coverage and pet portraiture. She even offer photography tuition, if you are interested in brushing up or developing your skills!

Rebecca has worked with Tabitha's since our early days and offered us a lot of support and encouragement during our conception, and created a timeless shoot featuring Grace and Tabitha, the shots from which continue to prove popular in our gallery and advertising. View this set of photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/snakesandladies/sets/72157622684440974/

We are very excited to be working with Rebecca again soon for an "Adam and Eve" themed shoot, which will be another outdoor affair. Watch this space for the results, and be sure to check out her work!! http://www.straylight-photography.com/

ONLINE SHOP NOW OPEN!!

Horay! Our shop is now open for business! Currently in stock are funky for both the gents and ladies out there to wear to show your allegiance to Tabitha's Cold Blooded Crew!

Make your way immediately to www.snakesandladies.spreadshirt.co.uk for t-shirts, vests, hoodies and even undies!!

There is not a direct link at present from the homepage yet, and we plan on stocking the shop with unique and exciting t-shirt designs incorporating images of the snakes and ladies themselves, and also introducing a line of hand-made snake skin greetings cards.

In the near future we will also be offering for sale shed snake skins from 2-12 feet in length- brilliant natural history curios for reptile enthusiasts of any age! Watch this space for developments!

Good Gracious and Tabitha xx

Sophie Ellen shoot pictures

Originally uploaded by _Sophie Ellen

And here's the other one Sophie posted on Flickr. It was a fantastic shoot, both Spohie and model Keely were brilliant to work with and it was probably the smoothest and fastest shoot we've ever done (thanks ladies!). For Both the girls details do please check out Sophies photostream on Flickr. This was also the first time Tyla and Talulah has worked in such close proximity on a job before, but as you can see they were true professionals about it and got along marvellously!

Sophie Ellens Shoot

Originally uploaded by _Sophie Ellen

Horay! Sophie produced some fabulous pictures that can be found on her Flickr site- check them out!!