As I sit here working, the window open,all sorts of sounds drift in; some I don’t register, like the perpetual barking of the dogs who live round here, the different birds who sing at different times of the day, the music from the activities in the village hall, the aeroplanes beginning their descent into Bristol airport, the neighbours on their telephones – someone next door who discusses her private life at the top of her voice, and the lady at the end who calls her friends in Pakistan… maybe the line is bad between here and wherever her family live! There are the sounds of particular times of the year, fireworks on Bonfire Night, the church bells ringing for a wedding, the vintage aircraft on air display days.
Then there are the sounds which do register; I always hear the sound of the emergency vehicles rushing to the hospital – hoping maybe it is a mother about to give birth rather than something less happy, foxes screeching, the police helicopter hovering overhead, it’s infra-red camera on looking for ne’er-do-wells or maybe addled old folk who have escaped from the hospital, the other helicopters of the emergency services maybe looking for someone in difficulties at sea, I hear the music from bands at the pub and wonder whether we should wander down and have a listen and a beer…
Then there are the unusual sounds such as what I heard this morning, and then in the evening tonight. It was a sound not often heard but which brought a thousand childhood memories rushing back… it was the sound of a steam engine, and the toot-toot of its’ horn! I can always hear the trains dashing up and down the Bristol to Exeter line, and they fall into the not-registering category… however a steam train sounds completely different, and on a still evening the noise it makes carries on the night air.
Enjoy this:
Lois Elsden 