Noise
Over the last few days I have come to realize that I’m a lot more noise sensitive than I would have thought. Normally when the kids are out it’s pretty peaceful around here. I quietly get on with my editing work, sitting whenever possible with the window open and enjoying the birdsong and the faint noises of country life in the background. I tootle about in the garden and enjoy the sense of peace and tranquility. I sew quietly – occasionally switching on Radio 4 for a bit of wild excitement in the form of the news, the foreign correspondents’ reports, the Archers or if I’m feeling really rash, the Afternoon Play. And of course I run in the woods listening to the birdsong, the clip clop of horses hooves or even the undergrowth as deers run, startled, across my path.
By choice my days are filled with silence, calm and peace – at least as much of the three as I can manage.
Right now though, it’s horrible living here. I’m living next to a demolition yard – actually it feels like I’m actually in the middle of the demolition. The villa next door is being knocked down and they have reached the drilling through hundreds of yards of concrete stage. It’s dreadful – 7am until 5pm, with an hour off for lunch 12-1 on the dot and a coffee break at 9. Otherwise it’s relentless banging and drilling and crashing, on and on for hours and hours. I have no idea how the workmen can possibly stand it. To add to the demolition noise, the council have just dug up the road behind my home to renew all the pipes, so if the demolition stops for a moment, the road diggers more than fill the gap.
It’s too hot to keep the window in my office closed, so I really can’t get away from it. I’m not doing any sewing at the moment, because I just feel all jangly and unsettled and it’s actually pretty unpleasant being in the house at all. It would be lovely reading a book in the garden weather, but that’s out too….
Thankfully, thankfully the woods are nearby and I can escape. And more to the point, while this is unpleasant, I know it won’t go on forever (at least I don’t think so!). I can’t imagine how people deal with having to work and live with noise all the time. Maybe it’s something you just get used to, but I’m not so sure. I’m sure noise must be just as harmful as a lot of the other nasties that occur in the workplace.
In the meantime, I’m walking and running in the woods as much as I can, and in a few weeks, when this is all over and things return to normal peaceful levels, I shall appreciate even more the gift of silence.
Helen
June 16th, 2011 at 1:54 pm
Helen, I can so commiserate with you – a few weeks ago the garages in our building were being repaired – this involved drilling through the cement floors and ceilings (two levels) like you from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The noise literally drove us insane (well almost) and to top it off our neighbours above us decided that this was a good time to have hardwood floors laid in the evening. Well, we survived and so will you – unfortunately we did not have a lovely wood to escape to – enjoy it as often as you can – perhaps you could take your book along and find a nice shady bench.
June 16th, 2011 at 2:22 pm
Do you have an iPod? I would just put those ear buds in and turn on an audio book or some music to drown out the construction noise. How ghastly for you!
June 16th, 2011 at 7:22 pm
Yes, noise intrusion is the worst. Hope you find some golden silence soon!
June 17th, 2011 at 7:36 pm
I find that I crave the quiet more these days. I used to listen to CBC programming a lot but for the last month, the radio has been off, except for the news every so often. I don’t miss the radio and rather like the sounds of every day life, like all the birds which have suddenly come back. Hope that all the work ends and you life gets quiet again.
June 19th, 2011 at 6:38 am
I really sympathise. I love my peace and quiet, and we have plenty of it here in the middle of nowhere. It’s usually the first thing our gite and fishing clients notice. “Wow, it’s so quiet” they all say! On the rare occasions some music drifts in from a fete going on in a nearby village, it’s very noticeable. We remember there’s a world out there after all!
I hope the building work finishes fairly soon for you.
June 19th, 2011 at 7:04 am
I would go doolally in a few short minutes if that was happening next door to me. I even hate it that our neighbour is power garden tool obsessed and trims about 2cm off his hedge slowly, and labouriously, and religiously every week or so. And he uses a power shovel to dig his garden. Seriously! I didn’t even know such things existed. He’s always revving up something and in my head I am not being polite – so I hope the concrete breaking ends soon and you can hear bird song again.