Lost Sounds

[sweep]

While lazing around the other day it suddenly struck me how much the sounds around us have changed, all I could hear were traffic, aircraft, and alarms. I have lived in the same town all my life, and I'm only a couple of streets away from where I grew up so its not like my immediate environment has changed, I used to hear the rumble of trains in the distance dogs barking, children laughing and screaming, bottles rattling on the milk float, and church bells on a Sunday. I'm starting to miss them now I've realized they're not there.

[amethyst]

Re: Lost Sounds

While lazing around the other day it suddenly struck me how much the sounds around us have changed, all I could hear were traffic, aircraft, and alarms. I have lived in the same town all my life, and I'm only a couple of streets away from where I grew up so its not like my immediate environment has changed, I used to hear the rumble of trains in the distance dogs barking, children laughing and screaming, bottles rattling on the milk float, and church bells on a Sunday. I'm starting to miss them now I've realized they're not there.

You are right enough more noise planes,traffic,police sirens,ambulances,house alarms,car alarms,dogs barking if let out.

We will never get the days back when we had a peaceful environment how times have changed for the worse!

[Trickyvee]

Re: Lost Sounds

The noise and amount of traffic is my personal bugbear. I own a car so I am as guilty as charged for contributing to it all but when I am walking or on my bike I really notice the deafening racket. Also the roads outside of town centres are generally free of pedestrians even though the distances from suburban A to B are not that far and could easily be walked. It gives roads a peculiar, isolating, unworldly feeling if you are walking/cycling alone and makes me realise how stupidly reliant society has become on motor vehicles.

[DemonEyeX]

Re: Lost Sounds

My neighbourhood is particularly noisy, most of it unwanted. The kids round here constantly scream.
But I am am always glad to hear the Ice Cream Man doing his rounds every afternoon.

[sweep]

Re: Lost Sounds

The noise and amount of traffic is my personal bugbear. I own a car so I am as guilty as charged for contributing to it all but when I am walking or on my bike I really notice the deafening racket. Also the roads outside of town centres are generally free of pedestrians even though the distances from suburban A to B are not that far and could easily be walked. It gives roads a peculiar, isolating, unworldly feeling if you are walking/cycling alone and makes me realise how stupidly reliant society has become on motor vehicles.

We all contribute to the noise pollution, and cars are no longer a luxury for many of us but an essential part of daily life and they are at least starting to get quieter I think in the near future they will make little or no noise. I find the number of buses and hgv vehicles on the roads a much bigger problem. I also think that some everyday sounds of the past are now consigned to history.

[Trickyvee]

Re: Lost Sounds

Sounds I miss...

The twitter of sparrows. There used to be stacks here but now they are rare. Milk bottles clinking, works hooters, nee-nar sirens, also the beep at pedestrian crossings, growing increasingly rare!

[PC66]

Re: Lost Sounds

One of the nice things about living right out in the sticks is the peace and quiet. Where I live is a tiny dot on the map, right on the coast, and which isn't on a through route to anywhere else. There's the occasional sound of a resident's car coming or going, the rattle of the dustcart once a week, and of odd delivery trucks (the one delivering Calor gas bottles every couple of weeks being particularly distinctive). From time to the time there's a sound of a shotgun blast across the fields from one of the farms. But other than that, there's little to be heard except the wind and the sea.

[Shado66]

Re: Lost Sounds

The national anthem and close down note on TV.
Pre-electronic cash registers.
Stylophone.

[amethyst]

Re: Lost Sounds

One of the nice things about living right out in the sticks is the peace and quiet. Where I live is a tiny dot on the map, right on the coast, and which isn't on a through route to anywhere else. There's the occasional sound of a resident's car coming or going, the rattle of the dustcart once a week, and of odd delivery trucks (the one delivering Calor gas bottles every couple of weeks being particularly distinctive). From time to the time there's a sound of a shotgun blast across the fields from one of the farms. But other than that, there's little to be heard except the wind and the sea.

You are fortunate to have all this pc66 I would love to be in the same position

As I am posting this there is a noise of freight train in the distance

[Powdered toast man]

Re: Lost Sounds

An odd one this, but one of the most distinctive sounds from my childhood years was the sound of MOD land Rovers and Bedford 4x4 cargo trucks. They used to have the old bar-grip(Trakgrip) tyres that gave a distinctive and loud roaring sound when being driven on tarmac. There was an RAF base a mile from our house and military traffic was a constant thing back then.

[sweep]

Re: Lost Sounds

One sound I'm glad not to hear anymore is the testing of the four minuet warning siren, scary as hell.

[Richard1978]

Re: Lost Sounds

One of my friends lived almost in the countryside. Often when I was there we could hear an air-raid like sound, which I think was for the local quarry. Quite spooky to hear it suddenly.

Most predestrian signals near me beep, but when watching the Charley Live PIFs the early 1970s Pelican signals had a slightly faster beep patten.

Over the last 30 odd years one of the local ice cream men has kept the same chimes, which I often hear, sometimes when I'm sure no-one would want an ice cream.

[Trickyvee]

Re: Lost Sounds

The other morning I could hear in the distance an old type 'ringing bell' burglar alarm. I remember when these were standard but I hadn't heard one in years.

Also had the weirdness of hearing a distant ice cream van the other evening. 6pm, pitch black, freezing cold weather, tune tinkling away behind the roar and madness of rush hour traffic and a busy supermarket car park. My brain couldn't cope with the bizarre sensory conflict!

[darren]

Re: Lost Sounds

not a lot has changed where i live the sounds are pretty much the same its more how people are now thats different neigbours never bother with each other etc.

[DemonEyeX]

Re: Lost Sounds

My local area decided to get rid of the flood warning alarms that were always a familiar sound every year as they were being tested.
Then last week I was four inches away from my house being waist deep in water, with no alarm whatsoever.
Luckily I know a lot of people who were able to advise me, & it ended up being OK.
Still, that particular lost sound was strange, in that it caused panic & calm at the same time.