Sweet Cacophony
I had the chance to visit some acquaintances outside London. Thanks to their hospitality, I got to see things from a different perspective. I visited picturesque towns and sleepy villages, hearing about the various famous people who make their homes in the peace of an hour’s drive outside greater London. After spending the night sleeping in a wonderfully cool and airy conservatory room, arriving back to the flat was a bit of a shock. Whereas Oxfordshire was quiet, the following can be heard outside my window all the time:
- Children laughing
- Cars driving past, some with loud music on
- Busses driving past
- Car alarms going off
- During the day, noise from construction across the street
- Police cars racing down the street, mostly at night
- Karaoke from the restaurant next door
- Trains clanking on the viaducts every 10 or so minutes
- Planes on approach vectors to Heathrow every 2 minutes (yes, I timed it)
It’s a big city all right. But I’ll live.