The following are musings from a Thursday afternoon, the second day of the season so far where I have been able to sit outside and feel Spring. The change of any season to the next always makes me feel more connected to Nature, the subtle differences in the air, the smells, the sounds.
There are two things in Melbourne's Nature that capture me. One is the birds, they are particularly noisy in Spring, their call is so different to home they make my head turn every time. I imagine it is what being a young child is like. And the other is the wind, Melbourne's constant companion across all seasons.
BIRDS
Can you write down the call of the birds? You know the collared dove, the wood pigeon, that familiar repetitive sound. Who - who - whooo - who - who - whooo - is that it? Does it sound the same in another language?
The Magpie in reverse. D - D - Di - Do - De. Is it just me that hears R2D2?
The woosh of a swoop next to your ear. That is what sound feels like, perfectly placed, it didn't touch me but I felt it. How can you feel a sound?
WIND
Can you write down the sound of the wind? The rattling of the roof, the rushing of the leaves, the cry as it lifts away your hat, but what does the wind herself sound like?
Does she have a voice?
Imagine all the stories she picks up and carries around. Sometimes she shares the secrets of the train hooting into the night, but only sometimes and only if you are really quiet.
The Wind is a percussionist in Nature's Band.
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