Sound or noise seems to affect me more as I get older. Most people start to lose their hearing, but I can hear a wide range of pitches. I think it’s because I’ve always shied away from noisy situations. When I was younger I went to discos and things, but if the sound reverberated through my body, or I could feel it as a deep thud, I wouldn’t stay. Same with loud guitars and amplified music.

In the same way I’ve never used a Walkman or those earbud things although I have worn headphones occasionally. But only on low volumes. I know that sound concentrated in your ears can damage your hearing. I guess people like loud music and that younger people are already damaging their ears. Sometimes when we go to theatrical performances the background music is too loud, and now if I’m listening to the radio and they play music in the background it’s sometimes too loud and distracting. I even sat in another room when a band was playing yesterday, it makes me feel nervous and agitated if I get to close, how strange….

Give me peace and quiet. Or a gentle breeze stirring the leaves on the trees. The gentle melody of birds like Robins, Nightingales or Blackbirds. Not the growl of car exhausts pushed to breaking point, Jack hammers, and thudding sounds (I can’t call it music) from cars.