Wednesday, 25 April 2012

A Special Sound.

I’ve mentioned before how much I like the sound of running water in the darkness, and how there’s a deep drainage ditch near my house in which the water coming off the land splashes and gurgles after a period of rain. We’ve had a lot of rain today, and the water in the ditch was in good voice when I went out tonight.

I first became enamoured of the sound when I was working as a photographer. On one trip to the Lake District, I stayed at Glenridding Youth Hostel which stands alongside Red Tarn Beck. The dorm I used was on that side of the building, and I could hear the water babbling over the rocks before I went to sleep. The sound took a hold of me then, and it’s never relinquished its grip.

Tonight I took to wondering just what the reason is for my fascination. Is it, perhaps, a sense of mystery generated by the sound of unseen movement? Or is it that the energy of running water glows brighter in the darkness. I don’t know. Suggestions are invited.

When I got to M’Lady’s house, I found that the small gully running alongside their cottage was also in spate, so there was splashing and gurgling aplenty there, too. I liked that; it engendered a sense of connection, however fanciful, or even fantastical, it might have been.

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