The Sounds Around Us

The Sounds Around Us ©

By Michael Casey

There are many sounds around us, even in the quietest of days or darkest of nights, you don’t even have to stop to hear them. I didn’t know what I was going to write about a minute ago then I looked up at my silent clock and heard the ticking of the other clock as I looked at it. It was like a ventriloquist clock act. So as Roachford sings in the background,  doesn’t he sound like Prince? So while Roachford sings I’ll talk to you all.

Well outside is the splash of car tyres in the rain acting as percussion to Roachford’s singing, and don’t you think Roachford sounds like a French cheese, and I did have a little bit of Camembert earlier on. There is the hum from our fridge coming from the kitchen behind me, and the noise from the old-fashioned strip light.

Earlier we had two very posh English voices discussing English GCSE exams. My daughter’s God Mother had face-time with her, Nancy did English at Oxford, and is in Chicago doing her Masters, Nancy has a perfect English accent, and obviously she is Chinese, and came to England aged 7 unable to speak a word. If I name drop I only name drop the best, the very best, so forgive me. I know nobody will ever name drop me, I know Michael Casey will never be said. Move out the way you fat old git is more likely to be heard.

As I move in my seat I can hear my bones click, today turned into a pain day, after I was at the pharmacy collecting my meds, I can see the irony and it does make me smile. As I smile I enjoy the sound of the keyboard, it’s an island keyboard, the characters and so on are well spaced out and better for fast typing, the sound and feel of the keyboard is nice and quite sensuous.

Yes the touch of a woman is nicer, but if you spend as much time as I do with a computer it’s great to have a good keyboard. And yes I know you are all smiling and saying why not have the letters of the alphabet on a woman’s body, or your boyfriends etc. Enough, think that one through for yourselves when you are in bed with the one you love.

I look up at the clock and think it’s time for a drink, so forgive me while I have some Aldi dilute blackcurrant and apple. Well did you have a drink while you were waiting for me to get back? Now that I’m talking about sounds every sound seems magnified, close your eyes and listen, its LOUDER, its louder isn’t it. I picked up my mug from the computer desk and the spoon inside it was like a bell ringing from a church, or where they ring a bell in Mass when the Host is raised by the priest. If you don’t remember go back to church and listen whether you are in Poland or Russia, sounds bring memories back, bring back Hope and Peace.

I picked up the bottle of Aldi dilute and the crushing plastic sound could be heard from the half empty bottle, in our house we have to be careful with the sound of plastic, because Totoro our cat awakes like a sleeping giant and runs to the kitchen, she thinks its food being opened.

Certain sounds have certain associations, the still of the night is broken. I dig out my night-time meds and the sound of plopping as I squeeze them out the foil, Monday means press Monday for that medicine. I take more water with the meds, the whoosh of the water as I refill my mug looking out into the darkness of the rainy night, from my warm kitchen. At this point STOP, if you are writing stuff for school, just WRITE WHAT YOU SEE, it must be easy if Michael Casey can do it, see 

I even name dropped myself.

I paid another visit to the bathroom while I was having my drink and meds, and I thought that there is a big different in sounds if you compare a man to a women using the bathroom. I won’t elaborate, you can record your dad in the bathroom while you stand outside or hide in the shower as you record him.

Or record your little brother or in our case Totoro the cat doing a posh pee in the bath instead of the litter tray. You’ll have fun with that one as you load it up to social media. BEWARE your parents will ground you or beat you if they have no sense of humour, Bathroom Sounds could be the next big thing on MTV.

I think it’s time I went to bed now, the sound of me occasionally screaming in pain will be my night time accompaniment, so avoid my weaknesses if you can, stay healthy. Maybe you should use your girlfriend or boyfriend as a keyboard, just be sure you know who to punctuate.