Listening in Lock Down

After being indoors for longer than usual it is now a welcome break to step into the outdoors, if only for a moment to take the compost out or pick up something from the greenhouse/car/shed. What I notice is that my senses come to life and I really appreciate this change of scene. Often something catches my attention. That something might be a twinkling star in a new position in the sky or noticing the phase of the moon and how it looks. Yesterday it was the half a french stick dropped by the magpie when I came out of the house! Whether the freshness of the breeze of the spotting of light rain I feel, I smell, I see, I taste and I hear in more intense ways at the moment. At least it feels that way.

In October I was in the wooden hut in the garden and I spent some time listening to the falling raindrops on the roof. There was something very gentle and relaxing about the sound, and I decided to try and make a recording of it. It got me thinking about all the different types of rain that have in Manchester. Like the Inuit who have so many different names for snow, we also have our fair share of ways of describing the rain - mizzle, deluge, shower, downpour, drizzle, raining cats and dogs, torrential, fine rain, pouring, monsoon, heavy, light, squally showers, April shower, pelt.

So I am starting a collection of rain sounds with this recording of soft rain falling on the hut roof, if you have any you would like to share please get in touch.

If you want to put on some headphones and get yourself comfortable, this might be a nice way to relax and listen for the next half an hour or so...