One day, two weeks ago, Spring announced itself in the form of a sunny day. How did we know it was the first Spring day of the year? It wasn’t a chronological thing. It just… happened. And everyone understood. Anyway, since then it’s been getting steadily warmer and noisier. Today it’s blue, light and airy outside. Early this morning I wondered what was annoying the birds so much. Then I realised: it’s Spring! They’re just back. I hadn’t realised how quiet Winter was. So, because I am a writer and willing to wax descriptive about anything and everything, I give you: the soundscape of Spring! There’s whistling, warbling (magpies, of course), screeching and squawking, chirping, chattering, trilling and tweeting (no derisive laughter as yet: no kookaburras). There’s the sound of leaves crackling as birds skitter and bounce about, then the soft fwop of birds flapping under my window. This is followed by a small snap as a dragonfly meets its untimely demise. There’s the sound of the wind through the unkempt gum tree out the front. Also belonging to Spring is the occasional buzzing of mowers and whippersnippers, like particularly aggressive birds, and the rattle of screen doors. Other than that, everything is still: people are indoors having lunch, or at the markets eating fresh donuts and listening to bagpipes while they buy fresh vegetables, books and flowers.

I do like living in a small town!