Location: Village Green, Woodcote, Oxfordshire, UK
Date: 24th May 2020
Time: 08:52 – 09:07
Weather: Sunny intervals with a moderate breeze
Temperature: 15oC
Average Sound Level: 52.6dBSPL (LAeq)
I arrive at the green to the joyful sound of a dad singing ‘How much is that doggy in the window‘ to his two young daughters, whilst they circle a beech tree on their balance bikes. Shortly after, mum and third child wander over from the village hall to clap encouragingly. As they wander off in the direction of The Close, I attend to the rolls of white noise from the branches above, dominating the soundscape today. With no obstructions, the chilly breeze appears to gather momentum across the green, making me conscious of the tripod’s stability, top heavy with microphones and blimp precariously nesting on the apex. My inability to hear into the distance keeps my thoughts turned inward. A slow-moving tractor, trailer with entourage of patient motorists rumbling along the Goring Road and the occasional shriek of red kites pull my attention outward, but not far and not for long.