What’s that noise? What noise? A solitary seagull? The postman ringing just once? The slight rustling of leaves? All of those things but something else too.
The sound of silence!
Yes, folks, here in the UK, the kids have gone back to school and for people like me, lucky enough to work from home, back-to-school time means I can keep all my windows open knowing that there’s no chance of any of those holiday sounds: a bored boy bouncing a ball; two kids laughing then screaming then crying then laughing then screaming then crying; no adolescent radios playing from upstairs bedrooms.
They’ve all gone – it’s as if the Pied Piper has paid a visit to Lewes, my home town.
The kids have gone to a better place – or have they? – they’re enjoying the first week in the last Education Secretary, Michael Gove’s ‘new’ 19th Century school syllabus. At least it’s keeping it quiet round here – hope it works for them too. Now I feel just a tinge of regret for them – poor kids!
