@clematisdorset, we have tawny owls living around here, so lots of hooting and too Witt too whooing! The babies are quite noisy too. When they perch in our garden, we can hear them calling for food, a persistent ‘peeping’ sound. We were once lucky enough to see a parent flying to them with food, we were also lucky enough to have one baby land on our bedroom windowsill, came to have a look at what was on the television! The badgers have been around for ever. They visited the previous owners for years, and we took over when we moved in nearly twenty years ago. We rarely see them in person, but we have a cctv camera and can look at the recordings in the morning to see who has been to visit. They are very quiet ( and I credit the peanut butter sandwiches for the fact that we never have any of our ‘lawns’ dug up by them!)
Us too, nothing around us, no noise and quiet lane. We give thanks every day. Occasionally a training war plane will go over the roof, I’m sure they target the bungalow’s chimney to see how low they can get to the ground.
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
Your posts reinforce how lucky we are. Our immediate neighbours are cows, the next house is 50m away and apart from some log sawing, hedge trimming and lawn mowing, they are very quiet.
Depending on the season, there are tractors and some fairly big log lorries on the road but they are part of life here, so they don't bother us too much.
I wouldn't want anyone to think that I don't feel lucky to live here! I love London and wouldn't choose to live anywhere else, or even further out. And most of the noises are, like your tractors / lorries @NormandyLiz , part of life here and it's a life I choose. Petrol lawnmowers could blight our lives pretty much anywhere, building work too (though admittedly it would not be at such close range in some locations). I do hate traffic noise, which is why we choose not to have a car - don't want to be part of the problem - but luckily that's not too much of a problem most of the time. I do count myself lucky to get to be part of this city and still have the trees, plants and wildlife that I do.
'If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.'
Ah, other posts have reminded me - we get the helicopters too! But they don't disturb me so I didn't think of them. One time in my old flat I thought one was going to land on the roof it was so noisy, and the flat seemed to be vibrating... but it was the flat upstairs' washing machine on spin cycle 🤣. Helicopters are quiet in comparison!
'If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.'
We occasionally get the odd low flying jet too @Lyn .... I'd forgotten about those. They are so infrequent that they can scare the bejeezus out of you when they do come over.
Bee x
Gardener and beekeeper in beautiful Scottish Borders
A single bee creates just one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime
@Bee witched that sounds (mostly) really magical! Was it a dream of yours to 'escape to the country' or just what happened? It does sound a very tempting move to make!
Sorry to witness the demise of the forum. 😥😥😥😡😡😡I am Spartacus
@ViewAhead, I have heard about the 10pm curfew for fireworks, but enforcement is certainly an issue. I did not know about 5/11 and 31/12 being the only two allowed dates. I hear fireworks more regularly than that. I think there are various religious festivals where fireworks always seem to play a major role.
Thanks for your tip on using a fan. I also need something to drown out neighbouring washing-machine and other low, rumbly sounds. I think their washing machine must be positioned next to a shared wall. Do you find the direction you position your fan makes any difference and what about oscillation? Any thoughts gratefully received!
Edited due to missing crucial words!
Re fans, I find a ceiling one works well. If using a free-standing one, placing it between you and the noise you wish to mask is best. Finding one with a hum you like can be tricky though. I got a Meaco this summer. Very highly rated, everyone seems to love them, but ... unfortunately I could hear the engine whirr, which was higher pitched than the blade hum and also not consistent. It sounded like mosquitoes tapping out morse code to me! 😱 (My brain often divides up sounds into parts, for some reason), so it had to go back. Luckily I got it from a JL store, so just trotted it in for a refund. Buying online is more of a faff and very hit and miss.
I do have a small Dohm white noise machine, but I find the sound harsh. If I put it in the wardrobe, where fabrics act as absorbers, that improves it.
Can you tell I'm a bit of a expert on the topic? 😂
Thank you @ViewAhead for your great ideas. What a good thought about putting the Dohm in the wardrobe! Those morse code playing mosquitoes sounded interesting! 😉If I had to describe the sounds I sometimes get, the worst one is like an idling bus, but it has changed over time.
I have tried a few white/blue/brown noises but agree they can be very harsh.
You really are a bit of an (reluctant?) expert - thanks so much for sharing those tips! 😊
Sorry to witness the demise of the forum. 😥😥😥😡😡😡I am Spartacus
@Bee witched. Yes! They are so fast that you don’t hear the noise until they’ve gone past. Completely disoriented for a minute if you’re engrossed in the garden. As you say, doesn’t happen often.
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
@clematisdorset, we have tawny owls living around here, so lots of hooting and too Witt too whooing! The babies are quite noisy too. When they perch in our garden, we can hear them calling for food, a persistent ‘peeping’ sound. We were once lucky enough to see a parent flying to them with food, we were also lucky enough to have one baby land on our bedroom windowsill, came to have a look at what was on the television! The badgers have been around for ever. They visited the previous owners for years, and we took over when we moved in nearly twenty years ago. We rarely see them in person, but we have a cctv camera and can look at the recordings in the morning to see who has been to visit. They are very quiet ( and I credit the peanut butter sandwiches for the fact that we never have any of our ‘lawns’ dug up by them!)
Oh how lovely @Ergates! I did not realise they would stick around human habitation so much. The little owls must look so sweet. It is a nice thought that the badgers continued to visit once you arrived. I think sometimes food bribery works wonders. I did the same for the squirrels with bags of hazelnuts! They barely touched the tulip bulbs!
Sorry to witness the demise of the forum. 😥😥😥😡😡😡I am Spartacus
I use a Meaco fan too - on a low setting - to cover outside noise at night. It works pretty well. There is no irritating motor noise for me. I have a window box pond with a pump below my bedroom window, which I can hear from my bed if the window is open. I balance the peace of hearing the sound of splashing against the inevitability of 2am motorboke roar. It's getting quite complicated with fans on for sound cover (and helpful for cancer treatment) and heating on to dry the house out and window open hear the water....
Posts
The badgers have been around for ever. They visited the previous owners for years, and we took over when we moved in nearly twenty years ago. We rarely see them in person, but we have a cctv camera and can look at the recordings in the morning to see who has been to visit. They are very quiet ( and I credit the peanut butter sandwiches for the fact that we never have any of our ‘lawns’ dug up by them!)
Occasionally a training war plane will go over the roof, I’m sure they target the bungalow’s chimney to see how low they can get to the ground.
They are so infrequent that they can scare the bejeezus out of you when they do come over.
Bee x
A single bee creates just one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime
I have tried a few white/blue/brown noises but agree they can be very harsh.
You really are a bit of an (reluctant?) expert - thanks so much for sharing those tips! 😊