Yesterday, I ignored the sunshine, and sat in the lounge room, in my pyjamas, snuggling with Angus (my cat). Outside I could hear a group of about 6 kids, playing some game involving bikes, jumping gutters, and lots of gasps and laughter...It occurred to me, that though these were sounds common to me when I was growing up, it is something I rarely hear anymore. As kids, we spent hours and hours, building cubby houses, climbing trees, and hiding our secret pet mice from Mum and Dad. We used to jump on our bikes and ride all around the neighbourhood. We all knew about the secret alleyways, the houses with big dogs, or nasty people, and, most importantly, we all knew that if we pooled our resources, we could get enough chips to feed an army. Dining venue of choice was on top of the fort at the local park.
There are alot of sounds you don't hear anymore. And you don't miss them until you suddenly realise they're gone. Lately I have been playing with lots of cool old stuff, as well as travelling, all of which has brought to mind some sounds that are nigh on extinction.
And so, for your aural pleasure.... recall if you will...
The sound of the needle on a record player before the first song begins. Purists will argue that the ONLY way to listen to The Beatles is on vinyl. Indeed, the song Hey Jude never sounds right to me when I hear an electronic copy of it. Mostly because the record I used to have had a scratch in it, and so I keep waiting for the "don't make it ---- don't make it ---- don't make it baaaad".
One of my favourites, the shutter on an slr camera. No not the recorded shutter sound that your mobile phone makes, but the crisp, clear sound of a shutter opening and closing and capturing that glorious image you had discovered.
The sound of a sprinkler. Simple pleasure, yet one that is totally lost. Who doesn't remember running under (over, around, through) the sprinkler on a hot summer's afternoon? Who doesn't remember getting a soaker hose, running it along the edge of a tarp you found i
n your Dad's shed, and making your very own Slip 'n' Slide? Who doesn't remember taking the green plastic slide that your little brother got for Christmas, lining it up with the wading pool, smearing it with dishwashing detergent, and stickytaping the sprinkler to the handle at the top, thereby creating your very own backyard WaterWorld Fun Park? Okay, so I wasn't brought up in the most water-saving-aware house... But no matter where I am, the sound of a sprinkler makes me want to strip down to my undies and singlet and cartwheel through the rainbow!
The ding at the almost-end of a line on a typewriter.
Not the whirry electronic ones, no no. I'm talking a proper, old school typewriter, th
e kind that has the tips of your fingers bruised from having to hit the keys so hard. And I know I am not the only one in the generation that learned typing at school on typewriters!!! (Thank you, Sister Jean!)
Spokey Dokeys. Have you ever ridden your bike so slowly, so as to make each and every one click as it hit the rim of your bike? Did you colour coordinate yours for your favourite footy team?
The sound of a video tape rewinding. Now I know I still have a VCR. I like it. I like the crackle when you put it on, and the jumpy static as it struggles to find a clear picture on an ex-rental family movie from 1987. And the whirring rewind sound that alerts you to the fact that you have just sat on the remote. Bliss!
Tram's bells. Still available on some lines, but the 96 has this stupid recorded bell sound. It's weirdly resonant, and it was one thing that I could ALWAYS hear on a Saturday morning when I live in St K.
KZFM. Need I say more?
The sound of a Polaroid photo being ejected from the camera. Yes, I am the proud owner of a polaroid camera, and though the film is potentially the greatest extravagance right now, I love, love, love it! Closely followed by the Rolf-Harris-esque sound of waving the Polaroid around to develop it.
I'm sure everyone can think of a lot of other soon to be extinct sounds.. Please feel free to share them and the memories attached to them!
Personally I always loved the rhythmic but raw clatter of the old W Class trams on the archaic tram tracks. There was such a sound of 'getting somewhere' when you heard the thud thud thud, grind grind grind.
ReplyDeleteNot so much from childhood, but certainly adolescence... the sound of the message alert when you got ICQ chat up and running.
The sound of old cars. Not the 'vintage' cars that have had so much work that their engines purr, but the old rust-bucket Aussie staples. Datsun 120Ys and Sunbirds and Kingswoods and Fairlanes. I miss the sound of the engine revving like there was glass in the carbie. Actually, words like 'carbie' ... are they becoming extinct too? Or do I just have a lack of mechanics in my social sphere???
Firstly Tanya, I was sold on your blog the minute I read your little blurb about yourself - you sound fantastic lady (and your a Leo and I love, and am surrounded by Leo's)! Then I clicked onto to this post and loved it so much I was skipping over bits to read it quicker! Then I had to read it again! Loving all the sounds you mention - what a trip down memory lane. Spokey Dokey's! Oh how I loved them! And the sprinkler. And the slip and slide. In fact, I once had a major accident on a home made slip and slide. After deciding to sprint down it I did a crazy spin and landed on my nose which actually left a hole in the plastic!
ReplyDeleteAnyway thanks for the laughs. I am going to be a return reader for sure :)