I-Spy....Sounds

O is for Owls - hooting and screeching at night. I rarely see them but its reassuring to know that they're out there. Its one of the sounds that stops me doing whatever and makes me listen.

O is for ooooh, it could be that sound the kids make when opening their crimbo presents, or that sound you make when you find an unexpected flower/shoot in the garden. Not to be confused with Ugh, the sound of finding a massive orange Spanish slug.

P has got to be the purr of contented kitten or cat. It's a reaffirming sound that you're doing something right as well getting a pleasure feedback.

P is for Parrot.
The first Parrot I met was outside a cafe, on a stand. All the passersby would stop and talk to him, including me! I was just a kid and absolutely mesmerised by this beautiful bird, like a very large version of our little budgerigar!
Whenever I see a parrot I have to talk to it and if they answer I'm delighted. I saw then flying wild when I was holidaying in Peru (my bucket list trip). I was laughing at something and there was an echo - the parrot was mimicking me and the more it laughed, the more I did and so on. It was wonderful!
My neighbour has an Amazon Grey parrot that has picked up some of my words, like "Puppies" & "Quiet". Makes me laugh when I hear it calling the Puppies.

P is for paper. The sound the pages of your favourite book being turned or the pages of a band new book sound completely different. Then there’s the sound of paper being ripped off birthday or Christmas presents. Especially the dogs opening their presents. I have very fond memory of all of our dogs past and present. Tearing open their toys. Ignore the toy and continue shredding the paper into tiny soggy pieces.
I remember I used to drive my Nan nuts on Christmas morning. Not being a normal kid , just ripping the paper off and it all being over in 10 minutes flat. I use to very carefully feel every present and guess what it was. I got really good at it. Drove Nan nuts.

P is for Parrot.
The first Parrot I met was outside a cafe, on a stand. All the passersby would stop and talk to him, including me! I was just a kid and absolutely mesmerised by this beautiful bird, like a very large version of our little budgerigar!
Whenever I see a parrot I have to talk to it and if they answer I'm delighted. I saw then flying wild when I was holidaying in Peru (my bucket list trip). I was laughing at something and there was an echo - the parrot was mimicking me and the more it laughed, the more I did  and so on. It was wonderful!
My neighbour has an Amazon Grey parrot that has picked up some of my words, like "Puppies" & "Quiet". Makes me laugh when I hear it calling the Puppies.

I'm with you on parrots.  Way back when, as a family we were going from A to B, I can't remember exactly where, we stopped of in Honolulu Hawaii. My elder brother and I,  about 7 and 11  yrs old, were fascinated by the resident pet parrot, a macaw I think. It talked and my brother went to great lengths to teach it to say 'Belt Up' in a British accent of course. That was about as near to swearing as we were allowed at that age. I believe after a week we succeeded and were very giggly about it.  Of course it was my brother's idea, I  would never be so coarse.  Another memory of that visit was that there was a vending machine dishing out free pineapple juice.  Us kids direct from Kidderminster thought it was so exotic.

Q is for quiet. Those very rare occasions when there is complete silence. They don’t last long either.

Q is for Quivering and Quaking. The sounds of long grass and leaves in a breeze that gently rustles the plants.

R is an easy one for me. It’s the sound of rocks splitting. It’s such a difficult sound to describe. The sound of the wedges being knocked in between the feathers is so musical the best way to describe it is a ringing sound and a different tone for each one. A little like a xylophone but less annoying. The music stops and is replaced by a dull thud when the rock is close to splitting. The sound that is most difficult to describe is when the rock actually starts to split. It’s a cracking sound but it’s like a primeval/ prehistoric beautiful powerful sound

R is for Robin. the cheeky chappy who follows me around the garden, making his presence known with a kind of ticking sound until I say "Hello Mr Robin". If he's really talkative I ask him how he is today and "Are you ready for Christmas?". I've no idea where that came from, I suddenly said it and now I can't stop myself!.
When the Robin sings its beautiful, such a wonderful song from a tiny bird.

S is for stags roaring during the rut. It’s a great noise. If you don’t know what it is, it could quite easily scare the ****out of you at night. Luckily it only lasts 2 - 3 weeks because there have a canny knack of finding a spot as close to yours bedroom window as possible for their night time vocalising! The reds have a very deep roar. The fallow which you don’t hear as often. Sounds a bit like a grunting pig. It’s really cute.
The rut is all over for another year now.