Sounds that stick in your mind

It is very rare today especially living in a conurbation as I do to hear the natural sounds of nature as there is always a background noise of some description.

One sound comes instantly to my mind in that category. There is a small pine wood at the Broadgate crossroads and that is where the sound originated. I love to hear the sound of wind in trees at any time. The sound of the wind blowing through the pine trees produced a unique sound which I think is described as the wind soughing through the trees. When you walked through the wood you made very little noise because of the thick covering of pine needles which had accumalated over the years.

On the opposite side of the road there was a seat and when out for a walk we would spend a few minutes having a bit crack about life in general.. When there was a lull in the conversation there would be the sound of the wind soughing gently through the pine branches.

There is a few pine trees on the banks of the Tyne in Hebburn
but the soughing never sounds the same from that small wood. Perhaps again there are too many background noises in that are what with industry on the North bank of the river and the Metro rattling along about a hundred yards away.

It was not out of the ordinary on a Sunday afternoon to walk past Ushaw Moor Colliery, turn left down to Broadgate and up the road to Ragpath. Follow the track to Esh Winning then turn left and walk up to Stand Alone Wood. On the way up to Stand Alone you followed the old Roman road Deare Steet for a short distance. Turn left and walk to Pit House Colliery and cut through the Pit Yard and follow the track down the Church Fields to Eshwood Street at the bottom of New Brancepeth. Cut through the Pit Yard at New Brancepeth and join the road to Ushaw Moor and so home for Sunday tea. I always enjoyed my Sunday tea ( home baked pies and tarts etc). I hope the spelling is OK as the text seems to have gone awry in the Text box.

Brian Mc.