The Silent Sky

I live in an area in the UK where daily we are bombarded with noise from aircraft. Around our village there are flight paths to Stanstead Airport, several light airfields and a few military. This week it has been silent no planes (jet or light) going over. No distant rumblings gradually getting louder. Not even an occasional helicopter.

The sky is silent.
The volcano in iceland is to blame, plumes of volcanic ash rising in dust clouds and clogging up the airways leaving aircraft in the UK grounded.
For us here on the ground it is a beautiful sunny day and except for the road traffic noise it is quiet. It makes one realise just how much noise Humans make in this modern age.

Yes, David, and it's getting worse according to our morning news. Mother Nature is really showing her rage these days.

Ann

Enjoy the calm of it all, David. At least there's one positive thing coming from this event. Makes you wonder, what's next. Scary.

Should be a boon for helicopter travel.

Sounds like an endorsement for volcanos.

When growing up we lived within five miles of O'Hare. A family event was sitting out on the porch and watching the planes go over.

A few years later, I moved to a Naval air station where super-sonic jets took off day and night. One time they decided to begin operations at five in the morning causing our whole family to jump out of bed. These planes used afterburners, loud, loud afterburners.

Next we moved back to the city with all the noise of planes, trains, automobiles, sirens, etc.

Our next stop was rural Wisconsin. We would step out on our deck and I'd tell my husband, "listen." And we'd listen. . . to nothing. What a beautiful sound.

Mu husband's job was flying those noisy machines and not living close to them was indeed a pleasure.

Today the wind is blowing in gusts, the lake looks like an ocean, but it is mother nature's way of saying he/she is still in charge.

Love, Carol

I have been told that our sunrises and sunsets will be spectacular so I shall get out there later and watch the sky at dusk and maybe have a cool glass of old peculiar beer.
I have seen a couple of light aircraft today although I heard on the radio that restrictions have been placed on using the available low level air space which is currently dust free.
I suspect this is the authorities way of ensuring we have some emergency airspace for defense purposes.

Dear David,

I hope that you have the kind of sunrise or set that the dust brings to the Arizona sky. Like a bubble of color.

I worry.

I hope all is well with you and your lovely wife. The old peculiar beer is a favorite here. David would like to think he brewed it himself, but I know differently. It was sent from Mars to soothe his soul.

Love,
Betty

I forgot to add,

To make me beautiful in his eyes.

Works every time.

Love,
Betty

4/18/2010

Just read the volcano is in full force,
lightning, spilling lava, who knows maybe we
have another Krakata on our hands ?

Cheers.Joe

I love the title of this thread, "The Silent Sky." There is some very special meaning there.

Interesting editorial on the volcano:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/04/23/weisman.volcano.iceland.earth/index.html?eref=rss_mostpopular

Ann

Good article with interesting comments.

Carol

Thank you Carol.
Silence is a mysterious thing by itself, an emptiness that screams louder than noise or a threatening presence waiting to be announced.
Thank you for that link Ann.
There is a lot in that article to get one thinking.
Our sky in the UK is no longer silent and stranded folk who were desperate to get home are travelling again.
The silent sky has become a scared sky with the straight vapour trails of high flying jet aircraft. These trails like the violent slashes of a knife or razors edge, scar the blue flesh of heaven. Visual evidence perhaps of what damage these powerful machines can do to our delicate and fragile environment.
I am sure there are more quakes and volcanos to come in the not too distant future. I am certain that again the sky will be silenced.

I enjoyed this silence in the sky and this discussion.

It reminded me of how things are in remote places that have no industry, such as Bangladesh or the Australian outback.
In 2002, I was in the deep village area where I'm from originally for 4 weeks. Throughout the whole of this time, I did not see one aeroplane or helicopter in the sky. Morning silence was broken by a soaring eagle, looking down to snatch a small duckling or a chicken from the fields.

Now if only we had a powercut overninght as well as a silent sky like this... we could imagine what life might have been like in meadival England...with starry skies, streams glistening in the moonlight and castles in the forest and so forth...