Country diary: The myriad sounds of a cemetery in the rain | Kate Bradbury

Hove, East Sussex: Standing under the sycamore the leaves drum, under the elm they patter; the yew makes no sound at allIn the cemetery everything is yellow: the carpet of leaves on the ground, mirrored by those still clinging to trees. Plastic flowers laid on gravestones, new graffiti on the wall. It's raining, and there's a serenity here that's often hard to find in the city. Just outside, cars and buses rumble, children play football, a train rolls by. But in the cemetery everything is quiet: whether muted by rain, dead or dying, waiting out its chance for rebirth.I stand beneath trees so I may learn how they sound when rain hits their leaves. Under the sycamore the rain drums; under the elm it patters. Rain on beech leaves sounds somewhere in between, while the yew makes no noise at all. I am all alone in this gentle pursuit, and am grateful no one is watching. Continue reading...