It was sometime back in the autumn when I started to hear a noise. I heard it in the kitchen. It was an unfamiliar noise - a distinct click followed by a whirr.... and then silence. In the following days I heard it regularly though not every day and if I did hear it it was only just the once. I could not work out what is was or where it was coming from. Strangely enough himself did not hear it so it was just my ears that were being assailed by a rather disconcerting sound.
I became increasingly perturbed and searched high and low to see if could locate the source without any success. To my great relief himself finally heard it one evening but was then adamant that it was coming from the other side of the room to which I thought it was coming from. I dismissed this possibility as I did his suggestion a week or so later that it was just a normal everyday noise emanating from the fridge. Now after several years of intimate acquaintance with the fridge I knew that this was not the case.
So the mystery deepened. Shades of the film 'Gaslight' briefly flitted through my mind. If you have not seen this film it's a must for a dark, dreary indeed preferably murky afternoon at this time of year. Very briefly 'Gaslight' is a most scary psychological thriller in which evil husband attempts to drive wife insane by most subtle methods so that he can get his hands on her jewels. The heroine began to see and hear things ..... but I'm pleased to report than in this case that there were no sinister shenanigans going on.
The penny finally dropped when logic came to my rescue. On hearing the noise the thought that it might possibly be time related came to me. So a thorough search of the kitchen ensued with my attention focused on time driven devices. Eureka - I found it!
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| The Culprit!
A couple of years ago we bought an automatic watering timer on holiday - no prizes for guessing where. Somehow or the other it had disappeared when the camper van was unpacked only to re-appear in the depths of the garage. I had taken it inside to insert batteries, test out my schoolgirl French, have a play after which I had put it aside in its packaging on the top of the Welsh dresser, along with one or two other ends of garden paraphernalia that seem to be ever present in our kitchen. It had been timed to go off at 6.00pm every night and had reliably been doing so!
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Ha ha. Glad it wasn't hooked up to any water supply otherwise your dresser would have been having a good old soaking. The picture reminds me of My Fair Lady when Freddy's singing On The Street Where You Live.
ReplyDeleteYes it would have been a disaster if it had been connected to a source of water supply Jo but I may have had deduced where the noise was coming from sooner if it had :)
DeleteWell at least it wasn't connected to a water supply as that would have been very unfortunate. I have inordinately sensitive hearing and there is nothing more annoying than hearing something which no one else can hear, you think you are going mad. Two years ago I could hear buzzing at night and was convinced there was something in the loft, my son finally gave in to humour me and looked and there was a large bees nest of some 200 bees which we then had to get removed. It was such a relief to know I wasn't imagining it.
ReplyDeleteHelen as you suggest you do begin to doubt your own sanity :) How fortunate that your ears picked up on that buzzing!
DeleteThese things are utterly maddening and could easily drive you insane.
ReplyDeleteHere there is a faint booming (if you can have such a thing) that I can hear in the study, about the rate of a heartbeat. After many days of thinking it was in my head, with all sorts of potentially imminent and fatal consequences, I finally cracked it. It was the fridge! Which manages to transmit its rumblings through the walls of the house.
Oh in your case the fridge was the guilty party then Jessica :) It must be a powerful beast!
DeleteWhat a relief to have found the source of the noise - I can imagine how annoying it would be - Sherlock Holmes would have had a field day.
ReplyDeleteI think that Sherlock, Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot etc., etc. would have more than enjoyed the challenge Elaine and would have cracked the mystery well before I did!
DeleteI, in my turn, am haunted by the whining of (his) TV decoder.
ReplyDeletePoor thing always sounds as if its fan is going full blast, even though we are no longer in high thirties Porterville. Still it whines ...
Oh dear Diana - I absolutely detest whining noises - I feel for you!
DeleteFunny story Anna! It's good that you managed to find out sooner than later as any longer it could drive mad trying to guess what it is. At least you know the timer is working too :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments guys. Yes the mystery is now solved. I know the timer works but now need to grip with the rest of the instructions so that I can do some fine tuning. At least time is on my side as the plants in my cold frame will not need watering for a while :)
DeleteYour story itself is a bit of a thriller! You are good at creating suspense!
ReplyDeleteWelcome and thanks for such a lovely compliment Alain :)
DeleteI also hear noises but unfortunately they have not such a harmless source, haha, but are rather 2 or 4-legged, haven't found out yet. Dear Anna, I have nominated you for the One lovely blog award and do hope you'll accept it. More details in my latest blog post...and fear not, there's not too much involved. Best wishes :)
ReplyDeleteOh dear Annette that does sound rather ominous. Thanks for the nomination. I will nip over to your blog later to see what's involved :)
Deletejust as well that It did'n start watering you dresser hi hi
ReplyDeleteI'm grateful that it did not have a mind of its own Sussi as I think that the dresser might have not enjoyed such an experience.
DeleteClever story, and I do know just what you mean about strange sounds! Good to have solved the mystery and now you'll be confident the watering system will work while you're away.
ReplyDeleteI will be more confident if I can translate the small print Christina. I think that I will try it out before we go away for any length of time :)
DeleteBrilliant! This did make me chuckle. Glad you got to the bottom of the intriguing problem in the end. ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to have made you chuckle WW :)
ReplyDeleteThank goodness it was nothing more sinister, and not termites or snakes in the walls, or rats in the drains! You got me guessing!
ReplyDeleteOh Cathy -aghhhhhhhh - the very thought !!!
DeleteOh Anna that is funny but I am sure satisfying to find the noise...I am like that and must find the noise that is not familiar. BTW I love Gaslight and watch it often.
ReplyDeleteNot knowing where the noise was coming from Donna was driving me to distraction so I just had to find it. I've seen 'Gaslight' a few times now and still sit on the edge of my chair.
DeleteHello! Loved this story! I don't know if you are the Anna who left a comment on my tree-following post, but if so, thank you and it is lovely to hear from a new blogger.
ReplyDeleteHello again, I have solved the mystery and it was another Anna, from Texas - a long way from England. Nevertheless, it was fun visiting you!
ReplyDeleteHello, hello again and welcome Sara. Thanks for your comment and I'm glad that you enjoyed your visit. I didn't recall visiting you but will remedy that very soon :)
DeleteSo glad it turned out to be nothing more sinister, like mice gnawing through cables or something ! Those new noises are so infuriating, and sometimes it is hard to discover the cause!
ReplyDeleteI commented on this Anna but forget to say I wasn't a robot! Can't remember what I said apart from querying why it had been sitting on top of your dresser for so long and not being used for what it was purchased for! ;)
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