View from the tram

There have been assertions by those nearest and dearest to me* that my hearing is going.

I have been unconvinced by this, arguing that perhaps an inability to hear what other people are saying is a form of sanity preservation. Certainly the (amateur) tests I've performed in the studio would suggest that my hearing is at least fine over the length of a piano keyboard.

But it is undoubtedly true that I struggle to hear people in situations where there is a lot of background noise.

Anyway, today I took a tram over to Brooklands to visit DJB Hearing, arriving sufficiently early to pop next door to Bread & Butties for some coffee and a bacon roll.

When I did get 'round to the hearing centre, Dan turned out to be a friendly, professional, and interesting chap. He explained that a lot of the consonants that we use to define words are in the higher register, which is where we lose our hearing first. Combine this with the lower frequencies of background noise, and crowded places are a double whammy to the middle-aged ear.

He then did the tests, and said that my hearing was absolutely fine for my age, beginning to tail off around 2kHz (which I figure to be three octaves above Middle C). 

So, I left feeling reassured and even happy, and took the tram back to Manchester. I took today's photo out of the window (at a slightly awkward angle). My thanks to the Minx for many things but specifically today for suggesting I take the tram rather than drive: a much better adventure!

*Notably, the Minx