What with work, both the old broadcast freelance and management and planning at If Not Us Then Who and all the other sorts of things we do in our lives, its been a bit of a struggle to be able to get out into the wide world with my lovely mixer in order to do some basic field-recordings. And field recordings is a thing which I greatly enjoy doing when I can find the time. Audio is such an immersive world, the world of noise and sound, these trillions of vibrations passing through the air which we hear. Even if I don't have my gear with me, I’ll deliberately tune into a few of my own inner head channels; sometimes on walks be it in the heart of the city, past lunchtime Soho cafes or the shouting of traders along Whitechapel or be it down some deep-hedged country path with the stubbly oaks swaying in the beginnings of a gale, I will deliberately switch all my other senses into a sort of automatic mode, so I can concentrate my mind on the sounds all around. It requires a little bit of concentration and then after a few minutes you enter into a gorgeous ambient world. Your hearing can identify many layers and levels and frequencies, all of which lend an identity to a place. On the occasion I've had my mixer with me, I will always try and steal a bit of time to do some recording. One of the recent opportunities was in Dorset towards the end of last summer. I dragged my dad for a morning walk along the top of the rolling downs nearby Badbury Rings, the site of an ancient burial ground of low cropped Bronze Age tumulus, an impressive Iron Age hill-fort, as well as the confluence of several Roman roads. History, especially ancient, literally seeps up through the rough chalky ground here. With the taste of bacon sarnies and coffee still fresh we walked a fair distance from the other walkers and nestled ourselves amongst some weathered Hawthorn bushes, overlooking the fields and woods which stretch across to the Quantock hills. There was a fair wind blowing across the canopy of trees, sending the tops of the little woods dancing, in the wind you feel the passing of summer, the beginning of Autumn. For a few minutes immerse yourself in this glorious sound.