Here Comes The Quiet Life Again

Riverman George on embracing the sound of silence and wondrous wildlife

- Heather Greenaway

Today is set to be the quietest Easter Sunday on record with church services cancelled, beaches and parks empty and no egg hunts or big family get-togethers.

But as difficult as self-isolation can be, there is also merit in the stillness that comes with it – giving us time to pause, reflect and look at the world around us.

George Parsonage, who spent 40 years helping save lives with Glasgow Humane Society, sees beauty in the calmness and hopes Scotland will use this time to stop and smell the flowers and listen to the birdsong.

George, 76, who lives on the banks of the Clyde at Glasgow Green is revelling in not only the tranquillity, but the wildlife that has re-awakened all around him.

And this Easter, he is hoping we can all spare a moment to look around us and rejoice in the silence rather than despair at what has been taken from us.

The peace and quiet is amazing. For more than 70 years – 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, with only a couple of weeks respite – I have lived with the constant loud drone and the smell of the fumes from the distillery on Adelphi Street opposite our boathouse.