The Sounds of Spring I was lying half-awake in bed, not having slept my full eight hours and trying to fall asleep again when I heard it. First it was rather muted, but then it kept getting louder until it had become a persistent drone that rendered any attempts of catching up on some of that sleep that I've been missing futile. "Bsssssssss." Now I am generally a very calm and collected person, almost impossible to unnerve. I can fall asleep when the TV is on, when people are talking, even when there are big festivities just outside my flat but the sounds of insects? That really gets on my wick! Unfortunately there is not much I can do about it. I sleep on a loft bed, so I can hardly get up, jump down and chase after the insidious insect. But I guess in a way it's positive, too, because usually that sound indicates that the seasons have changed. Still, out of all the sounds that herald the arrival of Spring, this is the one I loathe the most. And unfortunately getting a mosquito net is out of the question because if I did that I wouldn't be able to step outside onto my balcony any more!