Alan Titchmarsh’s war on power tools: TV horticulturist calls for people to stop using their noisy machinery on Sundays
- Mr Titchmarsh, 74, said he never uses power tools, or mows his lawn, on Sunday
- He complained that the ‘natural sounds of the earth’ have been forgotten about
Alan Titchmarsh has called for people to stop using power tools on Sundays.
The TV horticulturalist said that he never uses power tools – or mows his lawn – on a Sunday because he ‘profoundly believes’ at least one day should be reserved for quietness.
The 74-year-old bemoaned the ‘jet-powered age’ and complained that the ‘natural sounds of the earth’ have been forgotten about.
Writing in BBC Gardeners World magazine, Mr Titchmarsh issued an appeal for everyone to stop using power tools on Sundays.
‘It’s clear to me the rarest thing in any garden is silence, it appears to be the one commodity money can’t buy,’ he wrote.
Titchmarsh said he was recently asked what time power tools are acceptable on a Sunday.
‘I was worried I would sound holier-than-thou when I explained that I never use power tools on a Sunday.
The 74-year-old also bemoaned the ‘jet-powered age’ and said the ‘natural sounds of the earth’ have been forgotten
‘[I believe] profoundly there should be at least one day in the week when we could go out into our gardens and experience a bit of peace and quiet – or at least as near to peace and quiet as it’s possible to experience in this jet-powered age.
‘I want to listen to the birds singing, and hear the wind rustling the leaves of the horse chestnut across the garden, the splash of a duck landing on our wildlife pond, the cluck of a moorhen darting across the lily pads and the laughter of grandchildren.
‘Perhaps in this age of mobile phones, when it’s rare to come across anyone perambulating the streets of town and city without a pair of earphones bunged into their aural orifices, the natural sounds of the earth have been superseded by a man-made cacophony.
‘It appears that not many folk are tuning into the sounds of the earth nowadays.
‘Now, I know that for most working folk the gardening jobs have to be caught up with at the weekend and that power tools make the going easier – and quicker – but why do even the electric ones have to be so noisy?
‘We have mowers and strimmers and chainsaws and hedge trimmers and leaf blowers.
‘I know it’s unrealistic of me to ask you to replace your lawnmower with a small flock of sheep and to pick up a rake rather than a leaf blower but… Well, you get my drift.’
Mr Titchmarsh added: ‘I am no evangelist, just a simple soul who appreciates a bit of peace and quiet on what used to be regarded as the first day of the week.
‘So, if you must power your way through Sunday, please do so between the hours of 9am and 6pm, so that I can sip my early morning tea in silence and enjoy my sundowner to the accompaniment of the blackbird, rather than the Black & Decker.’
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