Family History Series ~ The Giant In My Backyard

Seeing that it may take awhile before I can get information about the years my family lived in England before I was born, I will jump ahead to the time after I had arrived.

We lived on 11 Annandale Road, in Corby, Northants, England. I was born in my parents' bed with the assistance of Ilse, a midwife who was already well into the second half of her life.

(In all the years of practicing her profession, Ilse had seen it all. That is until I came along. The sound of my loud wailing before I even exited my mother's womb was a sure sign that an incorrigible and unrepentant chatterbox was being born!)

One of my memories while still living in England was the many times that I spent in our backyard on the wooden swing that my father had made me. Often it was during times when my mother would be hanging up the laundry or working in the garden.

Sometimes it would be by myself.

During the warm months, when my mother and I would be outside, I would hear a loud noise that would get increasingly louder. I had no idea what it could be.

It wasn't something that seemed to concern my mother because she did not even seem to have noticed it, let alone react to it. So, as long as my mother was outside with me, I felt safe.

It was only after she had gone in when the noise would get even louder. I could not see where it was coming from. So I would imagine that it was being created by a giant that was making its way towards my backyard.

The noise would scare me. And I would quickly run inside for protection.

One day, I was determined to make myself stay outside no matter how loud that noise got.

I was outside with my mother while she was hanging up the laundry. Sure as ever, the noise started from what seemed like somewhere far beyond the horizon.

My mother went in; but I sat determinedly in the little wooden seat of my swing set. As expected, the noise grew louder. I was scared; but I was staying put.

The noise had now reached the level of volume that had sent me running for the house. Still I sat.

I could feel the fear and anxiety welling up inside me. But I was doing to see this through.

It got even louder.

Surely that giant was going to come lumbering over the hedges soon! I could easily envision its huge hulking and angry form.

Oh! This was surely far more anxiety than my little 3-year-old heart could take.

Hurry!

Lest the giant see me sitting all alone in my swing, I quickly bolted for the door.

Safe!

To this day I never knew what made that frightening noise.

Several years ago I thought that it, perhaps, could have been cicadas. After all, they do create a very loud racket without there being a seemingly obvious source. And it was during the warm months, when cicadas are known to be active.

But was it really cicadas?

Before I could claim that it was cicadas that were the giant in my backyard, I needed to find out if, indeed, cicadas were common to England.

Apparently, there is only one species of cicadas in England ~ the New Forest cicada. But is that throughout England, or just in the New Forest region? After all, New Forest is quite the distance from Northants.

If cicadas weren't that noisy and scary giant, what was?