Bells are part of village life (2)

I sympathise with the Senglea resident who unfortunately seems to have become the victim of distress caused by the church clock. However, our parish church has stood the test of time, and even managed to rise again after having been destroyed during World War II.

The clock is an integral part of the church and the community, irrespective of whether it has been there for 100 or eight years. I hope that this part of our culture is not destroyed by some bureaucratic EU environmental noise directive.

During my time as a law enforcement officer in Kent, UK, I vividly remember receiving a call from a lady who had not long moved into the village where I worked. Her beautiful cottage was situated in the middle of fields in which sheep were put out to pasture. The lady complained about the sheep baaing all day and night. Being in the country, what else does one expect?

I politely pointed out that perhaps she chose the wrong location to live. However, the use of ear plugs did solve her problem. Maybe the same happened in Senglea. Living in the hub of a city is noisy. The sound of this clock signals life, just like the beating of our heart. Long may the clock strike and the bells toll.