Whether it's the lapping of a gondola moored in the Grand Canal, the whoosh of an incoming tube train, or the surprisingly relaxed klaxon of a Parisian ambulance, every city has its unique soundtrack.

And so to Christchurch where as a I sit now I can hear the whine of an angle grinder removing steel brackets, the ceaseless pounding of a pneumatic jackhammer breaking up concrete, and in the distance the gentle, murderous rumble of the Big Nibbler (see blogs passim) at work in Gloucester Street. 

Walk outside and you can add the crash of masonry as it descends enclosed chutes to street level, and the row of dumper trucks, diesel engines ticking over, each waiting its turn to take away the spoil. And finally there's that distinctive graunch of a tracked vehicle moving across loose masonry.

If you think working on a construction site is noisy, you should try a de-construction site.