As her 10-week-old son slept on her lap, Dawn Gower relished a rare moment of peace. For once there were no planes taking off from the nearby airport, no trains rumbling along the track behind her house and the sound of cars and buses on the road at the front was hushed by falling snow.
"Tom seems to have got used to the noise, but then it's not so bad in winter," she said, cradling her son.
"In summer, when the windows are open, you can't hear anything. It's a pain. You can't hold a conversation or even watch TV.
"It's mainly when you get a big plane coming in, but occasionally if there's a freight train you will feel things shaking a little bit.
"My partner's lived here all his life so he's more used to it, but we're hoping to move a bit further from the noise. It can only get worse if they expand the airport."
Marston Green, Ms Gower's home, is the noisiest place in Birmingham bar Spaghetti Junction. The ambient noise level is around 75 decibels.
Teachers at the nearby school have to halt lessons when aircraft take off and land at Birmingham International.
Local complaints received official endorsement two years ago when the city became the first in Europe to produce a noise map. The council's expertise is now being used to help the government produce maps for the rest of Britain.
These rainbow maps look attractive enough when spread out over the table. But the red, lilac and deep blue clusters indicate high noise areas.
"Previously, people had to go out, stand on the street corner and measure the decibels and then move on to the next corner," said Colin Tringham, the council's head of environmental protection.
"But - unlike air pollution - you can measure noise pollution very accurately. We input road, air and rail traffic flows and noise levels from big industrial sites and our computer system can predict noise levels for any time of day or night."
Spot tests proved the accuracy of the predictions and the council is now using the system to determine how plans for a second runway would affect Marston Green.
"Planes come in so low you almost think they're going to land on your head. It's impressive - or frightening. But the residents say they are used to it," Mr Tringham said.
"Nuisance noise causes people more disruption because it's not predictable or continuous or smooth."
A neighbour's stereo can be more annoying than low flying aircraft even if the latter is louder.
Edward Treacy, director of Hockley Building Services, said his firm had installed air conditioning in its offices so that staff did not have to open windows.
"In certain wind conditions you get a burst of noise. But at least it reminds you of going on holiday," he said.
The council is developing ideas to help the 3,000 Birmingham residents living with ambient noise of more than 70 decibels but many seem undeterred by such high levels.
"The low-flying planes are a bit of a problem especially when you think they're getting too close to your house and the windows shake," said local resident Francis Seeney. "But it's sometimes quite comforting to hear the noise at night. A bit of background noise helps send you to sleep. You know the world is still turning and there are people out there."
