This is a photo of Ann and, I think, seventeen other people, and a hot air balloon, all soaring away into the sunset yesterday evening. Ann is just to the right of centre in the gondola. I must say that as a means of flying I think hot air balloons are palaeolithic contrivances - French invention of course, Montgolfier brothers in the 1780s. But as I watched four of the devices take to the air and sail away, I must admit that they did have great beauty and elegance to recommend them. Ann came back totally enamoured of them. She has been using words like 'complete peace' and 'tranquility' and 'serenity' to describe being a thousand feet up in the air in total silence (bar the occasional 'whoosh' of the burner when more lift was needed) and being able to look down and see the countryside below in full detail. I rather suspect that the next thing will be Ann applying for a pilot's licence. Then I should have to go up with her in order to navigate, not that I should mind that, and come to think of it, no possibility of navigating - they go only where the wind takes them. Ann says she can only read a map when we're travelling direct North, so we'd have to wait for a South wind before taking off. Anyway no need to navigate as we bought a Satnav last week. I should think they'd work very well in a balloon, as we'd be so much nearer the satellite that would be doing the navigating up there. Not that one can navigate a .........
Still it would be able to tell us where we were.
I think I'd better stop now, before I give meself an attack of the abdabs (explained that once before, Lori. It equates to the heeby-jeebies- both medical terms).
Cheers, Mike.
3 comments:
I can just see you as a balonista, Mike, with your old motor-bike goggles and a reversed tweed cap. (Are plus-fours du rigeur?) Flint and steel at the ready over the tinder for emergency re-ignition.
Perhaps a small swivel-mounted canon in the stern to discourage aerial piracy? With Ann's patchwork skills and your mechanical capabilities, I'm sure you could build a decent week-end touring balloon at little expense of effort or out-lay.
Pootatu has thoughtfully suggested taking a picnic hamper when balooning. Her v-word is 'noshing'.
I knew a village policeman in the sixties who did just that, Carl. It was a two or three year job to build the thing, then get his pilot's licence. He was in fact a World War II fighter pilot, and was quite cross when he found out that he had to get a separate licence to fly a hot air balloon. Said he'd fought a world war to combat that sort of beaurocratic nonsense!!!!!!!!!!
It never ceases to amaze me- the reasons people give for having fought world wars.
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