This flew over my house this evening

Originally Posted by Jelster

Many years ago I was fishing a lake on a chilly but still Autumn morning when it became very apparent that the very large hot air baloon in the sky was having a problem.

Now you have to imagine the scene, a very quiet 2 acre lake, surronded by trees with just myself and a friend at one with nature. All is calm except the guy in the baloon is frantically trying to apply heat to take it up but to no avail. The "basket" hit the water sending ducks and moorhens across the lake, as the baloon comes down the basket goes sideways and everything comes to rest in about 4ft of water.

Just as silence is restored, and the two people in the baloon are standing up to their waste in water my friend calls to them in a very monotone unemotional voice "This is a private lake mate, you can't park that there"..............

I fell off my chair with laughter.


OK, maybe you had to be there, but it's just one of those moments in my life that whenever I recall it makes me smile. Seeing baloons always brings it back, I felt the need to share it with you...

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Thats a brilliant Story Jelster

Excellent story Jelster, made me chuckle!

K, I used to live in Northampton - we hadn't lived there long when we saw our first festival, had the shock of our life when a shoe came over the house! Northampton attracts some fantastic balloons.

Lou x

Agree Jelsters story is quiet funny.

Originally Posted by Ed

I looked out the window and all you could see was this big red blob so I grabbed the diggie and ran outside:



It was so low that I thought it might hit the tree:



But it started gaining height and came round the other side:



And then I thought it was going to collide with another:



but the blue one was a good bit higher up, and the red one changed course a bit.

Daughter was yelling at the people in the basket, who yelled back - it was so close we could hear them.

Went in one of these about 9 years ago i won a competition in the local paper and its the most bizzare thing i have ever done i couldn't recommend it enough to do it if you get the chance to its so quite up there we took off from the centre of Oxford and to see the city from the balloon was amazing!!!!

Some stunning photo's in this thread.

And the lake was in Northampton by the way... Up near Kingsthorpe if I remember correctly...

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I've been complaining to the school behind us about the size of these sodding trees and they won't chop the damn things (so I have had to do a bit of self-help on the lower branches). Maybe now I have the evidence I need. They're a danger to passing aircraft

I see them most mornings on my way to work down the A21...
They usually take off from the Hop Farm near paddock wood and a few at Leeds castle sometimes as well

but the blue one was a good bit higher up, and the red one changed course a bit.

How the heck do you change course with those things?

Originally Posted by Dave The Rave

How the heck do you change course with those things?

Hell I dunno - get everyone to blow in a differnt direction?

u dont !

they go where the wind takes them, but they do study the weather A LOT- so have an idea.. they cant dictate where to go.. but know roughly where the wind and the thermals etc will head them and the time frame and can almost predict where they land.. ....... our pilot (wedding day) said he has to do this to maximise his profit anyway- ... just stays up an hour!!... but has to plan coming down 20 mins before he does.. ...

we were awestruck- as were the other 10 passengers in the wicker basket.. - oh except one- the pilots 9 year old son... he sat down in the centre piece of the basket (they are segmented off.. and they have to distribute the weight evenly ..(yes peter I had one side to myself !! )... anyway - pilots son- sat down in the middle next to the gas tanks.. and did his homework.. so laid back and relaxed about it all..

and they have a following support car.. .!!


that said they do have a pilot- a proper fully trained chap/ess...

and they carry a bottle of whisky as payment to the farmer /owner of any land that they drop on

We did one on our wedding day- SUPERB... you can put a piece of paper on the side of the basket and it doesnt blow off.. cos the wind is moving u ..... so theres no wind.. and you see cows from above - which is rare..

and you see- EVERYONE. in a street out their back door waving at you-- thinking they are the only ones.. but you can see the whole street and they are all out..

landing is scary..

and waiting and waiting and waiting to go up.. for the weather- the wind.. the balloon to inflate.. but- worth it..

its about £300 a throw now i think ..but Do IT--- u wont regret it....



















unless you land in a lake where jelsters mate is fishin'.............. class.