.. today? The same as blooming yesterday and every other day of the week except Wednesday! Sunny, warm, cloudless and not a breath of wind! It surely is having a laugh at me and certainly doesn't make me feel any better about the rubbish weather on Wednesday and my subsequent disappointment! *gggrrrrr!* I guess I will get over it at some point, when it's all become a distant memory but, at the moment the weather has become the over-riding factor and the balloon trip has taken a back seat.
I actually took more photos than I thought and hubby took a fair few as well. Problem is, hubby doesn't know how to use his all-singing, all-dancing, now obsolete camera so most of what he took was useless - *LOL!* He did get a couple of nice crisp ones and I've sort of rescued a couple of others (good ol' PSP!) but they are a bonus 'cos there's no way I'd have got any of the photos that he got ... good or bad *LOL* Here's just a few ...
Anyways, a bit of flight detail (or what I can remember). We took off from the grounds of Buxted Park Hotel, from an area commonly known as The Lawns I believe. We had an audience as hotel guests came out to watch - *lol*. We drifted in a north-easterly direction, over Buxted village, at an average wind speed of 3mph although it dropped lower but never got much above 5mph. Maximum height we reached was 1300 feet. The intention had been to make it to 2000 feet but a low cloud base foiled that idea! We dropped as low as 500 feet on some occasions (to interact with peeps on the ground mainly - *hehe*). The flight lasted around 58 minutes and we travelled approximately 6 miles, coming to land in a field roughly midway between Rotherfield and Mayfield. Unfortunately there were no real landmarks nearby to accurately pinpoint the area we landed in when I visited my good friend Google Maps - but I found it using the photos I took and a bit of detective work... *YAY!*
View Balloon flight 23.09.2009 in a larger map
The landing was good, clean and upright, although probably less fun than landing flat on your back in a pile - *lol*! By the time we'd packed everything away, watched ducks and geese flying overhead (too dark by then for my camera to take pics), had our champers and nibbles, ordered souvenirs and got back to base, it was pitch dark!
My souvenir came free & gratis! A cork from one of the champers bottles, fashioned into a balloon and decorated by the crew! So much better than a 'commercial' one.
Did I ever mention that I suffer from acrophobia? Yep, I have a fear of heights! I anticipated that I would be OK as long as I didn't look straight down and kept looking to the distance but was determined that I would do a flight. I'd read somewhere a while ago that acrophobia only presents if you are physically attached to the ground in some way. I have to say that is probably true 'cos I certainly wouldn't look down at those heights had I been in a building or a tower (don't even like a ladder) and tummy goes queasy just looking at the TV when they're showing pics from a height but I felt nothing by way of fear from the balloon and the photos show that I did look 'straight down' on several occasions - *LOL* I would say to anyone who suffers acrophobia but would love to do a flight - go for it! You won't regret it ....
I enjoyed my sunset flight. It was lovely but would have been oh so much better if the weather had played ball 'cos there was one thing missing .... the sun to have the setting of! (D'ya think I could get 'em on Trades Description - huh?)
Thanks for dropping by .....
I actually took more photos than I thought and hubby took a fair few as well. Problem is, hubby doesn't know how to use his all-singing, all-dancing, now obsolete camera so most of what he took was useless - *LOL!* He did get a couple of nice crisp ones and I've sort of rescued a couple of others (good ol' PSP!) but they are a bonus 'cos there's no way I'd have got any of the photos that he got ... good or bad *LOL* Here's just a few ...
On our way
(new Brighton & Hove Stadium in distance near middle of piccie - looks like a bird cage roof at the mo)
grey skies and all - :-(
Click on any pic to be taken to the album for the choice of stills or a better slideshow
... and what was the weather like before and after Wednesday?
Well, this was yesterday .... on my way home from Dad's ...
... and sunset - doh!
(new Brighton & Hove Stadium in distance near middle of piccie - looks like a bird cage roof at the mo)
grey skies and all - :-(
Click on any pic to be taken to the album for the choice of stills or a better slideshow
... and what was the weather like before and after Wednesday?
Well, this was yesterday .... on my way home from Dad's ...
... and sunset - doh!
Anyways, a bit of flight detail (or what I can remember). We took off from the grounds of Buxted Park Hotel, from an area commonly known as The Lawns I believe. We had an audience as hotel guests came out to watch - *lol*. We drifted in a north-easterly direction, over Buxted village, at an average wind speed of 3mph although it dropped lower but never got much above 5mph. Maximum height we reached was 1300 feet. The intention had been to make it to 2000 feet but a low cloud base foiled that idea! We dropped as low as 500 feet on some occasions (to interact with peeps on the ground mainly - *hehe*). The flight lasted around 58 minutes and we travelled approximately 6 miles, coming to land in a field roughly midway between Rotherfield and Mayfield. Unfortunately there were no real landmarks nearby to accurately pinpoint the area we landed in when I visited my good friend Google Maps - but I found it using the photos I took and a bit of detective work... *YAY!*
View Balloon flight 23.09.2009 in a larger map
The landing was good, clean and upright, although probably less fun than landing flat on your back in a pile - *lol*! By the time we'd packed everything away, watched ducks and geese flying overhead (too dark by then for my camera to take pics), had our champers and nibbles, ordered souvenirs and got back to base, it was pitch dark!
My souvenir came free & gratis! A cork from one of the champers bottles, fashioned into a balloon and decorated by the crew! So much better than a 'commercial' one.
Did I ever mention that I suffer from acrophobia? Yep, I have a fear of heights! I anticipated that I would be OK as long as I didn't look straight down and kept looking to the distance but was determined that I would do a flight. I'd read somewhere a while ago that acrophobia only presents if you are physically attached to the ground in some way. I have to say that is probably true 'cos I certainly wouldn't look down at those heights had I been in a building or a tower (don't even like a ladder) and tummy goes queasy just looking at the TV when they're showing pics from a height but I felt nothing by way of fear from the balloon and the photos show that I did look 'straight down' on several occasions - *LOL* I would say to anyone who suffers acrophobia but would love to do a flight - go for it! You won't regret it ....
I enjoyed my sunset flight. It was lovely but would have been oh so much better if the weather had played ball 'cos there was one thing missing .... the sun to have the setting of! (D'ya think I could get 'em on Trades Description - huh?)
Thanks for dropping by .....
3 comments:
So pleased that at last you got your flight, I know you were wanting the sun to shine Pam but the views were still spectacular.
Wow Pam - what fantastic views! I am so pleased you finally got to go up - but I do think you were incredibly brave - I'm not at all sure its something I could do! Thanks for sharing your experience.
Viv xx
At last! You finally made it! You are a very brave girl. I am impressed. Best wishes Janet
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