Welcome to the House of Fun and you are truly most welcome. You have arrived at Easy Balloons and for those that haven’t a clue what you have got into we look after, mend and fettle hot air balloons under a Part M EASA thingy. Now that is out the way we can move forward in a positive way. For us, well me, June has been truly lovely and stuff has come and gone and we have had a fine old time. Like most in the jolly world of ballooning we haven’t managed to get many flights in during June on account that the weather has been less than helpful. Seems we have just had to turn up, look at the sky and hope for the best then go to the pub most occasions. For the best bits the longest day turned up as promised on the twenty first and we wobbled up Coombe Hill with the Germans, met someone called Sally, grooved to the drums and rolled druids down the hill. We did nip out to Germany to enjoy some fine company and beer at our favourite bar and discovered that Phil Lawton’s Hurricane was hiding in the local airport’s top notch hangar dripping oil on the manicured floor (made us chuckle). I must apologise for not getting another edition out in the monthly time-honoured way but we’ve just been too busy and with the long days, being out is better than sitting behind a computer. Now we have hit July the grandchildren have turned up having returned from performing in a play and can sing ‘We’ll meet again’ from beginning to end. Things are great.
Sadly just as we go to press, as is so often the way, news of an accident in Spain has just come in so that tops the news. No details are available yet but it appears it was the result of a tragic landing accident which resulted in the death of the pilot. Our sympathies go out to all those involved especially to the pilot’s family. Further on is a raft of stuff from EASA and the CAA and the Lindstrand sale which we didn’t attend. Big thankyous to Steve Roake who has sent us an article and some pictures of a shed I’d certainly like to rummage around in for a day or two and the ‘Official mouthpiece’ of the Bedale Meet, Bedale Banter which as usual makes for a chuckle. Sadly we didn’t make it on account of German Guests. In due course, hopefully the next couple of days there should be a thing about Hessenthal Airfield. Well we all know how interesting it is to discover lost English Airfields but to get the chance to do the same in Germany is certainly ‘very interestink!’ but definitely not stupid. Rowan Martin, now that takes me back.
Over the way is now looking very empty but the to-dos in the dark barn are still there. Barry’s bike has been mended after he was knocked off it in Oxford so there is a vacant spot which I fear may have already been bagged. Seems we are collecting furniture from our landlord’s house at a rapid rate. He is expecting to be out by August so we’ll just have to keep our fingers crossed that the new tenant in the house likes balloons, roaring burners, barking dogs and a drop of scotch at the end of the day.
Having gone over to Ireland to inspect their balloons we had a rather splendid visitation from them on route to fly Brian Smith’s Spitfire and spent a while poking about rusty pushbikes. Anyway before I remember that we also went to Cassington to the bike day and I should have written something about that and that Mr Ashpole chose to fly his cylinders down for Proof Pressure Testing courtesy of Tim Orchard’s airstrip making them the poshished arrival of cylinders so far this year I’d better just wish you a lovely July (what’s left of it) and have a lovely time at Metz or wherever you are bound. Front page picture is taking the mineral water in Schwabisch Hall, bottom picture is Ashers airborne cylinders (no he doesn’t run it on propane!) and just because I’ve nowhere else to put it the middle one is the rather lovely Manx Norton Trident first seen at Kop Hill here spotted at Cassington courtesy of Baz. Thanks for visiting. All the best Chris, Jane, John, Alice (on holiday again) and Dotty.