Happy Easter!

[Diane CBPFC]

Happy Easter - what are your Easter traditions?

Mine for the last ten years or so includes making strawberry tarts. Yum.

[Roger Kettle]

As a kid, I used to look forward to the traditional egg-hunt. These days, I lie on the couch and let them find me.

[Malc]

A friend of ours used to tease his kids by setting a trap for the Easter Bunny and placing fake fur and blood around it in the morning.

I used to make a rabbit's footprint using a cut potato, dip it in food dye and stamp it throughout the house (we are 85 per cent floor tiles) so the kids could trail the Easter Bunny and find their Easter eggs.
Naturally I wouldn't lead the little egg hunters anywhere near my bedroom where I would be snoring like buggery. By the time I awoke, they were full of chocolate and didn't need feeding until the next day.

Traditions generally: Easter we eat out a lot, and Christmas breakfast is croissants, coffee and buck's fizz. Er....that's about it.

[Tarquin Thunderthighs lll]

I started a brand new tradition yesterday (Easter Sunday) in the biggest egg ever, thanks to the best birthday present of all time from my beautiful better half.

This was me less than six hours ago. If you've not done this yet, do it. It's a truly awesome experience...

[Malc]

Such are the odd processes of my mind I started thinking "where ballooning is concerned, why hasn't a better alternative to the wicker basket been invented"? It's a bit Jules Verne.
And who makes them? Is there a little factory in an industrial estate in Hyde whose core business is wicker baskets for hot air balloons?
If there's a ballooning accident, do the wicker men turn up and cordon the area off? Do they take the basket away for tests?

[Colin]

I'm at work just now and cant see whatever the picture was that Tarq posted.
As I'm writing this I just thought, there is no one else on at this time, so why dont I just wait until I get home and look at it then.

But I had already typed all this, so I thought I had better carry on. 

[Diamond Lil]

Happy Easter everyone

Great pictures, Tarquin...but not for me since standing on a chair to read the electricity meter is my limit.

We had our Easter treats yesterday because I'm working today....something tells me we're the only doctor's surgery in Scotland open today but I'm not complaining 

[Tarquin Thunderthighs lll]

Lil, I'm not great with heights (though short of phobic), but I honestly felt far more safe up there than in the car on the way home afterwards (and that's not a reflection on my better half's driving skills). The balloon people suggest you "give yourself up to the wind" (stop tittering at the back) and that's exactly what I did. I can't imagine a more exhilaratingly peaceful experience. Absolutely magical, I promise you.

Colin - are you home yet?

Malc, I wondered the same thing as they were unloading the basket from the trailer last night. I found out the answer at the end of the flight - anything more rigid than flexible wicker weave would have split wide open on the impact of the landing. Yes, the landing wasn't the peaceful part, but still exhilarating and great fun (and most of the other passengers were even older than me).

Do it, People - you won't regret it.

Happy Easter Monday!

[Colin]

Lil, I'm not great with heights (though short of phobic), but I honestly felt far more safe up there than in the car on the way home afterwards (and that's not a reflection on my better half's driving skills). The balloon people suggest you "give yourself up to the wind" (stop tittering at the back) and that's exactly what I did. I can't imagine a more exhilaratingly peaceful experience. Absolutely magical, I promise you.

Colin - are you home yet?

Malc, I wondered the same thing as they were unloading the basket from the trailer last night. I found out the answer at the end of the flight - anything more rigid than flexible wicker weave would have split wide open on the impact of the landing. Yes, the landing wasn't the peaceful part, but still exhilarating and great fun (and most of the other passengers were even older than me).

Do it, People - you won't regret it.

Happy Easter Monday!

Yep, home now, great pictures.

[Tarquin Thunderthighs lll]

By the way, I'd just like to point out that, contrary to one opinion already expressed, in that first picture I am actually operating the cold air fan used for the initial envelope (that's what we balloon people call them) inflation, and not, as has been suggested, holding on to my Zimmer frame.

[Malc]

In the pic where you're taking the photo, the guy to the right looks like he's into bondage.

I can imagine someone below the edge of the basket whipping his bare bum.






Oh hell. Did I type that out loud?

[Tarquin Thunderthighs lll]

I'm afraid you did, he was the pilot (as we ballooning people call them), and it both my hands are on the camera.

[Roger Kettle]

Fantastic photos, Tarky---you obviously had a wonderful time. Happy Birthday, by the way!

[Diane CBPFC]

TTIII - I just want to say that you looked smashing in your co-ordinated ballooning outfit.

You will have to post some of the photos you took looking down from the balloon too.

[Malc]

Yes, I was struck by the outfit. That gear's not unusual here in Oz, but I'll bet you'd get a few glances in Chipping Sodbury high street.

How does that Indiana Jones tune go again...? "Indiana wants me, Lord I can't go back there"...no, that's not it...Bugger. Dum diddly dummmm. diddly dum dummm...no, that's Superman.