Through a Hedge Backwards

Most young ladies are insulted when they are described as looking as though they’ve been dragged through a hedge, but some girls just go out of their way to get that dragged-through effect. In fact they are so keen to ensure it looks right they’ll attempt to fly through trees, bounce into the wrong field and then drag through a hedge finally coming to rest in a ditch and deflating over a road and another hedge.

Such devotion to looking good needs to be recognised as one of the memorable moments in the past ten years.

This event is also memorable because of the fact that the retrieve crews swapped balloons to appease an angry farmer and a Canadian balloonist helped pack away hedge girl, Alison.

Navigation Made Easy

Tony, Colin, and Dave were flying Wrangler balloon together in the fog. After a few minutes, Tony put his hand down
through the clouds.

"Aaah!" he said. "We're right over Sixfields"
"How can you tell?" asked Colin.
"I’ve just caught the ball from the football match" he replied.
A few moments later Colin put his hand through the clouds.

"Aah we're right over St James," he said.

"How do you know that?" asked Dave.
"I’ve just caught the ball from the Saints game."
Several more minutes later Dave put his hand through the clouds.

"Aah, we're right over Kings Heath."
Tony and Colin were amazed.
"How do you know that?!" they exclaimed.
Dave pulled his hand up and said, "My watch is missing."

Digby

Digby, the enigmatic name that is on everyone’s lips

·          MI5 code name for a state secret…

·          X file…

·          Unseen for over 5 years, disappeared from view and only known by the very few…

·          If you unearth the secret you’ll have to be killed…

·          Only the paranoid know the truth…

·          The truth is out there…

Rumoured that it exists, Glyn may have even flown it…

October 1996 Tony Panics

Not necessarily an unusual phenomenon, but you may ask why panic in October?  This was the time of the mass migration of crew to the 25th Anniversary of the Albuquerque Balloon Festival. He certainly condoned the trip by allowing the assembled party to take Delta Foxtrot, full of sand from its previous sortie to Wadi Rhum. Needless to say he was not forgotten as the group did make contact during their holiday to ensure he was O.K.

One of the most memorable parts of this holiday was the enforced staple diet of doughnuts for breakfast.  We could not believe the variety of flavours, colours and constituencies of these delicacies. We all agreed that by the fourth day our appetites were wearing thin (even Graham and Nick’s).