Low Level Flying

It's been a day of surprises:

There was I procrastinating and checking the blogs at 7am this morning in little more than a bath towel and a birthday suit (there, you know what I'm wearing now when I comment on your blogs!) when I heard the familiar deep breathing of a hot air balloon gas flame . . . it's not unusual to see them floating high over the tree tops with early morning revellers enjoying a reasonably quiet ride punctuated with odd bursts of noisy flame, glass of champers in hand and admiring the scenery below. I often wondered why do dogs look up when they hear them yet horses just belt around like total loonies without trying to find the source of this unusual noise.

If we see them on the weekends, as we occasionally do, we race out like total idiots and wave and 'cooee' (that's what we do in Australia - "coo-eee" and if you're really clever you can do it through a gum leaf and sound like Sonny from Skippy who makes the sound of a Whip Bird).

So . . . eager for a shot and mid-blog commenting and now a little late for work . . . I nearly went base over apex getting out of the computer chair, composed myself, adjusted the towel securely *erm crossed fingers and hoped it wouldn't fall off* (fortunately it was one of my less shabby jobs) and grabbed the black beauty - but this one was on it's way DOWN, and in my back paddock. Although they too might have had a surprise at me wobbling outside half naked and wielding a big lens, looking for all the world like an Edina from AbFab looking for a fashion photo opportunity . . . .

Just missed the power lines thank goodness!

Slowly descending through the trees

Almost there (I didn't dare go to close in my state of undress
and the bindis in the lawn made it a painful exercise)

Touchdown!

Now add that to:

• An unscheduled lunch in the sunshine with Thommo who's swanning off to Italy and Sicely with TheBoss for a month
• A withdrawal from the ATM made me discover that I have $402 in the bank and payday isn't until the 15th of October (ok that was a surprise I could have done without)
• A lovely email conversation with the green Bimbimbie on the virtues of envirocycle sewage and grey water recycling systems (she's having one installed and had questions about their efficacy - I've had one for 20 years)
• The colour printer repair man turning out to be a young, rather swarthy, well proportioned man named Fred with a winning smile and worthy of an outrageous flirt
• Adam, hanging up his towel, actually washing up his lunch stuff before I got home, taking the bottles and bins out before cooking crispy chicken schnitzel to perfection and,
• the piece de resistance . . . a friend who's been threatening to visit all year finally booking his flight and coolly sending an email to say he'd be here for three weeks from the 1st January . . WAHEY . .I'm so, so excited thinking of places to take him . . . however . . . . unlike the blue balloon . . I'm flying high!

*note to self, must join Skywatch Friday*

You should drop by, you might see some familiar names on the list!