Hubby and I recently fulfilled one of our ambitions and flew together in a hot air balloon. With the British School of Ballooning at the helm, we lifted off from Newlands Hall, Chelmsford and drifted over the fields of Essex landing near to Stanstead. I was surprised at how gentle the balloon lifted off although landing was a far different matter! Whilst up in the air with the burner off, everything was very quiet and peaceful. The views over the Essex countryside are amazing. It was great fun helping to assemble the balloon for the flight and slightly hard work packing it away again afterwards, but we were spurred on by the thought of the champagne that awaited us all at the end! As a lover of the British landscape, I took lots of photographs which I am sure will inspire further landscape paintings. A wonderful experience!
http://s834.photobucket.com/albums/zz261/AndreaFarmerArt/balloon%20ride/
Love that photo of the balloon’s shadow on the landscape – excellent!