Sunday, June 02, 2013

A slender balloonist with piercing blue eyes

That's what I saw this morning. I was jarred awake by Callie barking wildly at the bedroom window. She took off after a few seconds down the stairs, then I heard the familiar whoosh! of a hot-air balloon's burner. I was skeptical, since the sky was overcast and balloons normally only fly in clear weather.

A crane fly warming up in the morning sun on a flower head.

Looking out the window (which is on the second floor, or third if you're in the US), I saw a huge red and white balloon coming straight for the house through the trees from the north. It got larger and larger and I swear the basket was going to hit the treetops outside. The balloon rose up and over the house, but just barely.

I threw open the skylight shade and looked right into the eyes of the pilot as he and his single passenger glided above me. My camera was downstairs, so I got no photos of the slender balloonist with the piercing blue eyes.

10 comments:

  1. I wonder what was going through his mind, behind the piercing blue eyes, considering he only just cleared the house.............

    ReplyDelete
  2. you DO live an exciting life! thank callie for awaking you!

    ReplyDelete
  3. "A slender balloonist with piercing blue eyes"? You must have hired Mrs. Bale from "As Time Goes By " as your housekeeper!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. anonymous, I was hoping somebody would pick up on that! :)

      Delete
  4. I think that "A slender balloonist with piercing blue eyes" has possibilities as the title of a murder mystery or the name of a pub.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Yes, I was thinking a spy thriller was enfolding right there in Saint-Aignan!

    ReplyDelete
  6. What a great way to start your day!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Well, I did some research on Mrs. Bale - as I have been a fan of "As Time...By" from the BBC for quite a while but I couldn't come up with the allusion. Then I did a search and lo and behold I found that Mrs. Bale "never quite explains about that balloonist!!!" So - there you have it!

    ReplyDelete
  8. How intriguing...a day with a difference.
    Aren't you glad Callie was awake to alert you?
    That was a close call if ever there was one!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. And what a story he had to tell when he got back to base, with possible dramatic embellisments: "You wouldn't believe how close we came, and the owner leaned out of his window and shook his fist at us . . . "

    ReplyDelete

Tell me what you think!