Early morning flame thrower

At 5.00am this morning, I found myself lying awake in bed, listening to the noise of some sort of machine outside.

At first I thought it might be the helicopter that lands at the hospital on the side of the park. But it wasn't loud enough to be a helicopter.

Then I thought it might be a street sweeper. They drive up and down the road on the far side of the building in the early morning hours. But it wasn't constant enough to be a street sweeper.

What it really sounded like was a flame thrower.

And as I lay in bed wondering why there was a flame thrower outside my window at 5.00am, a sudden realisation came to me.

Balloons! The balloons are back!

For the three summers we have lived here, hot air balloons have often launched from or landed in our park. Now that we are well into summer again, it must be hot air balloon time again.

Since I was awake anyway, I jumped up and grabbed my camera and ran out into the field where I could see them.

There were five of them, dark and massive against the sky, taller than the mature trees lining the field. When the flames came on, they lit the entire balloon.

Slowly, one by one, they lifted.

And floated away.