The Old Buckenham Not Air Balloon Festival, Norfolk - 13th August 2023

Isobel's got three free tickets to the Old Buckenham Hot Air Balloon Festival, so we get up at the crack of dawn to try and catch the morning lift-off on the Sunday, with Isobel managing to lig Harry in on the gate. Somewhat predictably, the weather lets it down as although it's nice and sunny, it's also too windy. Even so, a couple of balloons give it a go and briefly get upright, albeit tethered down, although one of them burns holes all around the bottom of its envelope as it flaps about in the breeze whilst trying to inflate. After that, we generally hang out for a bit, as a couple of bands do their thing interspersed with Park Radio and its local-radio-off-of-the-90s soundtrack.

Soundtrack for this album:

next album: A trip on the Ferris Wheel, Felixstowe, Suffolk - 15th August 2023
previous album: Banham Zoo and the Howler Monkeys, Banham, Norfolk - 11th August 2023

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It's 6.15am and a couple of balloons have a go

It's 6.15am and a couple of balloons have a go

One balloon gets in the air briefly

A fan inflates the second balloon

The KLM balloon is actually smoking as it burns

Both balloons make it into the air briefly

Harry, Andrew and Tilly Dog

Tilly Dog looks for some reassurance

Some cute animatronic dinosaurs appear

The Dinosaur wranglers meet the people

Harry sits on a rug and slurps orange juice

A bin is the only thing listening to Park Radio

Fred, Harry and Soph the Roph head off

The festival arena fills up

Fred does some sort of little dance

A couple of balloon envelopes are laid out

There's a band with a bass harmonica

A couple of burners point to the sky

A view over the campsite lake

There's a balloon theme in a marquee

Some comedy science experiments occur

There's fun with dry ice

The science demonstration is popular

Lex out of Jurassic Park watches the experiment

A dry ice cloud experiment

Someone flies a kite right over the crowds

We head off via the food tents