Weightless

So many images came to mind when I looked at this week’s WPC. But could I find a delicate feather, a frothy dandelion clock, a spider’s silken web, ethereal mist, a tissue-like poppy, gossamery seeds blowing in the wind, a downy duckling, featherweight sycamore helicopters swirling in the breeze or a light as a feather sponge-cake? No, or rather, none that haven’t been published before. Even the cake.

AIR colour popping

So I decided on this hot-air balloon which I used to see silently floating overhead on the still, hot, late summer evenings in Surrey. I would hear the roar of the burners through our open windows, as the balloon filled with hot air, and then rush outside to see it as it drifted upwards over the neighbouring houses.

This was captured in nearby Petworth Park, West Sussex when the balloon was practically at eye-level.

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Heyjude

I have lived in the UK for most of my life, but when young I definitely had wanderlust and even ended up living in South Africa for several years which was a wonderful experience. I now look forward to a long and leisurely retirement doing what I like most - gardening, photography, walking and travelling.

44 thoughts on “Weightless”

  1. Lovely image Jude. We didn’t see as many balloons overhead last year. Prior to that it was a regular occurrence on a sunny weekend evening – sometimes they’d land in the field behind our houses.

    1. I have seen a few around here, but not last year. Maybe the weather conditions weren’t right for ballooning. It is a very distinctive sound.

  3. I used to see tourist balloons all the time in London, but haven’t seen one in Norfolk. There is something very peaceful about them.
    Regards as always, Pete. x

    1. Yes! I agree with that, they do seem very peaceful, silently floating around just above the ground. I’d love to go up in one, but preferably over the Maasai Mara along with a champagne breakfast…

  4. lovely image – and thanks for listing the ideas for “weightless”, i somehow was stuck. now i think i have a photo in the files, somewhere (now to find that one..). cheers, and have a beautiful weekend~

    1. My pleasure Dorothee, and thanks for your visit 🙂 Hope you locate your photo, I know I have a rather splendid dandelion clock somewhere 😉

  5. Lovely shot Jude – Up up and away. Once had a rather interesting experience coming back down to earth again riding a hot air balloon. It was blissful up in the clouds, but darn gravity has it’s pull on landing – came back down with a bump.

    1. I have never been on one and it is the landing that worries me the most. They do look rather lovely floating in the air as they do.

  6. Given the full description of the challenge is “Show us the effects of gravity in your photo this week.”, I could have entered this one if only I had a copy of my chest x-ray.

    I love your balloon in cheery red and white in the black and white surroundings. Quite striking and very clever.

    1. Splutter… yes, indeed, coming down to earth with a bump. In your case a rather painful bump! I do hope you are on the mend H. The black and white vs colour is one of my earlier attempts at ‘colour popping’ where you convert an image into B&W and then reverse it over a small section. The latest editing software no doubt does this for you! Glad to know you like it 🙂

      1. Given my photo-editing skills extend to cropping and not much else, it looks highly impressive to me.

        Jude, I am off the painkillers, can almost lie on my left side in bed and on Thursday I drove the car. It’s all on the up! 🙂

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