NFR: Bit of a surprise

[Berserker]

When i was at my allotment earlier I kept hearing a strange noise going on and off, rather like sombody using a blow tourch on their weeds. I couldn't work out where it was coming from as the guy in the next allotment was planting potatoes. It then dawned on me the noise was coming from above, i looked up and discovered a Hot Air Ballon not far above where i was standing, and the noise was the burners being put on as i presume the pilot was frantically trying to get the ballon higher. I think he must have been after my rhubarb! By the way anybody know how low a hot air ballon can safely fly?

[Fulham76]

When i was at my allotment earlier I kept hearing a strange noise going on and off, rather like sombody using a blow tourch on their weeds. I couldn't work out where it was coming from as the guy in the next allotment was planting potatoes. It then dawned on me the noise was coming from above, i looked up and discovered a Hot Air Ballon not far above where i was standing, and the noise was the burners being put on as i presume the pilot was frantically trying to get the ballon higher. I think he must have been after my rhubarb! By the way anybody know how low a hot air ballon can safely fly?

Hey, got any jokes for us???

[jarv]

Probably Jol using his hot air to try to keep it up.

[ron]

By the way anybody know how low a hot air ballon can safely fly?

up to about a half an inch before it hits the ground/a tree/a mountain I suspect !

[ScalleysDad]

Come on people. Sod the football there has to be a vulnerable rhubarb sketch here somewhere.
Dibber jokes, early seed dispersal and plunging techniques are not allowed.

[Lighthouse]

The noise was infact Jol snoring in the balloon. Having talked so much rhubard during the season he asked if we could go fishing for some. So I said you can't fish for Rhubard. But he insisted you could. So we arranged to go up in the balloon and we spotted some rhubard. However like most of Jols ideas he soon lost interest and fell asleep. Thus making the expense of the trip and the point of it pointless. Much like most Fulham games of late.

[Logicalman]

A little boy goes up to Old Tom the gardener and says, 'What do you put on your rhubarb?'
'Well, usually rotted horse manure,' replies Old Ned.
'We have custard.' says the little boy.

[Rupert]

When i was at my allotment earlier I kept hearing a strange noise going on and off, rather like sombody using a blow tourch on their weeds. I couldn't work out where it was coming from as the guy in the next allotment was planting potatoes. It then dawned on me the noise was coming from above, i looked up and discovered a Hot Air Ballon not far above where i was standing, and the noise was the burners being put on as i presume the pilot was frantically trying to get the ballon higher. I think he must have been after my rhubarb! By the way anybody know how low a hot air ballon can safely fly?

I was woken up by one of those things, once. I was in a tent at the time, we were at a Sealed Knot muster, we had all overindulged in the beer tent (well, it is the done thing) and seven o'clock in the morning was far too early. Anyway, this hissing, roaring noise started, seemingly a few feet over my head, which is not something I am used to, regardless of what anyone has heard.
I did realise what it was, we had seen a few of the things take off from the field next door the previous afternoon, but it was only when Purdie called up to the pilot, "Can I see your membership card, please?" that I stuck my head out of the tent and realised it WAS only a few feet over my head, with the pilot frantically trying to gain height before he crashed into us (not a good idea, we carry weapons. Legally) and obviously unable to exercise option 1, throw things out.

[Berserker]

Yes I used to do long sword training with some guys who did medieval re-enacting, they told tales of you civil war types using black powder, plus a rather nasty incident of when one of your powder monkey's gettin blown up at a mixed period re-enactment  :'(

[Buffalo76]

When i was at my allotment earlier I kept hearing a strange noise going on and off, rather like sombody using a blow tourch on their weeds. I couldn't work out where it was coming from as the guy in the next allotment was planting potatoes. It then dawned on me the noise was coming from above, i looked up and discovered a Hot Air Ballon not far above where i was standing, and the noise was the burners being put on as i presume the pilot was frantically trying to get the ballon higher. I think he must have been after my rhubarb! By the way anybody know how low a hot air ballon can safely fly?

Who cares  1500.gif

[The Equalizer]

When I was at Uni in Bristol, I was sitting on the top deck of a bus going down Cheltenham Road, and you could see dozens of hot air balloons that had launched from Ashton Court flying over the town. The I turned my head right and ducked as a giant Cadbury's Rabbit nearly clipped the top of the bus! Bloody close call.

[ron]

When I was at Uni in Bristol, I was sitting on the top deck of a bus going down Cheltenham Road, and you could see dozens of hot air balloons that had launched from Ashton Court flying over the town. The I turned my head right and ducked as a giant Cadbury's Rabbit nearly clipped the top of the bus! Bloody close call.

It missed you by a hare's breadth then...?

[Rupert]

Yes I used to do long sword training with some guys who did medieval re-enacting, they told tales of you civil war types using black powder, plus a rather nasty incident of when one of your powder monkey's gettin blown up at a mixed period re-enactment  :'(

While it isn't common (we do train) I have twice been near someone who managed to let his powder flask explode, though neither were in the Sealed Knot (I do, or have, been part of five societies so far, I'm restricting it to the SK and Napoleonic Association this year, not enough weekends to go aound, see). That's in thirteen years, mind, and neither had been trained by me. One was simply trying to load and fire too fast, he forgot to clean his priming pan before pouring fresh powder onto a spark, he was also pouring directly from the open flask rather than using the safety spout, that's two no-nos right there. He got away with a badly burned hand.
The other lad was luckier, though less deserving. He was in the block next to us and I saw that he was holding his match in the wrong hand and basically poured gunpowder directly onto it. He got away without a scratch and, as it turned out, not a clue as to what he had done wrong. I told him. I was relieved that he was not in my regiment.

We did have a nasty incident about eight or nine years ago where a pyrotechnic idea went wrong. A box was supposed to explode as part of the finale, unfortunately it had been set up wrong and instead of flying up in the air, it flew apart, and several re-enactors nearby were hit by the shrapnel. I saw another group once set off something similar, far too close to the audience, who were a bit shaken by how close it landed to them, luckily nobody was hurt.

The worst thing I have done is set fire to myself on three occasions (so far), always on near enough the same part of my sleeve, which is greatly (and authentically) patched up as a result. I also got a smack on my forehead from a musket butt, I spent a few minutes informing my opponent about his parentage while he tried desperately to apologise, and we very nearly hanged somebody once (I was just out of the photo that subsequently appeared in the Sun, holding on to the other rope as we were hanging two rebels at the time), but it was his own fault for struggling and getting his harness caught in his shirt, and we don't do hangings any more as a result. We shoot them instead, much safer.

[The Equalizer]

When I was at Uni in Bristol, I was sitting on the top deck of a bus going down Cheltenham Road, and you could see dozens of hot air balloons that had launched from Ashton Court flying over the town. The I turned my head right and ducked as a giant Cadbury's Rabbit nearly clipped the top of the bus! Bloody close call.

It missed you by a hare's breadth then...?

[HatterDon]

When i was at my allotment earlier I kept hearing a strange noise going on and off, rather like sombody using a blow tourch on their weeds. I couldn't work out where it was coming from as the guy in the next allotment was planting potatoes. It then dawned on me the noise was coming from above, i looked up and discovered a Hot Air Ballon not far above where i was standing, and the noise was the burners being put on as i presume the pilot was frantically trying to get the ballon higher. I think he must have been after my rhubarb! By the way anybody know how low a hot air ballon can safely fly?

Who cares  1500.gif

Obviously, several people do. I'm sure many others don't, which is why they didn't comment. Why did you?

[Logicalman]

When i was at my allotment earlier I kept hearing a strange noise going on and off, rather like sombody using a blow tourch on their weeds. I couldn't work out where it was coming from as the guy in the next allotment was planting potatoes. It then dawned on me the noise was coming from above, i looked up and discovered a Hot Air Ballon not far above where i was standing, and the noise was the burners being put on as i presume the pilot was frantically trying to get the ballon higher. I think he must have been after my rhubarb! By the way anybody know how low a hot air ballon can safely fly?

Who cares  1500.gif

YOU WILL if I see another post like that.  063.gif

[King_Crud]

where's your allotment?

[Berserker]

SN2 7LT

[Scrumpy]

I've been on a ballon flight and the pilot deliberately tried to 'skim' the tree tops at one point. There was this lovely young lady sprawled out in her huge back garden sunbathing in her bikini, thinking it was perfectly private. We gave her the shock of her life! We got so low, I could clearly see her freshly trimmed buddleia!  fp.gif

[King_Crud]

SN2 7LT

surprised it didn't make the Swindon news!