NEWS SEEMS TO COME THICK AND FAST

I suppose its all a bit of a jumble when there's lots to say and the important things just get wrapped up besides the trivia. I forgot to expand on yesterdays title, when we got home Thursday back from the hospital there was a box of flowers left in the greenhouse and we wondered who could have sent them, they were addressed to Mandy as chair of the Cheshire and Wirral branch of the Polio Fellowship. It was from the Fellowships magazine as Mandys ( well Dave's actually) letter had been chosen as letter f the month- recalling coming across the Rotary Club campaign advert on a bus in Calcutta in India earlier this year and the story of polio eradication in India and Bangladesh illustrated with photos from the trip.

Our day today started at 4am when we woke very early and set off to Whitchurch for our oft postponed balloon flight. It really was a perfect day for it. We got there first, no surprise if anyone knows Mandy. However all was in place by about 6.30 as the balloon slowly rose into a morning filled with rising mist. It had been handy in locating a new truck filming spot which I'll follow up quite soon. Anyway the wind was very lioght and we drifted slowly mainly at low level over Whitchuch town and then past it into the Shropshire countryside and had the softest of landings. The threat of cow pats dominated the packing up of the sleeve which seemed quite new and stains weren't wanted. We were soon back at the launch site a cafe and garden centre at Dearnford Lake south of Whitchurch where we had breakfast. A nice cafe and location and cracking weather the Wickers World balloon team were all splendid but the cafe needs to practise making bacon butties.

When I got to work I had to phone up Prof Jari's secretary to arrange a surgery date for my knee which has been pencilled in as 21st August a Friday , at least it isn't the 13th. It follows Lathalmond weekend and sees a gap in our schedule with the Gaydon bus event which was too expensive to have a stand at and then another clear weekend before Heaton Park rally at Manchester by which time i should be out and about on crutches and if the weather is kind perhaps we'll manage without the main stand and use paste tables. I brought friends Jon in Sussex and Martin down in Somerset up to speed and found John is about to get a hearing inplant which will hopefully restore some function to his ear damaged many years ago on police duty. I've done a bit of tidying in the gared, had a bit of a doze before the sun vanished, more storms expected tonight.

Our target for tomorrow is Hereford for buses which we haven't visited for some years, if we get time we may well sweep up something else en route. Weather set to be fair if not scorching like the past week. My knee is right up and I can't bend at all, thank goodness I've now made the surgery decision. Photos needless to say on the balloon flight and setting up and of course avoiding cow pats packing up. Don't ask how Mandy got in and out but she did!