Despite three very depressing phone calls from work and waking up in a cold sweat at 6am this morning worrying about a work problem, DM and I agreed this evening that we’re having a wonderful holiday.

Our day was spent in the garden in the sunshine – after a few sunny but cold days, today has been ‘a scorcher’ as they say. In fact, we both got overheated and had to go indoors for cold drinks several times…..but we’re not complaining at all.

Late this afternoon, we headed for what we knew would be a photographic thrill, the West Country Balloon Fiesta at Tavistock. Wow, when the balloons go up at 6.30pm and 50 or so balloons inflate, fire up and take off over your head, it’s some sight! Snap went my shutter, snap went DMs shutter and snap, snap, snap went a million more! I really expected to come home and find the meta-gallery full of balloon shots so am glad that there are none there as I type this. I filled a 2gig memory card with shots!

DM has, of course, posted his shot within a few moments of my shot - a totally different approach - his telephoto zoom and my wide angle!

We popped from the event field into town and had the utter joy of a ruby – a thing that our local town is very lacking in – the only curry house in town is well, to be frank, a bit pants! Yum, yum, yum at Thariks in Tavistock – a real pleasure. We were sitting there discussing our fabulous holiday while eating a Vegetable Dhansak, loving every moment and every mouthful!

Then back to the balloon field, where they finished the evening with this great spectacle – eight balloons, tethered, inflated and firing up to music – what a sight – I’ll never hear the Guns’n’Roses version of Live and Let die again without the image in my mind of eight balloons illuminated and fired up – just fantastic!

This holiday has, so far, been just fabulous – we’re hoping the rest will be just as good. The best bit is that everything we’ve done, with the exception of the trip to Bristol, has been done within a few miles of home.

Last year, i took a shot that I am quite certain has never been replicated (before or since) on pbase! I'm still not sure if it's educational and worthy or if it's in terribly bad taste! (Possibly both!)