On Saturday evening, as I was having a quiet moment on my computer, I heard an unusual sound, close at hand, as if someone were inflating an airbed.

On hearing the sound again, I looked out of the bedroom window to see a hot air balloon with a basketful of around 15 people just clearing the roof of the bungalow next door and heading, it seemed, for my roof.

I grabbed a camera and took a photo as it passed over my neighbour's bungalow to land in the adjoining field. I then dashed outside to see that there were, in fact, three balloons. One landed further up Strensall Road, the other heading on towards Strensall.

The event attracted a number of spectators, all of whom seemed impressed by the standard of flightsmanship (is there such a word?) of the pilots who managed to avoid hitting the houses and the electricity pylons which run just beyond the landing site.

J. Allman,

Earswick,

York.

Updated: 11:30 Tuesday, August 17, 2004