You got me Brydo, I confess, I like sitting and surveying my 4 acre garden, and whilst sitting there taking a little sniffter the other evening, a couple of Chinooks flew over the old 12 roomed hacienda ‘Chez 700’, probably at only around 1500 – 2000 ft, and going full pelt!
My 17 year old granddaughter was playing singles in the garden tennis court , with her mate Lulu, and only caught a glance really but was quite impressed, and I gave her a brief history of the squadron based just south of us, and what they get up to.
She decided immediately that was cool & that she would like to ‘do that’ – chip off the old gramps block?
Then as we sat admiring the view over North Hampshire, Each of us with a glass of Pyms and digging in to a rather large box of Belgian chocs, left over from Xmas, I showed her some photos of the family ‘s old ex USN Stearman bi-plane & relating the somewhat hairy adventures my cousin and I had whilst engaged in low level crop spraying, at my Uncle’s ranch , over in Wyoming , when i was only her age and of learning to fly and my first solo flight in an all metal glider off the side of a not so steep Welsh hill, amongst other air related nonsense, like looping the loop and inverted flight and then on to sky diving and my injuries, which changed her mind about doing it, and Lulu said she thought that the 700 family were all nutters, & she’ll stick to tennis, thank you very much!
So off they sloped to take a swim in the heated pool and then a hot shower before tea, whilst my son and I had a game or two of billiards in the games room, awaiting the ball & chain and my daughter to arrive home from their daily horse ride over the gallops!
Yup, something to be said for having a bit of land – then I woke up!