HOT-AIR BALLOON

Before the sun had risen on 6 May 2022, my sister Diane, then 48, and I drove to Petworth in West Sussex for our maiden flight in a hot-air balloon. As well as ticking off the ‘take a trip in a hot-air balloon’ card, it was also a celebration of 30 years since Diana had had a kidney transplant. The pilot lit the burner around 6am, and we slowly rose into the sky. Climbing higher and higher, we watched as the clouds cleared and the sky turned a warm, orange colour and the sun began to appear. It was an incredible morning.