The balloonist

    I had Lee Scoresby in mind when I was up in the balloon yesterday, but it was territory quite other than Svalbard we were flying over. You'll remember that in the beginning of Rebecca West's The Fountain Overflows Rose and her family are living on a farm in the Pentland Hills just outside Edinburgh - that's the area you see above.

    But speaking of Lee Scoresby, in creating him Philip Pullman was inspired by The Balloonist by Macdonald Harris, now back in print; while I haven't read it, after my trip aloft I'm very inclined to re-read the utterly marvellous His Dark Materials.

Comments

[Claire]

Glad it went so well. If you haven't already read it, Enduring Love by Ian McEwan has a gripping ballooning episode.

[Cornflower]

No, I haven't read it. Thankyou, Claire!

[Sandy]

My comfort zone is earth & sea but not air - but it's good you had fun. His Dark Materials is one of the best works I have ever read and a was just talking about it as I clicked on to see this post.

Ok I'm game for a re-read !

[Karen]

I was thinking that too Claire, although I preferred the film to the book.

[Claire]

Oh no, no Karen the book not the film!!