Mmmmmm?
This is exciting , a black envelope with the intriguing words ‘ an ultimate experience’. A present; excitement rises as I carefully open it : it demands respect .
A quarter of a century ago, oh it really was that long ago ; a hot air ballon ride was a surprise birthday gift . On a calm cloudless day ( in Devon that was something special in itself ) we gently lifted skywards . It was a strange experience, in that above about 100 m , I had no sensation , and thus fear, of height . I could have cheerfully jumped out , with a parachute , without any qualms . Onwards and upwards we drifted, another burst of flame from the propane burner maintaining momentum. We were now well above a small plane on its final approach into Exeter airport . It felt , and probably ‘ was a mile up . I looked at my fellow passengers , and decided I wouldn’t attempt to join ‘ the mile high ‘ club !
The next year , and still in one piece, I could be found on my birthday in the cockpit of a glider . Devon has a ridge of hills called the Blackdowns which provide a near perfect updraft for gliders . A giant pulley and long cable provide the necessary momentum for launching , from which the glider releases itself when climbing at 45 degrees . That’s a bit scary , but then it is absolute quiet . With no engine , and flying along with the air current there is no wind noise . Perfect tranquility . Taking the joy stick with just two fingers I became the pilot. With the reassuring words from the professional that the no matter what , if I just let go , the glider would return to horizontal flight ; and that the right way up .
Another year finds me skyward again , this time over Essex and in a small engined plane . After take off the real pilot handed over control to me , and I actually flew for the next hour . A great elevation from which to view all those features previously seen from just 2 metres . Flying into cloud , I confirmed that we didn’t radar ; relying on just an infinitesimal chance of hitting another plane . Emerging from the cloud , there was another plane a short distance away. Thus proving the point , we didn’t hit it .
This year ‘s experience set off my imagination . As a cowboy in the Wild West returning to town in need of freshening up. Sitting in the chair , the barber lathers me up , and then approaches with a cut throat razor . Yes , this is a man’s barber shop , which looks as though it had been transported , not from the `Wild West ‘ , but the ‘West End “ ;and offers the ‘Ultimate Shaving Experience “ . That with a real cut throat razor ; no safety features here! So I sat very still and just enjoyed . The final act was a facial massage . Just that . After a hair cut in Singapore , I had to stop the masseuse from descending further than my hands ! Life is full of unexpected experiences .
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