Under Attack from the Air

As is occasionally my recuperative habit I was asleep on the lounge settee yesterday afternoon.   Zzzzzzzzz.   Not much wakes me up at these times.   Not the dog barking her 'welcome' to callers.   Not the sudden sound of Eurofighters dry-stone-wall hopping the Dales.   Not even thunder.

Yesterday afternoon was different.    I was woken by the sound of jet engines (plural) coming from the north and getting louder, and louder and LOUDER.   We ofter get low flying jet noise here.   The Yorkshire Dales as a thinly populated rural area are designated as an area where very low level flying can take place.   People, sheep and cows get used to it - a sudden blast of noise which soon fades.

This though was exceptional - the noise kept increasing to the extent that I was genuinely worried that something was deliberately targeting the tower (had Trump finally flipped?) or was about to crash into it.   Regular readers will know that we have SETTLE painted invitingly on the tower roof:

Just when I was about to duck and say my prayers (any other suggestions?)  the noise reached an earth shattering crescendo and changed - as though the missile had overshot.

Relieved, I looked southwards through our huge entrance windows towards The Sidings.   Nine jet aircraft in perfect formation filled the field of view.   Your eyes take something of a still snapshot as you blink don't they?   My snapshot froze the planes just over David Stubbs' garage - perhaps 100 yards away, no more.

It was the RAF's aerobatic display team - The Red Arrows en route to Southport Air Show.   Not many get a full-on rear view of them.   But I did.   Quite made my day.

Facebook later lit up with local reports.   Did anyone else see the Red Arrows?   I sure did!

Just three days later they were at it again - this time targeting Buckingham Palace as part of the RAF's Centenary:



Perhaps were were just practice?