I went down to Canberra on Saturday for the start of the hot air balloon festival. Heard about it a few months ago. Dozens of balloons crowding the sky at sunrise? My camera and I had to be there.

I was up at 5:45 Sunday morning to walk to Old Parliament House in the dark, since buses don't run that early.


Arrived just as dawn was creeping over the horizon.


And just as the announcement was made that no balloons will be launched today, we're very sorry, but there is a bad weather system moving in.


So I got to watch them take down the two army balloons. And that was it. Spent a few hours at the Australian National Museum, walked back to the Greyhound station in the teeming rain, and sat on the coach for five hours instead of three due to really bad traffic.

However, there was one part of the festival that was not canceled. The cooking and selling of the hot breakfasts proceeded as planned. Which is further proof, my friends, that bacon can, in fact, save the day.