Last weekend it was all about big planes and blue sky…

Ever since I was little, the Royal International Air Tattoo at Fairford has been a part of our summer lives. My parents – and everyone else’s who lived with five miles of the airfield – would offer bed and breakfast to aero-aficionados and we would be shipped off to stay with granny for the week. In the days before and after the show, the sounds of huge aircraft landing and taking off would dominate the days, as vast war planes, fighter jets and passenger carriers would swoop low over the houses.

These days, it’s pretty much the same. On the roads around the airfield you can’t move for people grabbing a spare spot on a grass verge or in a driveway to spot a few planes. Luckily for us, my father lives just moments from the airfield and his garden provides the most fantastic place for a leisurely lunch followed by a spot of plane-watching. Every year they host a big lunch party, and everyone gathers for an early bite to eat before an afternoon of neck-craning and open-mouthed wonder. Sunday was thankfully scheduled to be glorious and after a lunch of barbecued lamb shoulder, broad bean salad and new potatoes, the clouds cleared, so we grabbed a glass of something cold and settled ourselves onto the grass for front row view of the most incredible aircraft from WW2 until modern day….

Munchkin absolutely loved it too – she sat on R’s shoulder’s and couldn’t stop pointing and staring. A couple of times the roaring planes were so loud she looked a bit worried, but they soon flew on and she was back to her inquisitive self…

The RIAT has been running since 1971 and is a fantastically fun way to spend a day, even if you’re not a plane spotter. And the best thing? If you’re local, you don’t really even need a ticket. Grab a chair and a beer and look skywards…

The event runs for three days in July, and tickets for next year go on sale soon – airtattoo.com