Winston has made a decision about hot-air balloons: they are entirely unacceptable.
It begins with a faint, distant roar beyond the fields—like a very large crisp packet being opened in the High Weald. Winston goes still. He lowers himself by the window, chin near the floor, eyes fixed on the horizon: a sentry on duty.
Then a balloon rises above the trees.
From inside the Oast, Winston barks orders at it with the authority of a Sergeant Major. The balloon continues across the sky, apparently ignoring every instruction. This is not acceptable conduct.
Outside, the operation moves to the garden. Winston stands his ground, head up, voice carrying clearly across the grass. He tracks the balloon’s slow progress, barking until it has passed the tree line and disappeared from view.
Only when the skies are clear does he stand down—slightly breathless, deeply satisfied, and ready for a biscuit.
The estate is safe again.