THE countdown is well and truly on to the start of one of Southampton's biggest and most popular free events of the year - the Ordnance Survey Balloon and Flower Festival.

All manner of weird and wonderful balloons will be brightening up the city horizon over the next two days.

So, keep an eye on the sky wherever you are in the area and you are likely to catch sight of something spectacular.

The 80 hot air balloons gracing the 11th Balloon and Flower Festival will include examples shaped like a piece of cheese, a folded map, pieces of fruit, a house and even a fire extinguisher.

They will be lighting up the festival venue tonight at about 9.30pm when the tethered bal-loons will be inflated to the sound of music on Southampton Common.

There will also be a packed programme of events taking place on the ground over the weekend which are bound to get pulses racing with some death-defying acts in the events arena.

The RAF Falcons - the premier military free-fall parachute display team - will be dropping in.

And don't miss the thrills and skills of the Blue Lights Police motorcycle display team and the Blue Flames children's motorcycle display team.

The Central Band of the RAF will be providing some unique sounds and a dash of colour, while over on the Sounds Different music stage there will be plenty of bands and musicians to entertain you throughout Saturday and Sunday afternoon.

The other main part of the weekend is the truly impressive Flower Festival organised by The Royal Southampton Horticultural Society.

Browse through the superb exhibits or just sit back with a tea or coffee and soak up the atmosphere at what is one of the top flower shows in the country.

If something has particularly caught your fancy, make sure you are around for the Grand Sale at 5.30pm on Sunday. Call 01703 464466 for details.

Another attraction well worth a visit is the community marquee where you can learn about the clubs and organisations which offer all kinds of activities here in Southampton. You can snap up a bargain at the craft marquee and get some "retail therapy" in the trade village.

Children can enjoy fun activities in the playzone and the Common's fun-pool. Or there's the Hawthorns Urban Wildlife Centre where children can peer at creepy crawlies and see animals in their natural habitats on the nature trails (under-fives must be accompanied by an adult). Call 01703 671921.

If you are one of the first 40 people to bring this issue of the Southern Daily Echo to the Friskies trailer, at stand K60, you will receive a copy of their video, "Training Dogs with Ian Dunbar", which nor-mally costs £12.99.

The Friskies promotions team will invite dog owners to pick a treat of Bonio and Winalot for their pet to enjoy and a free sample of new Winalot Complete Digestion. See tomorrow's and Monday's Daily Echos for spectacular picture coverage of the Balloon Festival.

Converted for the new archive on 25 January 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.