Hi mattuk1,
PilotDAR is right. Reading your account of that landing I notice there is no mention of your stalling the aircraft onto the runway in the proper fashion.
As I flared I touched down fairly firmly, but not "hard" as far as I remember (and you normally remember the really hard ones right?!). To my great surprise I "bounced", And this was immediately followed by a ballon.
and..
Stuck it on again and the same thing happened! 3rd time lucky as it were and she finally decided to stay on the ground.
It reads as though you have just flown the aircraft onto the ground while she still had enough speed to baloon off again. While you can get away with this practice in low or nil wind conditions, even 10 or 12 kts is enough to cause her to bounce or baloon off. Especially if you hit a bump in a grass runway.
The correct way to land is to round out (or flare as they call it nowadays) and then fly level, power-off, perhaps a foot or so above the runway. You then bring the control column slowly back, just enough to hold the aeroplane off the runway, but for as long as possible. As you do this, the speed gradually decays away until she stalls cleanly and settles onto the runway. Then you can apply your brakes. Do it that way and she won't bounce.
Broomstick.