Day at the Royal Ascot

The weekend (along with the days that followed) has been more than a little hectic, consisting of rushing around, travelling and very little sleep. I started the weekend in style with my first ever trip to the Royal Ascot for my cousin, Rai's 30th birthday.

In spite of my exceptionally early start on Saturday (6am!!!!) which consisted of a run, a lovely breakfast and general getting ready, the journey to Ascot proved to be rushed, squashed and a little hectic (apparently, half of London decided to join me on the trip which meant only one thing: there were severe train delays). Having eventually reached Ascot and finally the grounds, the atmosphere was buzzing, celebratory and the weather was absolutely gorgeous with the sun being out in its fully glory. We arrived just in time for some celebratory Pimm's and a viewing of the Queen during the Royal Parade.

Having never bet on anything before (silly verbal sibling bets of "I bet you're going to lose" aside, of course) I decided that Ascot would be the ideal setting for my first bet. Sadly, I didn't win after the first race but having a vested interest in the result definitely made the race more fun and exciting (especially since I have absolutely no knowledge of horse racing and decided to go for a silly or eye-catching name). Having lost in my first race, I left my cousins and their friends behind and went to find Rosie who was experiencing her first trip to Ascot too. We enjoyed the sunshine, had a mini catch up and managed to see some of the racing horses before their upcoming races.

I decided to leave Rosie and her friend in search of my cousins and their party which proved to be a huge mistake as they had moved in my short absence. Being unable to locate them, I spent over an hour having a tour of the grounds (in high heels) in search of them. Although the grounds were quite beautiful, the combination of crowds, walking in high heels and scorching sunshine didn't quite put me in a celebratory mood. Having finally found the party, I bet on one more race (the final one of the day), had a bit of wine and listened to some of the celebratory singing which brought this year's Royal Ascot to an end, before making my long way home.

I am truly glad that I made the trip to Ascot; it was an interesting experience and we were lucky to have some glorious weather but if I am perfectly honest (which I do try to be in my posts) it isn't an experience I would try again. It was a little disappointing to see empty alcohol bottles and litter all over the lovely, green grass in later afternoon. Both the grounds and some of the people were a bit of a mess and I felt that an event which was supposed to be special and somewhat prestigious, didn't feel that way in the end. I should also point out that after spending days trying to organise my outfit and making sure it met all of the (seemingly) stringent Ascot guidelines, I realised that I needn't have bothered; aside from the absolute need to wear a hat or fascinator, the other rules in regards to straps/sleeves and dress length wasn't enforced at all. By far my favourite part of the day, however was towards the end when the band started playing their brass instruments and the crowd joined in the singing, waving their Great Britain flags. It was exactly what I expected of the day; the mood was celebratory and happy and the perfect last impression to have of the day.

After a very long day, I returned home shattered with very sore feet ( and slight sunburn) having had a pleasant day out but very happy to be back in the comfort of my home. I even came home to some gorgeous purple flowers that matched my dress!

A pretty good Saturday, after all!

Muah

Roo xx