It was a Royal Ascot Day

Yesterday, I was able to check something special off of my "bucket list." After living in the London area for 3 years, I finally was in town the week of the Royal Ascot horse races, and we were the lucky guests of friends who had arranged for a private box where we could enjoy the entire day. Royal Ascot spans over 5 days, and this year was the 300th anniversary of the race that was first begun by Queen Anne in 1711.

Some arrived by horse and wagon to Day 2 of Royal Ascot,

but our style was much simpler, arriving by mini coach, and joining the others who arrived early to enjoy

some pre-race festivities and picnics.

It could have been compared to a royal tailgating party, because there were coach loads of guests all dressed to party.

Our group of friends was in rare form,

and the girls were in their loveliest hats and frocks.

Hubby and I stopped for a quick picture as we entered the race course-- he, of course, in his morning suit, and I, in my formal day dress and a "substantial fascinator" as required by those

entering the Royal Enclosure, a section at the heart of all the Royal Ascot activities with strict rules to abide by, as well as special privileges.

We watched 5 races throughout the afternoon, with one upset after another, with none of the favorites taking home the winning prize.

In between races, we enjoyed a lovely lunch together, as well as high tea in the afternoon.

Race watchers sitting in the Royal Enclosure  are allowed into the Parade Ring to get a close up look at the horses before they run,

and see them as they come off the tracks, lathered in sweat after a race well run.

Jockeys are quizzed about their performance,

 and the winner of the biggest race of the day, the Prince of Wales £400,000 Stakes, is crowned. Rewilding, owned by the Sheikh Mohammed of Dubai came from behind to earn the coveted prize.

One of his trainers kept him circling in front of us for awhile as he cooled down, giving us a close up look at this beautiful 4 year old colt who had been given 17-2 odds of winning.

As the day wound down, the crowds stopped around the bandstand to celebrate their winnings in an old-fashioned and traditional sing along. One of the highlights of the day and a marvelous way to wrap up such a memorable occasion.

Stay tuned, because coming soon, I'll share with you about the "people-watching" we did, including some "royal" sightings, and of course, no report on Royal Ascot would be complete without sharing with you some of the wildest and best hats of the day! 

Fascinator Fashion

Perhaps one of the other advantages to the media coverage of the Royal Wedding, is that it introduced many outside of Britain to the phenomenon of "fascinators." Fascinators are an alternative headpiece to a hat, worn at formal occasions, especially weddings, garden parties, and Royal Ascot. They are flirty and frilly and worn atop a headband, instead of a full hat.

After the wedding, Cristen and I decided to go fascinator shopping, and we had so much fun trying them on. It's a wonder we did not get a polite shove out the door in the three stores we visited, but no one seemed to mind our little dress-up party.

Which are your favorites?

A

I started out with some small ones,

B

before working up to something a little more dramatic, 

C

but Cristen jumped right in to the big ones.

D

I mean really, really big ones. Remember these are all attached to a headband.

E

We had an early "fascination" with feathers

F

of all shapes and sizes. Can you see that this one fills the whole frame of the photo, because the black feathers flying off into space are all attached to the band? You'd have to be careful whose nose you were tickling as you turned your head from side to side!

G

This one was fun,

H

and we loved the pink colors.

I

Remember, not a hat--it's a fascinator! This was one of Cristen's favorites.

J

The dress code for Royal Ascot, the horserace I'm attending next month, calls for ladies to wear a hat or "substantial fascinator," which just means one can't go too small for that occasion.

K

This one was a favorite of Cristen's, until she saw the price tag! Pink flowers are in the back ground, not attached. I know it's hard to tell where one stops and another starts.

L

A little quirky

M

somewhat more elegant

N

definitely flirty

O

a conversation piece

P

frilly and

Q

fun.

R

Do you think that we could import this style into Texas? Cristen and I would be tempted to buy even more if we thought we could wear them in Texas when we move back someday.

And finally, I couldn't pass up this chance to share this adorable photo I took of a little girl trying on a ladies' hat while we were playing dress up too. Is she not the cutest thing you've seen in a long time?

I've labeled the fascinators with a letter, if you would like to weigh in on which is your favorite. Do you think we could start up an export business and get the trend started stateside? How fun!  Which one would you like to order for yourself if given the chance???

Don't forget to sign up for my giveaway here for a souvenir Royal Wedding edition of  The Sun newspaper. Contest ends on Wednesday, May 11.