We're off to the Races--Ascot that is!

In our whirlwind month of extreme excitement last month, we were able to head to the races--the crème de la crème of them all: Royal Ascot. 

This was our second year to attend, and nothing is more fun than dressing up for this occasion.

The girls were looking quite smart,

but I must say the men looked quite "dapper."

This being the Diamond Jubilee Stakes year, the prizes being awarded were huge: £4.5 million across 30 races in a 5 day period.

The fashion stakes were higher this year, as well, with new rules for those of us sitting in what is called the Royal Enclosure section. No more flimsy fascinators allowed--only a substantial hat would do, and the modesty requirements for women's dresses were spelled out precisely. We were greeted by the "fashion police" who made sure everyone was complying by the rules, and if you were not, you were kindly asked to take (for a fee) the pashminas and hats they had on hand for the offenders!

Thankfully, we passed the test

and headed to our suite to join our friends who were busy strategizing their races and sizing up the horses.

After a lovely lunch,

we headed down to the Parade Ring where I captured the best photo I've ever taken of the queen, as she entered the racecourse. Wasn't she especially lovely on this day? It's always great fun to predict what color the queen will wear each of the 5 days of the races, and this year I hit the jackpot in our suite's Queen's Color Pool by predicting purple. I kept my winnings to myself and went home with it all, not taking any risks!

Following the queen was her first cousin, Prince Michael of Kent and his wife Princess Michael.

Now it was time for the races--5 in all that day.

The queen entered her thoroughbred, Estimate, in the 5 PM Queen's Vase race. Estimate had been a gift from the Aga Kahn's top breeding stock. Like other horse owners, she came to view the filly and chat with the jockey

before the race began.

It was an exceptional day for the queen, with Estimate keeping a steady pace throughout the race and then breaking away to win by 5 lengths.

His jockey, Ryan Moore, brought him to the winner's lane

where the Queen reappeared to give him a congratulatory pat.

The presenter of the prize was none other than her own husband, Prince Philip, who seemed quite pleased to hand it over to his wife. This marked her 21st Royal Ascot win and the first time that Prince Philip awarded her a trophy.

She seemed quite pleased with her jockey and his triumph, which was her first winner since 2008.

Then it was back to the seats to watch the final race of the day.

The day wrapped up with the Traditional Sing Along along the bandstand, one of our favorite parts of the day,

and some tailgating with friends who made it such a memorable occasion.

You won't be disappointed if you catch my next blog when some of the amazing hats of the day will be featured! 

Till then, Happy Weekend everyone!

Celebrating the Queen's Birthday

Each June marks the official celebration of the Queen's birthday with the traditional military ceremony called Trooping the Colour. Not one to miss a chance to see the royals when they are so close by, I lined up early along with several thousand others on the Mall in the shadow of the Palace to watch the royal family make their way to the Horse Guard Parade for the ceremony.

I made friends with the people around me, which always makes the waiting time go faster, and you meet some fascinating people that way. This little fella' was too cute not to include his photo.

He probably knows, like the rest of us, that  Queen Elizabeth's real birthday was April 21, when she turned 86 years old.

Before long, the soldiers, foot guards and the 

musicians began to parade by

in exact precision.

Prince Charles's wife, the Duchess of Cornwall; Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry were the first royals to come by.

Prince Harry is too cute, not to show the view of his face too.

The Mirror

Prince William, Prince Charles, and the Duke of Kent were horseback in their military uniforms.

They were followed by Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice along with their father, Prince Andrew.

The queen's musicians alerted us that she was the next to follow. All in all, 240 horses, 290 musicians,

and 1600 soldiers participated in the time honored ceremony.

The queen was expected to ride in an open carriage, but a Buckingham Palace spokesman said due to the  "unpredictable nature of the weather,"

the Queen and Prince Philip were to ride in a coach, the same one that they used on their wedding day on November 20, 1947.

It was Prince Philip's first outing since his Jubilee illness that hospitalized him. The Queen was radiant in the same buttercup yellow dress that she had first worn at the Royal Wedding last year. Looks like Kate isn't the only one recycling some of her dresses!

Pacific Coast News

The day ended with the family posing on the balcony once again for the traditional waves and the flypast by the Royal Air Force.

Happy Birthday, Queen Elizabeth!

And many more!

Jubilee Parade

Our final day of Jubilee celebrations climaxed with the Queen's Procession from Westminster Hall to Buckingham Palace. Our little group of friends arrived around 11 AM for a three and a half hour wait, but we were rewarded with spaces up front along the street for our efforts.

We decided to position ourselves along Whitehall between Trafalgar Square and Parliament to get the best view.

The time passed fairly quickly, and we met some fascinating folks,

who amused and delighted us. 

These two gals were lucky enough to win tickets to the big concert the night before and we enjoyed hearing their first hand experiences.

This was our favorite "bobby" of the day. He delighted us 

while we waited with his friendliness and humor.

My little buddy next to me had the greatest idea and had brought his coloring book to pass the time.

Before long however, the queen with her lady in waiting passed by in her limo, on the way to Westminster Hall to lunch. Isn't her little driver so cute? Of course, everyone was sad that Prince Philip had not been able to accompany her on this amazing day due to an illness. A few quick changes had to be made along the way to accommodate his absence.

She was soon followed by Prince Charles and his family. Now it was another hour or so to wait, before they would exit in their carriages for the procession.

Over 1000 servicemen and women participated in the parade,

men of all sizes,

and quite a few women on horseback too.

We were positioned just beside The Cenotaph, Britain's official war memorial honoring those who have given their lives for their country,

and every group of servicemen and bands paused at that spot to honor those gone before.

The bands were plentiful

and entertaining, playing up and down the street to our delight, helping to pass the time.

And then the time had come, the queen was approaching preceded by the Drum Horses of the Life Guards, announcing

 her carriage, a 1902 State Landau, the same one used by Kate and William, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on their wedding day.

Originally, it was to have been the Queen and her husband, Prince Philip in this carriage, but due to his absence,

she was accompanied instead by Prince Charles and Camilla.

Even Prince Charles respectfully removed his hat when passing by the war memorial.

They were followed by Princes William and Harry along with Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge.

The Mall to Buckingham Palace was closed off to us as we tried to head that way for the Balcony appearance, so I had to borrow this photo, but it was such a fitting ending to see the immediate close family appearing there, accenting the line of succession in the years to come.

It's been a joy to celebrate with all my fellow Briton friends as they honored their queen and her 60 years of service to the county. What a remarkable achievement she has made in history!

And now....

It's Countdown time to the Olympics!