GRACING THE QUEEN with our fascinating presence

A treatise on Ascot, cherries, fascinators, Queen E & sleep deprivation. by Kath

Early morn arrival at Heathrow after an overnight flight found us bleary eyed, but quickly processed through and into the car, navigating our way to my Aunt Alison & Uncle Ramzi's place near Ascot. Noticed a lot of Union Jack bunting* around the town & soon learnt that the Royal Ascot racing carnival was drawing to a close with the grand finale race starring Black Cavier and with the Queen & Prince Phillip on hand to cheer everything along.

*strings of decorative flags

 

So, after a delicious breakfast courtesy of my hospitable family and a wee rest, we strolled into Ascot, stopping to pick and eat cherries from the trees in the square on the way. It's not scrumping* when it's in a public place. 

Soon we were amidst the crowds of the well-heeled and the high-heeled, the stuck up, the wobbly and the drunk -all in their finery or their slappery, all in their hats and fascinators, slurping down their champers**, wearing patchy fake tans. I loved the touts*** & gypsies with their cockney 'come-buys' most of all - “Need tickets?”, “A rose for your lapel, lovely?”. Then we found a couple of fascinators for ourselves... fate seemed to have left them lying about for us.

*stealing fruit

**champagne

***people selling stuff in a dodgy kind of way (Dodgy - Kira!)

 

 

It occurred to us that the Queen and Prince Phillip might want to have a look at us, so Ramzi led us to where they would pass in their carriages on the way to the Royal enclosure. We donned our fascinators, took our spots on the fence and watched the joy on the royals' faces when they spotted us.