UK's June Social Season in Full Swing!!

We have had TWO whirlwind weekends of high-falutin' POSH social activities, UK style! First up all four of us attended the Royal Ascot horse races at the Ascot Racetrack. Royal Ascot is 5 days of horse racing with Her Majesty the Queen attending all 5 days. There are several "grades" of tickets you can buy. The Royal Enclosure is for people who have attended for 4 years and you have to apply to get on that list. They have a strict dress code - ladies must wear a hat/fascinator at all times and the men wear morning suits with top hats. The Grandstand Enclosure is for folks that want to pay the big bucks to have a lovely day at the races and there is a dress code as well-same as the Royal Enclosure less morning suits and top hats for the gents. The Silver Tickets are much cheaper, there is no dress code and most people picnic and bring their own beverages. Apparently the past several years, Royal Ascot has gotten a little low-end with some inappropriate clothing choices made by some folks (think super short, skimpy dresses and sky-high stilettos) so this year they appointed  "style police" and produced a "style guide" to outline what was appropriate to wear. While most people abide by the dressing rules, believe me, we saw some doozies! While historically the hats have been what are the real attraction at Ascot, I have to say I saw nothing that was completely over the top. Next year I want to go to Ladies Day which is were the hats really are spectacular!

We met our friends Dina and Darren Grimstead with their two children Gabby and Hunter. We had a wonderful day at the Royal Ascot and it was fun to dress up in our posh, style guide approved clothes! The people watching was spectacular and the horse racing was exciting! There was quite a bit of buzz for a horse from Australia called Black Caviar. He had been undefeated in all of his races in Australia so he came to Royal Ascot with high expectations! It was a close race and in the end Black Caviar won his highly anticipated race! The kids did great and had a blast! It was fun to see the Queen in her grand horse drawn carriage make her way to the Royal box!

The tickets came in a gigantic envelope with a "style guide" on dressing suggestions and
 the rules of attending this posh event.

The Style Guidelines for Royal Ascot

In our Prius car service on the way to Royal Ascot!

Pete and Darren checking out the race papers to prep their bets!

We clean up OK...

The whole family was high-falutin'!

A little rain didn't stop us from having fun!

We arrived early so we could check out the track and secure our seats!

Grimstead and Davis kids lookin' smart!

Henry and Hunter enjoying an ice cream cone.

The Grandstand Admission was full-great people watching!

Close up of my fascinator!

Pete sporting Gabby's sweet Ted Baker shades!

The Americans lookin' good!

I went to the loo and came back with a bag of wine on ice...how did that happen?

It was Pimms o' clock at Royal Ascot for Dina and Jen

Henry's horse won apparently - Black Caviar? That is May under the newspaper-you can see her
little fascinator peeking out!

The Queen and Prince Philip make their way to the Royal Enclosure!

HM parade...she does this every day of Royal Ascot.

The next weekend we attended the Henley Royal Regatta in Henley on Thames (a quick 10 minute train ride from our house). The Henley Regatta is 5 days of rowing for teams from all over the world! I went for a run along the river a few days before we were slated to attend to get a feel for the atmosphere. I was able to get up close to the starting line and watch the umpires get the boats off! It was sunny and hot which would be ideal for a lovely day at the HRR.

Our day's schedule

University of Washington representing!

 We planned this as a kid-free day with a couple of Pete's co-workers and the Grimsteads. We went on a Sunday as the Regatta was winding down and all the races were the finals. While I heard all about the dress code here, it seems as if the Regatta was a little less formal. There were still lots of hats and posh peeps, but more preppy shorts, with a tie and blazer vibe happening. We were really hoping for great weather and eventually it cleared up at the end of the day. We bought tickets for the Regatta Enclosure which had a small bar and not such a great restaurant. There are people lined all along the river bank tailgating and picnicking. The best way to watch the race or enjoy the Regatta would be to be on a boat - easy to rent and a fun way to get up close to the action. We trained it up to Henley from Twyford, mimosas in hand! We had a lovely lunch at one of the riverside restaurants and watched University of Washington crush Brown by 3 lengths! The sun came out as we were finishing the last races and it was a lovely, chill day. We had left the kids at home with Gabby and Hunter for a chill movie/xbox day and plenty of non-choke foods! We got home and the house was in tact, as well as the children!

The crew post lunch-why is the big gal with the big feathers standing in the front?

Pete and I were easy to spot!

The more "flair" you had, the cooler you looked and the more access you had!
 We needed a lot more flair

Finally the sun came out post-races!

The rain did not stop us!

Huskies beat Brown by a mile!

The Leander Club (affiliated with the Outrigger Canoe Club-we need to
work that connection next year!) We had no flair to get in there!

Preppy rowers everywhere!

Topsider boat-like ya do!

Punting-this gentleman was working hard!

Shoe boat taking a break!

Shoe boat up front at the action!

Dina's hidden stealth photography!

Our lunch time neighbor taking a snooze and a cigar!
Wonder how many years he's been coming to the HRR?

Due to high wind conditions, Pete's menu flew into his lipstick leaving a mark!

So the hats are stored away, our posh clothes are hung up and some great memories were made in the last couple of weekends! The Olympics are quickly approaching and the torch will be passing through Henley on Thames next week so we might try and catch it! The kids are still in school until July 20 so the next three weeks are filled with end of year activities! Henry heads to his new school for next year for a day to get the lay of the land, May was picked to run for her school in an inter-school relay on Thursday, I start my new job this week to meet the new kids coming in September, Henry is performing in a play next week, the kids both participate in the school's swimming GALA and Henry has his graduation/promotion and Year 6 Leaver's Prom to attend! Whew!

Photography disclaimer: All photo credit for the Royal Ascot and the Henley Royal Regatta photos goes to Dina Grimstead! She was the Shutter Master for both days! Thank you!

Until next time! Cheers