My 2nd Garden Party at Buckingham Palace

You're only allowed to attend the Queen's Garden Party a maximum of once in your lifetime (as a civilian), but if you're a diplomat, then you can go again and again! The embassy gets are diplomatic tickets every 2 years). I got to use the diplomatic tent, which is basically the same as the other tents except that they serve the tea later and there's no queue. We couldn't bring cameras in, but my friend snuck some photos anyway.

I left work early to go home and get ready.

Recognise the outfit? And it's the same hat I wore last year - hope she won't notice!

(Photo from www.zimbo.com taken on the day I was there.)

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh (her hubby) are on the left. It's funny, as soon as they came out, the rain stopped and we all put down our umbrellas. It didn't start raining again until she and the Duke got to the Royal Tent about an hour later. She sure is powerful!

(Photo from www.zimbo.com taken on the day I was there.)

In advance of her arrival, one of her staff picks out people from the crowd for her to talk to on her walk to her tent. I didn't get chosen, but I did manage to get a front row view. Can you see me?! The man in this couple had bad scarring all over his face and he was wearing gloves to cover his hands. It looked like he had been in a fire or something. He was joking around with the Queen and she must have talked to them for at least 5 minutes. She really spends time with the people she meets.

(Photo from www.zimbo.com taken on the day I was there.)

See the 3 men and 2 women standing discreetly behind her in a line? They seemed to be her helpers (one of them was the one who introduced her to the people designated to be spoken to). (The Duke went down a separate aisle so that he could talk to other people and others could get a chance to see him up close.)

You know how I said it started raining when they got to the tent? It didn't just rain, it hailed! And big hail that lasted for a long time! In July!!! It was awesome. I was sheltered in the dip tent for most of it. The Queen escaped from her tent as soon as it let up, which is when I foolishly decided to walk around the gardens. It started hailing again. Luckily I had my umbrella. We got so wet and dirty, it was amazing! Such a fun adventure! We escaped shortly after that, but had to wade through big puddles blocking our way out. (They wouldn't let us exit through the Palace. I guess for fear of us soiling the royal carpetry.)

This is a corner of the Royal Tent. See the hail?

They generously let civilians into the Royal Tent after the Queen had left, so they could be sheltered. But apparently some royal cutlery was stolen! What bad manners!

In the Royal Enclosure at Royal Ascot

(Photo from www.zimbio.com taken on the day we were there.)

Through the embassy, I managed to get tickets to the Royal Enclosure at Royal Ascot, which is the racing event of the year. It's been a British tradition since 1711 and the Queen attends each year, arriving every day in a horse-drawn carriage. The Royal Enclosure has a strict dress code - I had to wear a "formal day dress" and a "hat or substantial fascinator", while the men had to wear a top hat and three piece suit with tails! I'm not into racing, but it was a cultural experience for me.

There were only 6 races on the day we went. So you get a drink inside (like Pimm's which is SO good and very British), put down some bets, then come out here to watch a race before going back in to grab some food or wander down to the green to watch another race, and so on.

Check out all those top hats!

Each jockey wears distinctive colours and patterns on his outfit, and these are detailed in the racing program, so that we know who we've bet on and whether they're winning.

This is where the Queen watches from. You can't see her at the moment though. The Queen has her own horses that race as well and you can bet on them.

You can also watch from the green. There's actually space to do so in the Royal Enclosure, whereas the General Grandstands are packed!

Taking the tube home. Very posh!
Posing by this cute Mini Cooper outside my building.

I bought this dress especially for this event because I needed something fancy that meet the dress code (straps thicker than 1 inch, no halter necks or off-the-shoulder, no mini skirts, etc.) I found it in a free (and fun) session with a personal shopper at House of Fraser (a department store)! They offer this for free at a lot of department stores here but I don't think many people take them up on it.