Today is the first Melbourne Cup Day in living memory that I am doing absolutley diddly squat for. Nada, zip, zilch, nothing. Me and Baby Girl fascinator-less at home by ourselves. No champers, no fancy finger food (we all know that vegemite soldiers do NOT constitute finger food) and no trip to the TAB.
Truthfully, I don’t even know the field and that surprises me no end and if my Gran were still with us she’d be mortified at that. My Gran, bless her, loved the punt.
One of my favorite memories of her, is her calling by for a cuppa on her way home after putting on her bets with the old blokes at the TAB on a Wednesday or Saturday. Back in those days she rolled her own cigarettes with a swift single hand and always liked entertaining us in the backyard with her repertoire of stockwhip cracks.
But I digress. Today is the first Tuesday of November and the race that stops a nation will this afternoon pass me by, for the first time in almost forever.
As a school student, Cup day was always exciting. There would undoubtedly be a class sweep (nothing like introducing the concept of gambling early) and we all loved the teacher who managed to locate a radio or even better a TV trolley. Never would you hear a classroom so quiet. Of course political correctness in education these days means that this experience is absolutely foreign to my kids and the magic of Melbourne Cup is something that they’re yet to learn.
More recently the big race has justified an outing with my lady-peeps, all frocked up for a fancy lunch and flutter. But not this year, today I have a day long playdate with Baby Girl … but maybe, ok make that probably, when it comes time we’ll pop the tele on to look at the horsies and cheer on whoever is wearing pretty pink silks. Old habits do die hard.
What plans have you got for Cup Day today?
Are you in a hat and heels, heading out to a do?
Or are you like me this year and having an in-day with vegemite sandwiches and thoughts of tuning in at the appropriate time?
It’s Tuesday!
So, again I’m linking up with Jess’s IBOT ……
but this time it’s at her brand spanking new blog Essentially Jess!
Check it out, because it’s awesome!!
photo credit: byte via photopin cc
