I do not go to Tatton Flower Show every year, but when I do go I always enjoy it. It is a nice friendly show, it feels relaxed and has lots of open space to just wander around, chat happily and just enjoy a day out. I went with an old friend who usually I go to Chelsea with, but to be honest the venue doesn't matter, it is our annual catch up (which we really should do more often!)
We left early to get to Tatton, had a very good drive there and arrived shortly after nine-ish. This was fine except someone (me) hadn't checked what time the show opened so we were standing outside until 10am. I have never queued to wait for a flower show to open before, it was a novel experience. So as we stood there, chatting, watching the planes fly (sometimes quite low) overhead it became apparent that some of the women in the queue appeared to be dressed for a wedding. There were high-heeled shoes, posh frocks and a distinct outbreak of fascinators. Now many women were wearing hats, indeed I was wearing a hat, but mine was my garden-visiting hat that lives in the car and prevents me from getting sun-stroke. There were many definite gardening hats in the queue, but there were also the fascinators. I fully confess I have never owned a fascinator, I have been to many weddings where people wear them and I actually do not understand them (the fascinator, not the people). They appear to be a feathery thing that you stick on the side of your head. It is neither hat nor, well anything really. So apologies to you who like them, apologies to you who wear them, but they are not for me, in truth I think I was absent the day that they did the girly lessons, most things like fascinators, hair straightening, applying make up with any degree of skill is totally beyond me. The point of this (sorry has this got a bit ranty?), is that we stood there wondering what was going on. So I did the remarkable thing of looking in the show guide that I had received previously. The same show guide that would have told me what time the show started and also would have told me that Friday was Ladies Day and people (well ladies) were being encouraged to dress up. I wasn't scruffy, I had quite a nice frock on because it was going to be a nice sunny day, but I could not say I was dressed up. Nice idea as Ladies Day probably is, even had I have known beforehand I would not have taken part. I go to flower shows knowing I will be doing lots of walking so being comfortable really matters. I could not have managed half of what I wanted to do had I have had to wear heels. 
It was rather nice though to see the ladies dressed so prettily.
We had a really nice day, looking at the various gardens though actually not really making a point to go and look at them. Its no good, no matter how I try I get too distracted by other stuff at Tatton to focus on the gardens which is a shame when so much time and effort has gone into them. I find I can miss them if I am not careful, some I just never seem to find at all.
There was quite a theme of yellow flowers I thought, which really did look quite different and I rather liked.
There were also a lot of giraffes.
Several giraffes, there is clearly a market for giraffe-based ornaments in gardens. I always think that if there was no market for them then no one would make them though I don't think I have ever seen one in an actual garden. 
I pondered briefly whether I should be one, be ahead (a neck) of the fashion? Maybe I could get a giraffe and buy a fascinator for it?
No, I don't think Leicester is ready for giraffe based ornaments just yet. I will stick with my gnome for now.(Big thanks to Michelle for linking giraffes and fascinators, ta!)
