We had been watching the nightly weather on the news like hawks and it wasn't looking good. Torrential rain was forecast for the afternoon of Derby Day. With there rumoured to be little or no shelter in the Banks enclosure, we were bracing ourselves mentally for a wet and chilly day.
Marie organised a lovely champagne breakfast at her place in Brunswick and everyone was in high spirits and looking glam in their racing outfits (Derby Day dress/theme is usually "black & white"). There were 10 of us and I think around 9 or 10 bottles of champagne were drunk during the wait for the taxi. A good time was had by all.
The Banks area at Flemington is huge with lots of food and drink stalls, mature trees, a stage, large screens and loads of seating/tables. We thought the race would be on for a table, but the prize was really a table with a large outdoor umbrella, of which there were way fewer than actual tables. After a scout around, we found one. Only problem being that our group had swelled to 13 and the table sat 6.
We got into swing of things though with bubbles, beer and a flutter on the races. Overall, the boys did pretty well with Hoani having a big win on the last race.
And then the rain came down. We were close enough to another table with an umbrella to add our own small ones to the "roof"; filling the gaps between the big umbrellas. But the rain was coming in sideways as well as pooling and then leaking off the umbrellas. We decided to call it a day as were all drenched and cold. Most carried on at the Crown and then Prahran at a 30th birthday party. But not sure I'll be going to Derby Day again!
S and I also had Cup tickets for the Tuesday, but when the forecast was for showers, we decided to avoid Flemington and ended up watching at a bar called The Nest in Albert Park, near South Melbourne beach. Had a great time there drinking a few ciders and chatting to friends. The sun was out for a bit and they had a great outdoor area so we lapped it all up. And I even won $15 on Maluckyday which was a nice finish to a lovely day out.
I think next year we'll organise a BBQ or go to a bar/pub rather than trying to get to Flemington. Glad we did it this year though, got to get amongst it!
Next: tennis - a lot closer to home (10 minute walk from our place) and weather is usually a lot better. Can't wait!
No comments:
Post a Comment