© irene waters 2015
The cloudless blue sky boded well as the day’s favourite was a dry track runner. But who cared about the horses? This was a day for women to parade alongside the horses displaying all the tools of their trade. From a fascinator on the head, matching lipstick and that head-turning dress. The exquisite shoes were unsuitable for walking around a race track, but most of Australia’s women attended functions, participating in sweeps, fashion parades, fascinator contests then when the nation stopped they too would watch the race on television, too sozzled by now to care who was watching them.
In response to Charli’s 99 word flash fiction where she invites all to participate.
October 28, 2015 prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) include a tool in a story. How can it enhance the character, tension or meaning? It can also be a story about a tool or a character’s obsession for tools. Go where the prompt leads.
Respond by November 3, 2015 to be included in the weekly compilation. Rules are here. All writers are welcome!
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About Irene Waters 19 Writer Memoirist
I began my working career as a reluctant potato peeler whilst waiting to commence my training as a student nurse. On completion I worked mainly in intensive care/coronary care; finishing my hospital career as clinical nurse educator in intensive care. A life changing period as a resort owner/manager on the island of Tanna in Vanuatu was followed by recovery time as a farmer at Bucca Wauka. Having discovered I was no farmer and vowing never again to own an animal bigger than myself I took on the Barrington General Store. Here we also ran a five star restaurant. Working the shop of a day 7am - 6pm followed by the restaurant until late was surprisingly more stressful than Tanna. On the sale we decided to retire and renovate our house with the help of a builder friend. Now believing we knew everything about building we set to constructing our own house. Just finished a coal mine decided to set up in our backyard. Definitely time to retire we moved to Queensland. I had been writing a manuscript for some time. In the desire to complete this I enrolled in a post grad certificate in creative Industries which I completed 2013. I followed this by doing a Master of Arts by research graduating in 2017. Now I live to write and write to live.
Reflections and Nightmares- Irene A Waters (writer and memoirist) 
My girlfriend attended the Triple Crown earlier this year and she was dressed in style for this important horse race. Ladies parade in their best attire. My friend and her husband are real sport fanatics and they dress to impress or fit the specific sports event.
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It must cost them a fortune but being seen can be important to some so why not. There were certainly a lot of people wanting to be seen today at lunch. All a bit of fun and apparently the race was very, very exciting.
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Haha…sounds like Ascot here, not that I’ve ever been! All that work and then too sozzled to care whose watching them…all eyes on the race by then and their fascinators forgotten! Great flash Irene, I can still see them all now… 🙂
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I guess we all have our big race day and women have to dress to fit.
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My daughter now ‘does’ Ascot each year with her boyfriend and some others. They love the dressing up and the horses are, well, meah!
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Yes the horses are just an excuse for the women. Our race probably made world history with our female jockey winning. Roger who stayed home and watched it on television tells me it was a very exciting race. Me I missed it. Forgot to take the long distance specs.
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Love your photo. It is big here too.
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It was a NZ horse that won I think. I hadn’t thought of it being big there but it makes sense as so many of your horses race in it.
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We always have sweepstakes and work stops to watch it live. Another area of Australia/New Zealand rivalry
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LOL
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What is this tradition of race horses and fashionable women on parade? It’s big in Kentucky, too and I see threads of it in western rodeos with the Rodeo Queens with tiaras on their cowgirl hats and outlandish western shirts in satin and rhinestones. A fun flash in response to the prompt! And I learned a new word — snozzled.
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Me too! I mean learned a new word and Kentucky is what I thought of reading this. Except not the same attire. 😀
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Now snozzled is something else again – unless you are sozzled yourself as you write. Just joking. I think all countries probably have their own big races which I never think of because you only know your own. And women love an excuse to dress up.
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