Polo and Proms

Claire, Arleen, me and Jess at the polo

Although I was exhausted, I had to get up early in the morning to go shopping, as I had absolutely no food in my flat, and I needed to bring some picnic food to both the HAC Polo at Ham Polo Club, and to Proms in the Park later that evening.

I raced through the store, got some carrots and celery, cherries, and stuff for sandwiches.  Decanted a bottle of wine into a soda water bottle (as no glass was allowed in Hyde Park), got showered, changed and dressed, squeezing my way into a purple dress that thankfully didn't look too hideous.  Really, really, really need to get back in shape...

I'd been surprised when Claire suggested that we go to this event, as I've never realised she considered us to be close friends who did that sort of thing.  But I'm pretty easy to get along with, and why the hell not?  So I'd said I'd come along.

We ran into The Chap (who had invited us all), and he pointed us to where his flatmates were with a few other people we know.  Said our hellos, and had a nice time chatting and making conversation with people.  Claire and I took a wander around the grounds, and I have to admit I had a lovely time hanging out with her.  We discussed everything from Dick Cheney (her father had worked with him and said he was a nasty piece of work), to our romantic lives to job prospects.  We ran into a few people we knew (or at least who I knew, as I seem to know everyone), and went divot stomping to cross the field.

I found myself doing this again later with one of the guys in the group who I didn't really know at all, and found it amusing as how we'd somehow wandered off, just the two of us.  Had he engineered that?  If so, I really didn't notice.

It was a good afternoon of polo, only spoiled at one point when a dog ran onto the field, interrupting the game and really putting it's life at risk, as one kick from one of the ponies would have done it in.  Which made me annoyed, for why on earth had the dog ever been off-leash?  Idiot owners...

They also did a "tent pegging" demonstration, which reminded me a bit of the skill demonstrations of Argentine gauchos, where they would spear tent pegs with a spear at a gallop, or cut an orange with a sword as they galloped by.  Pretty cool stuff.

The horses for the tent pegging demonstration

Back at our group later, this black guy greeted me enthusiastically, remembering me by name.  We'd met before?  Indeed, he recalled very much our meeting some months (nearly a year?) ago at the Savile Club.  All of the chaps had been wearing red trousers, which I had to laugh were very much in evidence this day as well.  Anyway, turned out that he'd moved to Geneva, where he was a broker for a bank.  High-powered, classic all-male testosterone stuff (he told me tales about the only two women in his group, real ball-breakers, apparently) and let it slip how much champagne he'd had to drink and how desperately attractive he found me to be.

Okay, so he was being way too forward, but although a tad bit short, he was fit and attractive, and what was the harm in it?  He lived in Geneva anyway.  And goodness knows, I was feeling rather fat and blubbery, and definitely in need of an ego boost.  So I flirted back with him shamelessly, laughing my head off when he insisted on getting hugs from me as I was such a good hugger.  Who knew that was one of my skills in life?

Thankfully before things could get too awkward (as it's not like I was going to do anything with him), it was time for me to head out to Proms in the Park.  As I walked out, I noticed that I had a missed call from the Young Dutchman a few hours previously, so I called him back.  He was tired, and hence hadn't been up to much all day, but was just calling to check in.  When I asked with a laugh why he was so tired, he too quickly replied, "No comment."  I know I shouldn't tease him about his numerous romantic conquests, but it really is too funny...

Still, I was glad he'd called, and it just makes me happy to talk to him.  I told him that I didn't have plans for tomorrow, and that he should call me if he wanted company.  We'll see if he remembers.

Sunset at the Proms in the Park

I got to Hyde Park for the Proms, which was taking place in the same area where the BT Live had been for the Olympics.  Which was a massive area, and now that it was 6:45 PM (and the event had started at 5:15 PM), meant that the place was absolutely packed and I had absolutely no idea how to find the group.  I did a complete loop of the area, texted a few people, and started to wonder if leaving the polo early had been a mistake (as I could have stayed on for the after-party with the cute boy who liked me), but just in time, I found the entire group in black-tie.

The crowds at Proms in the Park

I greeted Sophie and the few people who I knew, and got introduced to the others.  I had a nice time talking to a few of them, although there was this one guy who was mercilessly hitting on me, and seemed to have no perception of how little I was interested.  Aside from his lack of attractiveness, once he told me that he was a Mitt Romney supporter, and quite a passionate one, that really turned me off in a major way.  Mild indifference gave way to revulsion, but this guy just didn't pick up on any of it.  

Then, as I was looking for a way to ditch this guy, some drunk man came barrelling through the crowds like a crazed runaway bull, and crashed right into my bad leg.  In an instant, two weeks of rest and relaxation, which had been so good for my knee, slipped away as I could feel my knee throbbing and swelling in response to the trauma.  The drunken man had slipped away in the crowd, but as I stood there hobbling, I really wanted to yell after him, "Do you have any idea what you've done?"

The annoying guy then offered to massage it for me (eeeewww!) and I really considered going home at this point.  Kylie Minogue's little shimmy around on the stage really wasn't doing it for me.  But Piers managed to pull me away from the annoying guy and convinced me to stay as they turned the broadcast over from the stage in front of us to a live feed from Royal Albert Hall.

They showed a brief montage of some of the most inspiring Olympic moments, which really gave me the shivers up and down my spine.  I think as many times as I see them, that will always make me proud to be British.  We then had a singalong to "Rule Britannia", where after the first time through it, they brought a whole bunch of Olympians out on the stage to sing along with us a second time.  Then we sang "Land of Hope and Glory" and "Jerusalem", where they thankfully put the words on the bottom of the screen so we could all sing along!  Finally finished up with "God Save the Queen", and then a spectacular fireworks display.  So yeah, I guess in the end I'm glad I stayed.  

At this point, I was supposed to go to Florie's for her belated birthday party, but my knee was killing me, so I texted her to beg off, and went home instead.  Only got home at around midnight anyway, and was really dying.  Definitely hope the knee improves after some rest and feels better in the morning!