A public holiday for

a horse race is ridiculous. I think I have said it before. I will no doubt say it again.
I do not like horse racing, I never have and I can never see myself as enjoying it. Anything is possible of course. Someone might be able to change my mind. You can try if you like. I think it is unlikely. I just see it as cruel and wrong.
Horses are wonderful animals. They have served humans well for centuries and they will no doubt go on doing so. It does not mean that they should be abused by being highly bred into being racing machines for the pleasure of others. It does not mean that they should be employed in other ways which abuse these animals.
Yes I also know that the "racing industry" employs a  lot of people. It supposedly contributes to the economy of the state and the nation. People make their living from it. There are those who will lead the precarious life style of the jockey and other related occupations just in order to be around the animals all the time.  
And there are other problems. Someone I know went off to "the races"  yesterday. Her husband was "invited" to go for the purposes of work. You know the sort of thing I mean. It was a "social occasion" at which he and his wife would be closely observed  by the powers-that-be in his particular industry. He's in line for promotion overseas - if they behave in acceptable ways.
    "I am not buying an outfit Cat," she told me. She spends most of her time in jeans and t-shirts. The idea of dressing up in very high heels, a "fancy" dress, and a ridiculous hat does not appeal to her.
I heard from her last night. 
     "Don't ever go. M...'s boss's wife and I both agreed it would have been good to escape to the beach, kick the heels off and walk along the sand - but she liked the hat."
The hat? You wore the hat? I know she only has one "good" hat. It is lacey. I knitted it. She blocked it and stiffened it and decorated it. Between the two of us she has a hat that cost her far less than any of those ridiculous little "fascinator" sort of headpieces. It has a brim and actually does the job of keeping the sun off. It is what she wore to an outdoor wedding. 
And yes, she wore it. I don't mind admitting that it looked a great deal better by the time she had finished with it. I had handed over what looked like a piece of limp silk with holes in it and she turned it into a lace creation. It suits her. It's different.
Did they place a bet? 
"We had to find out how to do it. M...put one small bet on but we agreed beforehand that he would ask me first. We lost it of course but the boss's wife told me her husband only ever does the same."
There were people in the group who bet far more than that. 
And have a drink?
"M... was driving so he could say he wasn't drinking at all - and I stuck to tonic water."
Wise of them.
There were other women in the group but I know this woman would have stood out - and the boss's wife apparently recognised that. 
Her husband has a meeting with his boss this morning. I hope he has noticed all this too.
It is just a pity that a horse race is seen as some sort of social occasion for an extended interview.