When a stone tablet arrived with an invitation carved in it
to watch a famous national race where the women wear beautiful hats, 
I decided that I would accept the invitation
and leave my helmet on the peg for a while.
It is onerous always to be ready for battle.
My helmet gets very heavy and there is not much call these days
for helmeted warriors whose main skills are with the sword, spear and shield.
The last time I went to such an event was in Olympia Greece over 2500 years ago
and I was not actually invited even though my father Zeus was a major sponsor.
Goddesses, women and slaves were forbidden to watch the Hellenic men compete
in foot races, discus and spear throwing, and horse races.
The pride of Greek and Spartan manhood competed in these events
and as was the custom of the time they were naked so all could see their muscled splendour and manhood.
I being the cagey goddess that I was usually changed myself into a man and attended but I knew if I was caught and I could not escape in time I would be thrown from a nearby cliff as was the custom. There was one exception however. In 767 BC the mother of one of the most famous sporting heroes disguised herself as a man to watch her son ride and run to victory. If he had not won her life would not have been spared.
But where to find a substitute for my trusty helmet so I could attend this 21st century race of races known as
THE MELBOURNE CUP?
I consulted my friend and rival Aphrodite who had beaten me in the most famous beauty contest of all time.
She was still smarting at losing the contest to that bitch Helen of Troy so she gave me a bum steer and sent to me to large store where ready-made hats hung sadly on hooks and no-one was there to advise me. I was not used to such treatment and even I could see such hats were not fit for a mortal let alone a goddess.
Where the Delphic Oracle Sits
I consulted the Delphic Oracle and it told me that
I would need to find a rare person called a milliner
who was trained in the ancient skills of hat making and
who would design a hat specially for me
-one that would draw all eyes my way.
I took this wise advice and headed for
Philadelphia Philpot Hat studio to meet the famous Wendi.
Vibrant, red-haired and full of fun she soon had me relaxed and hopeful that she could design and make a hat fit for Athena the Warrior Goddess of Ancient Greece.
She showed me many examples of her art and materials and together we decided on three possibilities.
When she had finished making the hats I returned to try them on. 
I gasped when I saw the first one.
This was celestial indeed.
Not only mortals but
the goddesses of Mt. Olympus would
be so envious and all eyes would be on me as I paraded
before the multitudes.
Surely this was the one to wear.
But wait there were two more to go.
I could hardly believe my eyes.
This hat was completely different. 
My face was not hidden behind a veil and the top hat
design was fit for a god as well as a goddess.
What to do?
How could I choose between them?
I was about to make a choice when Wendi reminded me there was one more.
Maybe it would be even more outstanding than these two.
This one was so exquisite it took my breath away and the colour was the colour of
the rarest flowers that grew on the islands of the Aegean.
I was so overcome with the beauty and originality of these hats that suited my fine features so well that I decided to take all three of them. I couldn’t wait to return to Mt Olympus with my spoils. Maybe just maybe I would invite Aphrodite and Helen to accompany me to the race next week wearing one of these special hats.
That could end centuries of conflict as we sipped champagne, placed our bets and tried to spot the most handsome gods among the other spectators. We wouldn’t worry about other hats. Ours would be the talk of the town and the heavens.
Thank you Wendi Wonderful Goddess of Hats.
( images on this post are copyright 2009 TorunnMontazi)
