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The ACTUAL Birthday-Tea Party 14th February
Ok, a break from the history (nobody available anyway) and a big sloppy birthday kiss for my best girl for the last 30 plus years, Alix. Alix is 72 today, and sharing her birthday with Mr Valentine makes going out for a meal unbelievably tedious, so that’s tomorrow. The Actual Tea Party is Sunday, the…
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The Historical Birthday-Tea Party 13th February
Once more, no specific birthday, so skipping ahead to the 19th for which there are several, let’s make the acquaintance of Constance Maynard, 19/2/1849-1935 was a pioneer of women’s education and the first mistress of Westfield College. She worked at various times and ladies colleges with other education pioneers Frances Dove, Louisa Lumsden, Ann Dudin…
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The Historical Birthday-Tea Party 12th February
Once more I am short of a specific birthday to celebrate, so back to the seventeenth century and to Frances Apsley 1653–1727. Frances was the object of affection of a youthful Mary Stuart, who became that strange binomial monarch ‘William&Mary’, or more correctly Mary II of England. Mary was older sister to Queen Anne, and…
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The Historical Birthday-Tea Party 11th February
Karoline von Günderode 11 February 1780 – 26 July 1806 romantic poet, her works often had strong heroic women in the central role, and was critical of traditional gender attitudes. I have to say she behaved a bit like an opera heroine, and this doesn’t strike me as entirely a good thing – Jane Austen…
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The Historical Birthday-Tea Party 10th February
No official birthday holder for today, so here’s someone who’s birthdate we do not know: Ebba Larsdotter Sparre (1629 – 19 March 1662) lover of Queen Christina of Sweden. Ebba was a celebrated beauty nicknamed La belle comtesse. Christina doted on Ebba, always drawing attention to her beauty. When she abdicated and left Sweden, she…
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The Historical Birthday-Tea Party 9th February
Amy Lowell February 9, 1874 – May 12, 1925 the embodiment of the new liberated woman, … unlimited faith in her own capability God made me a business woman, and I made myself a poet Towards the end of her short life Amy had a relationship with Ada Dwyer Russell, and wrote several poems for…
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The Historical Birthday-Tea Party 8th February
Today’s birthday girl is multiple award-winning poet Elizabeth Bishop (February 8, 1911 – October 6, 1979) “one of the most important American poets” of the twentieth century. Elizabeth was great friends with Marianne Moore who mentored her while she was studying at Vassar. Elizabeth travelled widely, often with female companions, one of whom Marjorie Stevens, she…
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The Historical Birthday-Tea Party 6th February
Queen Anne 6 February 1665 – 1 August 1714 Anne is reknowned for her passionate relationships with women, extraordinarily well documented, largely thanks to her longest lasting passion Sarah Jennings (later Churchill), whokept all the Queen’s letters to her, and wrote an autobiography which is surprisingly (and perhaps naively) frank. (see also Cicely Cornwallis, Elizabeth…
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The Historical Birthday-Tea Party 5th February
Today we are blowing up balloons to celebrate Marie Rabutin-Chantal de Sévigné 5 February 1626 – 17 April 1696 Romantic friend of Marie de Lafayette and obsessive writer of letters (mainly to her daughter). Member of Paris intellectual circle, spent a lot of time at Versailles. The heart has no wrinkles When I step into…
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The Historical Birthday-Tea Party 3rd February
February third and the birthday we are celebrating is the amazing Gertrude Stein February 3, 1874 – July 27, 1946. One must dare to be happy Gertrude was quite something, an experimental writer, a very out lesbian. One of her books is The Autobiography of Alice B Toklas (Alice was her lover – Hemingway refered to…
Cherry Potts, Writer 