Organising social events for old friends - reunions - and for wealthy young women -debutante balls!

 We organised a reunion lunch for old friends, friends we’ve had since our university years, in some cases since childhood. We’ve been meeting like this for about twenty years now. Some of our number have moved too far away, some have died. That’s how it goes. The one who became our semi-official social secretary had been ill and didn’t feel up to the task this year, so we took it on. 

First we booked us into the wrong restaurant - there are two with similar names very close to each other in central Manchester. But they turned out to be connected so we managed to change the booking. Since then it’s been rather like one of those children’s songs about little ducks swimming across the pond and gradually disappearing. One withdrew because the operation he had hoped to have weeks ago was postponed and his mobility was scuppered. Another emailed us after seeing the weather forecast and deciding travelling from Wales was too dangerous. And now, this morning yet another phoned to say his trains were all cancelled … Storm Darragh apparently! .

And as we travelled into Manchester a third person texted me to say that her train from Sheffield was cancelled. Those who came from furthest away - Southampton and even Geneva - had no problems because they had travelled to Manchester yesterday! And so we were reduced to nine, which was fine as we fitted nicely around the circular table, without the need to attach a kind of annex rectangular table for the overspill.

The food was fine. We all talked nineteen to the dozen. When it came to paying the bill, we were glad to have a scientist who was good at maths and good at working out how much we all needed to pay, bearing in mind that we had paid a deposit when we booked in the first place. 

Then we adjourned to a pub for a last drink before going our separate ways, feeling glad to be able to meet like this and already planning the next reunion.

Phil and i have been watching an Italian series on Netflix, La Legge di Lidia Poët. Loosely based on the true story of Lidia Poët, a young woman who studied for a law degree at the end of the 19th century and had to fight for the right to work as a lawyer - not a suitable profession for woman!! Her outfits are stunning, especially her hats, as is her determination to live independently and not conform to the accepted idea of a woman’s occupation. 

At one point her niece is being persuaded to dress herself up for a ball, where she might find a husband. The niece is 17 and really wants follow her aunt’s example and take her time to decide what she wants to do with her life. At the same time I am reading “Dark Angel” by Sally Beauman. One of the characters here also has a ball organised, to “introduce’ her to society, still a common thing in polite (ie posh and wealthy) English society in the early years of the 20th century. In this latter case, the young lady in question has no intention of letting anyone choose a husband for her. The choice will be entirely hers! But that’s another story. Somewhere in the middle of the 20th century the custom fizzled out. 

Anyway, this morning I came across this article about debutante balls in Paris. Well! Well! This is the 21st century but young ladies, not necessarily from titled families but certainly from moneyed families still get a kind of leg-up in order to get on in the world … at least in Paris! Who knew?

Party like it’s 1899: the young, wealthy women still attending debutante balls | Paris | The Guardian

 

Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!