Saturday, February 07, 2015

Sepia Saturday 265 : Don't Forget To Bring Betty


Our Sepia Saturday theme this week is all about pots, paints, classrooms and artistic young ladies. So let me introduce you to Miss Delia Mason, the celebrity pin-up girl of the Edwardian era and star of that box office hit, "Three Little Maids". And our photograph features Delia posing with a full set of cups and pots and although she is not actually painting them she can be forgiven: she is, after all, a celebrity. I checked out the show "Three Little Maids" and it is described as the story of "three simple curate's daughters who go to London to earn their livings serving tea in a Bond Street tea shop. They become the romantic rivals of three ladies of fashion but succeed because of their freshness".  Whilst such a story in itself is probably enough to make you rush out and book a seat in the stalls, an additional incentive is the inclusion of a song at the end of Act 1 with the title "Golf is an excellent game in its way – But ev'rything's all 'in the way."



The message on the back of the post card, as always, contains more questions than answers, but that is the delight of old postcards (can there be a finer stimulus to the imagination than such short messages scribbled on the back of postcards?) It is the upside down appeal at the very top of the postcard which remains in my mind as I try to find sleep at night. "Don't forget To Bring Betty"

And if you are going to bring Betty, why not bring her to see the other Sepia Saturday posts this week by visiting the Sepia Saturday Blog.

21 comments:

  1. I love the way you write Alan. I don't know how you do it, but you write with a smile!

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    1. Thank you Sharon, that's a lovely thing to say

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  2. I just saw the Imitation Game and can't help wonder - Is it code? It can't be "Betty" -- it must be ytteb and you're probably supposed to stand on your head when you read it. Maybe then, all will be clear. The list of songs in the Three Little Maids production are hilarious. "You men are a terrible bore, why were you ever invented?" The lyricist never met you Alan!

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    1. I agree about the list of songs, wonderful titles. And I rather like the idea of spies sending coded postcards.

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  3. I agree with Sharon, you write with a smile and whimsical, and sometimes with riddles too, you are quite accomplished!!

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    1. Now you are beginning to embarrass me Rosie ☺️

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  4. Well Betty probably wanders and she could be somewhere else when they leave the house. Or Betty could be the neighbor that always wants to go everywhere with them and those who are inviting are saying we expect her to be tagging along. Either way, Betty probably makes the outing complete. It is a great photo of Delia looking up from her treasured tea time.

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  5. Well, pottery and tea sets did not prevent you from teasing our imaginations -- Delia, Betty, weekend jaunts -- all in a time that is tantalizing.

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  6. I have a music book with songs from the British Music Hall & some of the titles are wonderful: "I'd Rather Be An Old Man's Darling Than A Young Man's Slave", "Rhoda And Her Pagoda", "Oh That Gorgonzola Cheese" . . . "Golf is an excellent game in its way – But ev'rything's all 'in the way." fits right in! Very entertaining post. As for Betty, "I can be your bodyguard and you can be my pal; I can call you Betty, and you can call me Al." - Paul Simon, "Gumboots"

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    1. I'd like to hear how gorgonzola cheese sounds sung.

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    2. I'd like to hear how gorgonzola cheese sounds sung.

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    3. To hear the gorgonzola cheese song, go to: www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAlGdTisuGk It's a crazy song. :))

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  7. It would be hard to imagine a more awkward position for drinking tea.

    It isn't just Betty that is mysterious. I don't know what was received or what will take all the time.

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  8. Dear Delia looks like she's a bit uncomfortable despite a nice cup of tea...and Betty, whoever she was, was at least desired company...more than one can say for most folks encountered today...

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  9. Hmmmm...these are younger girls, right? Is Betty a doll?

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  10. Recycling is not just for materials like aluminum, paper, and plastic. Sometimes history, even the mundane and puzzling, gets re-purposed into new prose by a master blogger. Nothing wasted, nothing tossed.

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  11. Perhaps Emily fancied herself, Betty and her cousin as being like the Three Little Maids themselves. She could have been planning a day at a fun fair.

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  12. A very entertaining post - love the photo!

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  13. An endearing postcard and an intriguing message - what more could we ask for!

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  14. No sorry, Delia is not holding her teacup correctly - my gran showed me - one must stick out the little finger delicately (goodness knows why). Betty was left behind last time the ladies go together and has been languishing in a cupboard somewhere. Of course she could be ‘Brown Betty' which is the name of the dark brown Rockingham glazed teapots, which would fit in nicely with the Potteries. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_Betty_(teapot)

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  15. A fun post. Maybe Betty is a dog:)

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