The theme for this week's Sunday Stamps is "Spring" and one of the joys of the season is the appearance of the early flowers after the dark days of winter. This set of GB stamps was issued on the official first day of spring - 21st March (1979). They were the first ones designed by Peter Newcombe who is a landscape artist and I love how he has put the flowers in their habitat and the skies suggest the time of year. Lets start the flowering season. The brave snowdrop is on a snowy bank and the primrose nestles at the bottom of the hedgerow.
The daffodils are in full bloom at the moment and today as the clocks go forward we are just off to Ulpha Woods to walk through the swathes of daffodils. At least I hope so, as these are the truly wild ones, they are always later than the garden variety. Last year they were later than usual; I wonder what I will find today? The last stamp features a favourite flower of mine, the bluebell. Walking through the woods when they are in full bloom and to have the senses overwhelmed by banks of colour and scent is a magical experience.
Lastly the delicate cherry blossom, two little trees near my house are in bloom. The blossoming and location is announced on the weather forecast in Japan each day at this time of year. This is a moment of rejoicing but always tinged with sadness because of their short flowering. When they are at their greatest beauty they will fall, a symbol of the fragility of life. The poignancy of the short life of flowers and of humankind will be especially felt this year.
An entry to Sunday Stamps hosted by
Viridian's Postcards
6 comments:
We just have the snowy banks here.
In each stamp notice how the sky goes from very dark grey to light. this is a great set of stamps. My daffodils are up but not quite flowering.
Whenever I see a small buds of plants of the ground. It always makes me smile because I know it a sign of Spring.
My First Sunday Stamp
snap! i posted this set too at PennyBlack1840...! great minds think alike ;-)
i love the simplicity of that japanese blossom stamp...lovely, and as you say, particularly poignant this year...
I love all these flowers, all at slightly different times. I used to live beside a bluebell wood, so beautiful when they are in bloom en masse. They did make determined efforts to take over our garden but I was happy for them to do that even though they did look better in the woods.
Same stamps as mine, but you've added the Japanese stamps as well - what a good choice.
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