Veil

 

1977: Veil Tailed Goldfish

The unique Celestial Goldfish whose eyes rotate vertically to look upwards. Their Vietnamese name translates as 'sky gazing'. 

1990: Goldfish

A veil tailed goldfish living up to its name

1988: Snakes (Pope's Pit Viper)

A vibrant green viper in its verdant habitat.

Sunday Stamps A-Z - Viet Nam, Veil and Viper - See It On A Postcard 

Happy Christmas

 See It On A Postcard's Thursday Postcard Hunt, what else could it be today but.... Christmas

2022: Christmas (Artist - Sami Saramaki)

 

The gift givers arrive

 

taking a break with the robin.

Madonna of the Rose Garden by Stefano da Verona (c1377-c1438)

 

Gift to the world

 

Christmas for U

 

1965: Christmas

The divine messenger, the angel Gabriel, announces the coming of Christmas

1974: Centenary of the Universal Postal Union

Peak postal time. The stamp quote is the opening line of one of John Donne's poems "more than kisses, letters mingle souls". As Dean of St Paul's Cathedral Donne would have been busy at this time of year writing his sermons. He was the rock star of church sermons, great crowds gathered to hear them. On Christmas Eve 1624 he would weave the seasons into his homily

There would be no sign of a Christmas tree back then (unless one was in Germany) but lots of evergreens such as holly were used for decoration. Here is a ginormous tree

1995: Christmas (1st Issue) Victorian Postcard Design

and a tiny one

2002: Christmas (2nd Issue)

Santa's tree comes with presents.

1980: Christmas - Antique Toys 

He has left a bigger drum at this house. I wonder if there is a snowy scene outside this window? Not here in the UK.  There is only a 5% chance of  snow which will be a good news for those travelling at Christmas and the forecast of high pressure will bring good weather for a winter walk.

1967: Expo 67 - World Fair, Montreal 

Meanwhile here is somewhere that is more than likely to have a white Christmas. Issued in Canadian currency from the UN World Fair Pavilion in Montreal. 

 

 

Stamps with something the world could do with in these turbulent times. 

Peace be with you at Christmastide

Sunday Stamps A-Z for USA, UN and the UPU - See It On A Postcard

 

Decorate

 See It On A Postcard's Thursday Postcard Hunt is decorating  Christmas Trees

After their fun in the forest last Thursday the tree has arrived indoors and the aunties have been fruitfully engaged decorating it.

1981: Christmas in Your Community (Artist - Alan Copp)

Parcels and baubles predominate on this Christmas Tree in  Royal Square St Helier. The scene is ornamented with a Christmas Rose. A flower that is linked to the Nativity by a legend of a poor shepherdess who had no gift for Jesus and wept. Her tears fell into the snow but an angel, taking pity on her, touched the ground where her tears had fallen and a plant bloomed with white flowers (symbolising purity and hope). The little shepherdess was then able to present this miraculous gift to the Christ Child.

This was Jersey's first issue of stamps for Christmas, designed by one of Jersey Post's favourite illustrators, Alan R Copp.

T for Transport

 

The RMS St Helena was a cargo/passenger ship that served the remote South Atlantic islands of St Helena and Tristan da Cunha from 1990-2018.  It was one of the last Royal Mail Ships. Today this "rugged little vessel"  has been repurposed for polar exploration. Wondering about that air mail sticker? The ship's routine journey was from Cape Town, SA where it would pick up the mail destined for Tristan da Cunha and St Helena. The St Helena airport opened in 2016,  however Tristan da Cuhna is 1900 km south of St Helena so no wonder its famous sign says "Welcome to the Remotest Island'. Mail is delivered by infrequent cargo and fishing vessels making mail a highly anticipated event. I think I get excited when post  drops through my letterbox but this must but on another level of excitement for the islanders!

The 10p stamp shows another, older, Royal Mail Ship the 'Rangitata' which operated from New Zealand. Part of the 1994 'Ships' issue. The 45p stamp shows a scooter and a Yamaha motorcycle, one of the 1995 Local Transport issue.

The stamps used on this cover were for Thailand's 1967 International Letter Writing Week. The cover was carried aboard Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) plane for the first Trans-Asian Express air route connecting Copenhagen and Denmark to Bangkok and Singapore via a technical stop in Tashkent then part of the USSR (today Uzbekistan's capital). Called the great circle route it was a one stop flight to Asia flown by a DC8, all very exciting and a great event at the time.

Here is the cover being returned with the additional cancels to Henry Jensen from the 'circle route'

1977: Centenary of Local Transport

Keeping it local. Right - A horse drawn tram, Malmo, Electric Tram,Gothenburg

Left Ferry Boat to Djurgarden, Stockholm, Articulated bus, Gothenburg and the Underground train, Stockholm.

Sunday Stamps A-Z

T for Tristan da Cunha, Thailand, Transport, train and trams - See It On A Postcard

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Cut and Collect

See It On A Postcard's  Thursday Postcard Hunt - Christmas Trees

Picking the perfect tree.  The Finns have many descriptive words for pine trees, a Petäjä is a tall straight pine and would be one to search out for Christmas. Pines are also considered rather human like as Inge Löök shows.

Lots of trees to choose from at Christmas time in a Finnish forest.

50% are pine and a third spruce the rest are deciduous trees, especially birch. Meanwhile away from this snowy landscape 

50%

2018: Christmas PHQ Card (Illustrator - Andrew Davidson)

 in a city far away a shopping trip has included a tree.

Stars

 

1994: World Cup and Swedish Technology on the Moon

The Swedish Soccer team was about to travel to the USA for the World Cup in 1994 when this FDC was issued. There were 24 teams competing back then unlike next year when the number is doubled. Yikes. 

It was also 25 years since the first moon landing. Neil Armstrong's unforgettable pictures of the moon were made using a Swedish Hasselblad Data Camera.

2009: Space Travel

The first Swedish citizen in space was the physicist Christer Fuglesang journeying on the space shuttle in December 2006 to the space station. 

The stamps were issued in booklet form

1969: Events (Design - Hans Emri)

The constellation of Pegasus. Find the four stars forming the lopsided square in sky and the rest of the stars will form the winged horse. The stamp commemorates the opening in 1969 of Switzerland's first planetarium which is located in Lucerne.

Sunday Stamps A-Z for Sweden, Switzerland, Soccer, Space and Stars - See It On A Postcard 

Toys

 See It On A Postcard's Thursday Postcard Hunt for Christmas - Children with or without toys

Santa arriving with toys. I wonder what is in his bag for this little boy?

Illustrator - Kate Greenaway

 

Super sized dolls for a girl

Evacuees, British Home Front 

No doubt there will be a favourite toy in the luggage of these two siblings, evacuees of World Ward II. I think the child on the stamp may have chosen to bring a teddy bear.

Multiple Views

 See It On A Thursday's Thursday Postcard Hunt for landscape multi-views

 

 Back to nature in the Vosges Mountains, winter and summer in Alsace, France.

 

Lüneburger Heath a place of sheep and moorland in Northern Germany, most of it is a nature reserve. The flocks of sheep are Heidschnucke or German Grey Heath. There is a celebration of all things sheep here in July with Moorland Sheep Day.

Southern Italian sea views in Sorrento where the Renaissance poet Torquato Tasso (1544-1595) was born.

Queens and Quail

 

1990: Penny Black Anniversary (1840-1990)

One miniature sheet, two Queens (Victoria and Elizabeth) with Britannia riding the waves.

1987: Victorian Britain (Design - Mike Dempsey)

Victoria makes an appearance with Prince Albert, the 'Great Eastern' steamship and the Victorian queen of cooking, Mrs Isabella Beeton with the frontispiece of her  'Book of Household Management' which was published in 24 parts from 1859-1861 and then in book form in 1861. Sadly after producing 4 children and a cook book she died at only 28.  The book however kept on growing without her and by 1915 it had become twice its length. Her recipes included quail

1965: Migratory Birds

but this one is running free.

Sunday Stamps A-Z and Q for Queens and Quail - See It On A Postcard 

High and Low

 See It On A Postcard's Thursday Postcard Hunt - People in a Landscape

A trip to Aix Les Bains, the 'Riviera of the Alps'. A rustic fence with a panoramic view of Lake Bourget and the Alps. A small child with his natty dungarees has prime position.

Edale Church, Peak District

The southern end of the Pennine Way long distance footpath where the village of Edale is the setting off point. The Parish Church stands as a way-marker en route to the moors. 268 miles (435km) later one will arrive at Kirk Yetholm in the Scottish Borders.

 Meanwhile in Wales two walkers relax on Little Orme enjoying the sunshine and the panorama of Llandudno Bay and Great Orme.  

O is for Olav

 

1958-69: Olav V

Olav V (1903-1991) ascended to the throne on the death of his father in 1957. He was the first heir to the Norwegian throne since the 14th Century who was brought up in Norway, but born in Norfolk to his English mother Maud.

1978: 75th Birthday of King Olav

A renowned sailor, who won a sailing gold medal in the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam and sailed throughout his long life. He was also a keen cross country skier 

1996: Centenary of the Olympic Games (Design - H Paulsen)

and as a young man competed in ski jumping competitions. . There is a statue of him called 'The Joy of Skiing' showing him on a ski trip with his dog Troll which is located below the Holmenkollen ski jump in Oslo. His down to earth style and easy manner led to him being nicknamed 'The Peoples King'.

Sunday Stamps A-Z - for Olav and Olympics - See It On A Postcard

 

In the Woods

 See It On A Postcard's Thursday Postcard Hunt looking at Scenery.. with animals

A handsome elk with its velvet antlers in summertime, when the living is easy

Illustrator - Jaana Aalto

 A wolf moon appears in January, when the days lengthen and the cold strengthens

 

Surprised! by Henri Rousseau (1891) 

A tiger stalks its prey in the warmth of a jungle as imagined by Henri Rousseau (he never left France). The first of his many jungle paintings it is also known as Tiger in a Tropical Storm. So warm but wet.  The rain and lightening are difficult to see on the card and better seen on this larger version.

Norwegian

 

1989: Norden - National Costumes (Design - Knut Løkke-Sørensen)

National Costumes of Norway - a woman's costume from Setesdal, in South Norway (known for its folk traditions) and a man's costume from Kautokeino (Sami/Laplander)

The Northern Lights. We are in a period of increased solar activity which is forecast to last until 2026 (I have managed to miss them all so far!) The Vikings believed the aurora was the light shining off the armour of the Valkyries who were  guiding fallen warriors to Valhalla, Odin's Hall. To the Sami they were a bad omen and thought to be the souls of the dead.

2014: Tourism - Oslo Viking Ship Museum (Design - Kristin Granli)

The Vikings, navigators nonpareil

Sunday Stamps A-Z for Norway, Northern Lights and National Costume - See It On A Postcard