Hot Air Balloons

 

1997: For Us Children

The ultimate air mail arriving by the power of hot air.

1983: Bicentenary of Manned Flight

Left: - In 1859 John Wise carried 123 letters in his hot air balloon 'Jupiter', the first official airmail delivery for the US Post Office. Right: - The pioneering flights of  balloons during the Siege of Paris of which the The Neptune was the first to take off in 1870. Weight was of great importance because every balloon had to reach the altitude of at least 3,300 ft (1000m) in order to be beyond the range of the Prussian rifles. Neptune took off from the hill at Montmartre with three bags of mail weighing a total of 125g, and eventually landed in the grounds of Castle Cracouille at Evreux, 104 miles NW of Paris.

1983: Bicentenary of Manned Flight

  

Hungarian Hot Air Balloons for leisure. The captive observation balloon at the Budapest Exhibition in 1896 and the 1904 Balloon Chase Race. Balloon racing became quite popular at this time unfortunately I could only find a passing reference to Hungarian races but this paragraph of British events in 1904 gives the gist of the pursuit.

1989: International Young Inventors Exhibition, Plovdiv

 

Bright young minds travelling to Plovdiv, the tiger arrives by hot air balloon.

Sunday Stamps A-Z, this week it is H for Hungary and Hot Air Balloons - See It On A Postcard

National Parks

See It On A Postcard's Thursday Postcard Hunt - enjoying the National Parks

2021: National Parks

From the heights of Crib Goch Ridge leading to Snowden, from which the National Park takes its name - Snowdonia

to the lows of the watery Broads National Park, the UK's smallest National Park,. The card shows the 19th Century Berney Arms Mill In Norfolk. The stamp features Herringfleet Mill in Suffolk.

Just a reminder that as the days shorten "winter is coming" to the Lake District National Park

Geese

 

A century ago Snow Geese were rare in Greenland today there are between 200 and 2000 individuals coming in on the Atlantic flyway from Canada, numbers are hazy because of the fragmented nature of their distribution in Greenland.

1990: Birds IV (Design - Jens Rosing)

One of the 130 stamps Jens Rosing (1925-2008) produced for Greenland, he also designed their coat of arms.

1985: Protected Animals (Design - Andrea Soest)

Red-breasted Geese, another arctic goose but this one winters in eastern Europe.

1991: Postal Buildings

 Budingen post station where the stagecoach and horse riders travelled to and from Frankfurt.  Today it is a hotel and restaurant.  I wonder if the geese are going to market or just passing with their young herder.

1977: The Twelve Days of Christmas (Design - David Gentleman)

 

"Six geese a-laying"

Sunday Stamps A-Z ; G for Geese,, Greenland, Germany GDR and GB - See It On A Postcard 

Famous

 See It On A Postcard's Thursday Postcard Hunt for Famous People

'Magic of the Movies Series'

"They had a date with fate in Casablanca". I've lost count of how many times I have watched Casablanca. Most of the witty and often quoted dialogue was actually written day to day with none of the actors knowing until the final day of shooting how it was  going to end. The film was premiered in NY November 1942 (just after the Allies landed in North Africa ) with theatrical releases in January 1943. (Behind the Fog 10 surprising film facts)

A young Charles Dickens painted by his lifelong friend Daniel Maclise in 1839 when Dickens would have been 27. Pickwick Papers had been published in 1836 and in 1839 he had two monthly serializations running concurrently of Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickleby. Many of Maclise's paintings were based on literary sources both ancient and modern. He also worked as an illustrator for Frasers Magazine and illustrated works by Dickens and Tennyson among others. The two friends would both die in the same year (1870), Dickens worn out with work and travel at 57 and Maclise of acute pneumonia. Maclise was born in Ireland (Cork) so lets visit his homeland with a royal couple 

'Queen Elizabeth II ad Prince Philip on their historic State Visit to the Republic of Ireland 2011'

being shown the art of pouring a perfect pint of Guinness although both declined the opportunity to drink it, there may have been some Irish banter at this point.

Faroe

 

1981: Europa - Folklore

Faroese Folk Dancing

1983: Fish

Fish - Cusk (Bosme brosme), a cod like fish, the only fish in its genus and a Haddock

Atlantic Halibut and an Atlantic Wolf-fish, a natural anti-freeze runs in its blood.

2015: SEPAC - Knitted Art

Something to keep ones fingers warm and admire the art and versatility of wool (warm even when wet).  When the textile artist Randi Samsonsen knitted these objects and designed  the stamp she was looking forward to using it on her mail.

Sunday Stamps A-Z - In the Faroe Islands - find more at See It On A Postcard

Peril

 See It on A Postcard's Thursday Postcard Hunt - Legends and Children's Stories

I imagine there are lots of legends abut the sea in Brittany. This one features L'Ankou de la Mer. The card shows the stretch of sea between Pointe du Raz and Isle de Sein which has always been a place of danger for sailors. If a boat in these parts encountered 'Bag Noz' (boat of the night) it was sign of imminent death. The first drowned person of the year became Ankou of the Sea, and took the place of the captain of the sinister boat. The Bag Noz could appear at any moment but disappeared as soon as anyone tried to approach it. It was especially important not to try to follow it because it led directly to the reefs, which are numerous.

This is a Winnie the Pooh story of when Seven Acres Wood flooded. Pooh bear took his honey up to a branch of a tree and stayed there until on the fourth day there was nothing left. The chapter is called  'In Which Piglet is Entirely  Surrounded by Water'. Pooh spots Piglets message in a bottle asking for help, it looks like a honey jar so that gets Pooh bear down from the tree.

Rescuing Tigger from a pine tree using Christopher Robin's tunic from the chapter of The House At Pooh Corner In Which It is shown that Tigger's Don't Climb Trees