Not Here

 See It On A Postcard's Thursday Postcard Hunt is asking what place you would not like to visit

I have been to Russia and enjoyed it but a country I would avoid today, I would not wish to support a war criminal. The card is of Uljanousk located on the Volga River. The birthplace of Lenin

Mortar Platoon

The Middle East is off my list too, not only for their treatment of women but who knows when one might be bombed by Israel. The card shows the British 1st Battalion King's Own Royal Border Regiment in Jordan, October 2001. The Middle East is also in the mess it is with the meddling of too many countries in the past from outside the region. Jordan from the outside seems to be one of the more progressive and stable countries and I would like to see the rose red city of Petra so might make an exception for visiting.

I have never felt the urge to visit the seaside resort of  Hunstanton on the Norfolk coast in summer.  Looks like standing room only.

Tall Tales

 

2002: Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories  - Centenary of Publication (Artist - Izhar Cohen)

 

How the Camel Got His Hump - How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin. 

The Beginning of the Armadillos - The Crab That Played With the Sea

Kipling was a prolific writer and poet and one could spend some time on the Kipling Society website where all his short stories appear both by theme and date.

1979: International Year of the Child (Design - Kass Janos)

Tom Thumb, no bigger than a thumb, seems to spend his adventurous life being swallowed by various animals, here he has encountered the hungry wolf.  But Tom has a plan and talks to the wolf from its stomach and tricks him to take him home,  All is well in the end.

The Fisher and the Goldfish but this fish is not golden in Hungary's colour scheme but is provided with a golden crown. Alexander Pushkin told the story in verse.

Sunday Stamps theme - Stories, Folk Tales - See It On A Postcard 

Japan

See It On A Postcard's  Thursday Postcard Hunt  for A place you would like to visit

Kyoto

so I have chosen Japan, a country with a culture both ancient and modern

Cat looking at fields of Asakusa by Ando Hiroshige (1797-1858)

and maybe I will stay in a house that overlooks the rice fields of Asakusa  that comes with a resident cat, although will have to travel back in time as the closest rice fields to Tokyo today are at Chiba. In the present times the area of Asukusa with its waterfront and temple complex is a popular tourist destination. The woodblock print is from '100 Views of Edo'. It depends on weather conditions and urban haze if a view of Mt Fuji 62 miles (100k) away can be seen from Tokyo.  As I have travelled back in time why not travel in imagination to

Moominland. It looks as though it is Moomintroll's birthday although he has yet to arrive.  Moomin Day is in August (as is my birthday).  We don't know how old Moomintroll is, and Tove Jansson did not say, but wrote in her notebook "He is of that particular age when summers are long, the water warm and new things are constantly happening" Jansson's home in summer was on an island in the Gulf of Finland. I would head further into the Baltic Sea from there to the Åland Islands. I remember reading of an artist who would go there every summer because of the amazing light. Water, light, islands and ferry rides, a true summer delight.

"Visit Aland"

Postcard of the same image Åland issued for the Europa stamp theme of 'Visit' in 2012

Summer Fun

 

1994: Centenary of Picture Postcards

Bathing at Blackpool, tales of the unexpected

Stay on the sands and enjoy a game

of Beach Volleyball as illustrated by Catharina Nygard

1988: Operation Raleigh (Design - Victor Ambrus)

Head to the Great Barrier Reef where the water temperature at the moment is 24℃ (an average temperature for July), not bad for the beginning of winter in Australia!

2006: Summer at the Lake (Illustrator - Irina Gebuhr)

Summer fun by the lake picnicking, fishing, swimming (the dog is not tempted) and enjoying the warmth and calm of a long summer evening.

2016: Lake Constance

 Time to relax after all that fun and watch the world go by.

Sunday Stamps is enjoying Summer Fun at See It On A Postcard 

Home Again

 See It On  A Postcard's Thursday Postcard Hunt theme of Travel, it all starts from home

where I am in Cumbria. I live on the coast and look north to see the fells of the Lake District. The card shows five of its Lakes along with Napes Needle in Wasdale (the valley's lake, Wastwater, can be seen on the left)  This is the birthplace of modern rock climbing in the UK, the ascent by Walter Parry Hesketh Smith of the Needle in 1886 is often cited as a key moment, with the Wasdale Inn at the top of the valley becoming a meeting point for enthusiasts.  There are two Herdwick sheep (three with the one by Crummock Water), a hardy ancient breed originating in the Lakes which live on the fells.  There are more sheep than people in Cumbria. A red squirrel and La'l Ratty the miniature Ravenglass Railway in Eskdale, a valley that has no lake in an area sometimes referred to as Lakeless Lakeland but don't worry there is plenty of water in rivers, streams and waterfalls.

A quiet and hidden corner of Cumbria, the Lyth Valley, famous for its damsons  The trees and orchards turn a frothy white in spring. Damson Day is celebrated in mid-April. The valley is sheltered by limestone hills so has its own micro-climate hence the sweetness of the damsons. The name Lyth is Old Norse (derived from hlith) meaning slope or hillside.

This card shows a Rough Fell sheep so I can guess it is somewhere in the North of England or Scotland, a hardy sheep like the Herdwick. The post box shows the plain cypher of George V which for some reason I always find pleasing, maybe it is the calming contrast to the other busy royal cyphers.

Souvenirs

 See It On A Postcard's Thursday Postcard Hunt is looking for Tchotchkes or touristy items

A souvenir card from the Hanke Cafe and Restaurant at the foot of the Krimmler Falls in Austria.  It boasts a quick service and an extensive souvenir shop. What more could you ask for.! There is a 4k trail by the waterfall but I think you have to pay to access it, not uncommon in the world of tall waterfalls.

The Jackfield Tile Museum in a former factory celebrates the world of decorative tiles from elaborate friezes of figurative tiles to geometric shapes and all things in-between . One of those manufacturers, Craven Dunnill (founded in 1872), is still manufactured ceramic wall and floor tiles in Jackfield.  All I can remember of the museum shop are tiles, whether one wished to buy just one or hundreds.  Obviously they sold postcards but somehow I have a clearer memory of the cafe rather than the shop.

Illustration from 'The Animal Kingdom' by Georges Cuvier (1834)

What child has not taken home a sea shell or two from the beach as a holiday memento.  A spiral shell like this (once the home of a sea snail) would be a great prize but one would have to be on holiday in tropical waters or alternatively find a seaside shop selling exotic shells.

From the Sea

 

1991: For A Better Environment

The Mediterranean coastline and its wildlife

2006: Norwegian Marine Life IV

Meanwhile in the Atlantic - a sea urchin with a name that seems to use a good portion of the alphabet Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis, Green Sea Urchin (found in northern waters around the world).

1980: Animals

Ocean perch

1981: Painting

'Hauling the Line' by Gunnlaugur Scheving who painted life in Iceland, many of whose works featured the sea, as can be seen here

A seal hauling out from the sea at low tide. Our local haul out has a seal cam so one can take an interest in the seal and pup numbers when it is the winter breeding season from the comfort of a couch.

Sunday Stamps theme - From the Sea - See It On A Postcard

 

Faces

 See It On A Postcard's Thursday Postcard Hunt is looking at faces

John Hegley, performance poet, comedian, musician (plays the mandolin) and songwriter. T|here will always be audience participation.  This was a postcard promoting his 2004 tour  based on John's visit to Nice in 2001 to paint a scene originally depicted by his French father, Rene, in 1931. "In the show he muses upon the trip, painting generally, throat sweets and blancmange".  A book was published also called The Sound of Paint Drying with poems, sketches, songs, stories and diary entries.

B.B. London Series No 2402

A vintage card from Birn Brothers, untitled.

A modern card, also untitled, by the artist Francis R Martin

I leave you with a racoon.

Children of Men

 

1995: 50th Anniversary of the United Nations

"We, the people of the United Nations ... together for a better world"

2024: The Who - Album Covers

The Who - My Generation, their breakthrough single (1965); Tommy the rock opera double album (1969); Who Are You (1978), the drummer Keith Moon died weeks after this was issued aged 32, and the sentiment of My Generation came true,  "I hope to die before I get old". Lastly, Face Dances (1981). their 9th studio album now featuring Kenny Jones on drums. Decades later and led by the band's surviving members Pete Townsend and Roger Daltrey  The Who are on their final North American run 'The Song is Over Tour' this year.

Sunday Stamps theme - Men Who Might Be Fathers at work and play - See It On A Postcard. 

Stone

 See It On A Postcards Thursday Postcard Hunt is looking for all things geological

The Stone, Bentham

Great Stone of the Fourstones or as it called locally The Stone or sometimes The Big Stone. A glacial erratic. There was once four of them but the others have disappeared having probably been used in the past for building stone.  This one survives because it marks a border between Yorkshire and Lancashire.  Someone in the past has carved 14 steps to the top for ease of access to enable everyone to gaze across the moorland.

The card was sent in 1908 and the sender was having "a grand time but such horrid weather. If you want to know what rain is come to Bentham, been wet through twice".

Fossil Cave, Naracoorte, South Australia

Maybe they should head underground.The limestone caves of Naracoorte classed as a World Heritage Site because their abundance of fossils and by the looks of it some stunning stalagmites and stalactites. Only four of the estimated 26 caves are open to the public to preserve the fossil record for research.

Crossings Illustrated

 

1994: Postman Pat Visits the Isle of Man (Design - Colleen Corlett)

 

Postman Pat and his black and white cat Jess are using the Green Cross Code to cross the road safety.  "Stop, look, listen, think". No sign of the Green Cross Code Man but we do have a policeman to remind them. The stamps issued with the mini sheet tells the story of Pat visiting his friend Ffinlo who takes him to well known locations on the Isle of Man.  The stop motion animation has been turned into stamps by one of Isle of Man post's popular illustrators Collen Corlett.

In the UK we have Lollipop ladies (and men but that doesn't have the allure of alliteration) who hold up their large lollipop shaped stop signs. In  Germany they are called Pupil Pilots and the stop signs on this card are a lot smaller.

1983: Children and Traffic (Design - Lilo Fromm)

An all action illustration complete with lollipop and ball is by the artist and children's book illustrator  Lilo Fromm,

Sunday Stamps theme - Illustrated, Engraving - See It On A Postcard 

Entrances

 See It On A Postcard's Thursday Postcard Hunt starts the month with the theme 'Details' - Architecture

Hahnetor Gate, Cologne

Here is where once kings entered Cologne on the way to the cathedral after being crowned in Aachen. Of Cologne's 12 medieval gateways three have been preserved. Hahnetor Gate stands at the west of the city on Rudolfplatz 

The main portal of Bern Minster considered one of the finest examples of Gothic sculpture in Switzerland and the only statues of the cathedral to survive the iconoclasm of the Protestant Reformation. Above the doors is the Last Judgment. The figures to the left of the door represent the five Foolish Virgins, the ones to the right are the Wise Virgins. In the centre - Justice. (Wikipedia has a photo of the rather more glitzy gold painted details).

Patriarchal Basilica St John Lateran, Rome

 The fancy facade of the Archbasilica of St John Lateran constructed by Alessandro Galilei although at the time (1733-35) the "monumental severity and palace character of the facade caused a scandal in Roman artistic circles" others did not take the same view and by the end of the century its neoclassical beauty was admired. 

Medley of Minibeasts

 

2009: Endangered Species (Illustrator - Roger Kent)

Creepy crawlers and winged wonders with a Emperor Dragonfly and Southern Wood Ant. Below them - Alpine longhorn beetle (found in beech forests) and an Apollo Butterfly

2003: Insects

A mayfly (Ephemera danica), and an aquatic beetle, Dytiscus latissimus, who before they dive collect air bubbles in their wing cases. The wing cases of beetles are called elytra and protect the delicate wings that are used for flight. Although Diving Beetles differ in many ways to their terrestrial cousins they have kept the ability to fly and use light reflection on water surfaces to detect new habitats. 

1992: Beetles

A violet oil beetle. Because they are reliant on solitary bees as part of their life cycle and depend on a healthy and diverse wild bee population with wildflower meadows they are classified as under threat.  They exude a yellowish oily substance from their leg joints when in danger hence their name.

2024: Spiders (Illustrator - Richard Lewington)

Do spiders count as creepy crawlers or do they move far too fast?

Sunday Stamps theme - Creepy Crawlers - scuttle over for more at See It On A Postcard    

Riding

See It On A Postcard's  Thursday Postcard Hunt is looking at Colourful Vehicles

Everybody Razzle Dazzle 2015 -  Design - Peter Blake

The 2015 Liverpool Biennial used the centenary of WW1 and its theme. One of the pieces of art was the transformation of the Mersey ferry Snowdrop.  It was pop artist Peter Blake's riff on the black and white dazzle painting of boats in WW1 intended to confuse the enemy. Although the Razzle Dazzle was only originally to last for two years it has become an attraction in itself. When I was last in Liverpool a couple of years ago she was still carrying its colours as passengers travelled across the Mersey from Pier Head to Seacombe and back. (Short video of the painting)

The more muted tones of of a London tram built in 1911 and modernised in 1938 in the Depot Yard of the National Tram Museum part of Critch Tramway village. As they say 'a grand day out' with tram rides, woodland walks and a historic pub. The Palm Toffee on the advert board was a break your teeth slab or bar of hard toffee with various flavours running through the middle, one of these being banana, the colour as vivid as the banner. They stopped making it in the 1970s.

Southern Railway 4-6-2 'City of Wells'

Still on the rails of a different kind the City of Wells built in 1945 and withdrawn from service in 1964 and rescued from the scrap yard by the  Keighley and Worth Valley Railway in 1971. Following restoration work it return to the rails in 1979 as seen here in West Yorkshire, or as they like to advertise it 'A Journey Through Bronte Country'.  Not all hyperbole as a package was dispatched from Keithley Station in 1847 to a publisher in London resulting in the publication that year of Jane Eyre.

Settlements

 

1996: Mankind Inheritance of Culture and Nature

The Old Town (Alstadt) Hamburg where three of its main churches are located

2003: The 1000 Anniversary of Kronach

The historic old town of Kronach, referred to as the Upper City which is located on a mountain spur (felssporn).  It was the birthplace c1472 of the painter Lucas Cranach the Elder.

1979: Landscapes

The island of Samothraki in the Northern Aegean. I think this may be Chora,the islands old capital nestled  on the slopes of Mount Saos. Samothraki's highest mountain,Fengari is where, according to legend, Poseidon watched the the fall of Troy.

Sunday Stamps theme - Cities/Urban - See It On A Postcard