Colourful

 

2022: Commonwealth Games (Illustrator - Charis Tsevis)

Royal Mail has issued a number of colourful stamp sets in 1922 and because it is and has been a very full sporting calendar this year I choose these Commonwealth Games stamps for the Sunday Stamps theme. The full set can be seen here.  I especially like the mountain biking stamp.

1975: Sailing (Design: Andrew Restall)

Sailing is one of the optional sports of the Commonwealth Games but not chosen by landlocked Birmingham but there is always a sailing race going on somewhere in the world. Keeping ones feet firmly on dry land the football World Cup starts on the 20th November.

2014: Zlatan Ibrahimovic

but Zlatan (one of the select group of super star footballers always referred to by just their first name) won't be at the World Cup because Sweden did not qualify. At 41, when most footballers have hung up their boots, it is a thing a wonder that he is still playing at a high level.

Sunday Stamps theme this week is - Bright Colours - brighten up the day at  See It On A Postcard

Space Week

 

Oct 2000: Stamp Collecting Month - Exploration of Mars (Design - Otto Schmidinger)

As it has been World Space Week for today's theme of  'My Choice' I'm heading to the future and Mars.

2016: Planetary Correspondences (Design - Guy Coda)

Take a tour of the Solar System - passing Mars and Jupiter

while the Moon sleeps in the clouds and Venus looks on

but perhaps I will keep my feet firmly on the ground and just enjoy the view.

Sunday Stamps theme this week is -  'My Choice' - See It On A Postcard

UNESCO

 

1932:Airmail

The Great Wall of China built to defend the countries historic northern borders

2020: Roman Britain

and its tiny cousin Hadrian's Wall, the northernmost part of the Roman Empire.

1961: Tourism - Landscapes and Monuments

The monasteries of Meteora took a different approach and built on top of immense natural rock pillars 

2004: Bauhaus

But for more relaxed living the model homes for the Masters at the Bauhaus School in Dessau were a vision for modern living, the large windows creating a link between exterior and interior.

2004: Wattenmeer National Park

Head for the Wadden Sea National Park  and breath the fresh sea air.  The largest national park in Germany, 68% of it is underwater the rest is mainly salt marshes Its UNESCO designation is for its undisturbed inter-tidal ecosystem and unique biodiversity.

Sunday Stamps theme this week is  -UNESCO World Heritage Sites -visit  See It On A Postcard 

Swimming

 

1955-7: Sport (Design - S Jonsson)

Diving into a geothermal pool, how pleasant.

2014: Sport - Swedish Classic (Design - Henrik Karlson)

This may be a little more bracing. The Swedish Classics are 4 races consisting of Cross Country Skiing, running, open water swimming and cycling.  They have to be completed within a year of registering and on completion a certificate and medal are awarded.

1953: Sports (Design - Andre Jacquemin\)

The ambient temperature of a pool

1992: Olympic Games (Design - T Ekstrom)

the spectacular but exhausting butterfly stroke.

1966: Prehistoric Fauna (Design - A Heidrich)

One might choose a different stroke if this was swimming towards you. I would call that the panic stroke. The Terror Fish (Dinichthys), apex predator. Swam the seas when sharks were small in comparison. Its fossil remains have been found in the USA and Canada.

Sunday Stamps theme this week is - Swimmers - See It On A Postcard

 

Churches

 

1994: Cathedrals (Design - Yu Artsimenev)

The glory of St Basil's Cathedral in Red Square, Moscow

1990: Village Churches from Jutland

to the humble village church, but as every church-crawler knows however humble there is always something to admire. L-R (3.5) Gjellerup Church, above the door is the :Latin  inscription "In 1150 the church was founded in the honour of God", this makes it the oldest dated building in Denmark. 4.75 Veng, the oldest monastery church in Denmark, built by the Benedictines around 1100; 8.25- Bredsten church was constructed in the 1100s  and redesigned in the baroque style in the 18th Century. 

2003: The Church of Kumlinge (Design - Pirkko Nahtero)

Travel to Aland and the isolated  St Anne's church located in the middle of the island of Kumlinge. One of the big draws for visitors are the 15th Century wall and ceiling paintings and the oldest alter piece in Finland (1250).

1991 Discount Stamps: Skansen 100 Years (Design - A Oldenburg)

The old wooden church in the village of Seglora was due for demolition when a stone church was built to replace it however it was saved and moved to Skansen in 1916.  Today it is a popular place for weddings.

Sunday Stamps theme this week is - Places of Worship - pray visit See It On A Postcard

Black Birds

 

1985: Native Birds

A conservation success, in 1980 the Black Robin had the smallest population of any bird species due to non-native predators. Today there is a stable population of about 300 on two New Zealand islands.

1998|: |Pro Juventute

No such problems with the Great Crested Grebe, estimated to have a global population of over a million.

1970: Birds

Common Black Hawk, also known as the Crab Hawk for its food choices are -  crabs, crayfish and amphibians. It hunts low along streams and sometimes wading in the water.

St Vincent have Queen Elizabeth on their bank notes and stamps so like us will be seeing many changes. 

1987: 40th Anniv of Wedding of Queen Elizabeth and 150th Anniv of Queen Victoria's Accession

The Queen and the christening of Prince Charles, we will have to get used to calling him King Charles. Weird to hear the national anthem as God Save the King at her Remembrance service in St Paul's Cathedral this week  She had a unique relationship to St Vincent as in all her duties  relating to the islands she spoke an acted as their constitutional monarch - Queen of St Vincent and the Grenadines and not as Queen of the UK.

Sunday Stamps theme this week is - Black - See It On A Postcard

Having Fun

 

2013: Town Festivals (Design - Linda Olafsdottir)

Having fun at the festivals across Iceland.  There must be lots to enjoy for they issued another set the following year.

1972: 150th Anniversary of the Carnival in Cologne (Design - Erna de Vries)

On a different scale is one of Germany's biggest carnivals in Cologne. Described as "A celebration crazier than Oktoberfest", six days of mayhem, no wonder there are clowns on the stamp.

1979: Quebec Carnival (Design - Antoine Dumas)

Wrap up warm it is the largest winter festival in the world in Quebec. Seen waving at the back is the carnivals mascot - Bonhomme Carnaval, who also gets his own ice palace!

1978: Christmas (Design - Faith Jaques)

Time to go indoors and dance around a tree singing carols

Sunday Stamps theme this week is - Festivals, People having a good time - See It On A Postcard