Thursday, 11 June 2026

Curves

See It On A Postcard's  Thursday Postcard Hunt for shapes - Curves

2021: Lockdown Birds
A curvaceous bird. During Jersey's first Covid Lockdown in 2020 Berni Martin set herself a project to paint a bird every day. Using a box of paints girted to her by a friend she painted on 100 consecutive days sharing these cute little characters on social media. A selection appeared on Jersey Post's stamps in 2021.


It was especially glorious weather in the British Isles for the first lockdown. The traffic stilled and the birds sang their songs into the air.
The Domes of the Eden Project in Cornwall. The site was an old clay pit. It opened in 2000 and fully opened in 2001.. The largest biome houses a rain-forest and the other is a Mediterranean environment. Botanical gardens with plants for temperate climates are outside, the paths curving amongst them. Cornwall has a mild maritime climate influenced by the warm waters of the Gulf Stream and has  micro-climates ranging from tropical-like gardens to misty moorlands.

Sunday, 7 June 2026

The Grace of Swans

 

1971: Definitive - Mute Swan
A serene swan
1956: Nordic Day
Whooper swans on the wing,  The five swans symbolise the five Nordic nations.
1986: Water Birds

 A Tundra or Whistling swan who use Mongolia's lakes and wetlands as a temporary resting and feeding place during their spring and autumn migrations.
1987: Swans
Mute swan on land deciding on its next move. A preening Bewick's swan (a subspecies of the Tundra Swan).

Sunday Stamps A-Z for Swans and Sweden - See It On A Postcard 

Thursday, 4 June 2026

Send a Letter

 See It On A Postcard's Thursday Postcard Hunt for Shapes in the form of Letters

The Irish alphabet has 18 letters. It uses the Latin alphabet but omits eight letters used in English J K Q V W X Y and Z which are only used in loan words.
Oh no some letters are not going to make it onto the train
but these are on board and as the train speeds through the night to Scotland  the traveling post office's workers are sorting them ready for the morning delivery. The full Auden poem with the night train steaming through the countryside in 1936 can be seen here 

Sunday, 31 May 2026

Robots

 

1989: Europa - Games and Toys (Design  - Dan Fern)

A toy robot 

2017: Star Wars - Droids and Aliens (Illustrator: Malcolm Tween)

 The 'real' things in the Star Wars franchise

Artist Malcolm Tween discusses his "mini masterpieces"

2011-2013 Definitive - Canadian Flag

Robotic arm or the Shuttle Remote Manipulator System (SRMS)  on the Space Shuttle - Canadarm. First tested in orbit 1981, eventually after 90 missions, its last to the International Space Station in July 2011 Canadarm eventually took up its retirement home at the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum

Sunday Stamps A-Z - Robots and Robotics - See It On A Postcard 

Thursday, 28 May 2026

Forest

 See It On A Postcard's Thursday Postcard Hunt is in a Forest

The aunties welcoming the spring and enjoying the sun as much as the wood anemones in a woodland clearing. In old Scots this would be called a spinkie-den which is a woodland clearing full of flowers. I am sure the Finns have a name for it too.

 An early morning mist rising from a forest in North Kerala where I have been told there are bears.

 Moors and mist come together on Rievaulx Moor, North Yorkshire. It will be blue skies everywhere at the moment as we are in the middle of a heat wave.  The Forestry Commission car parking area serves as a start point for walks or just head up on the easy access track to reach the the whitewashed trig point which marks the 328m top and a reward of its 360 degree panoramic view.

Sunday, 24 May 2026

Queen


1990: Greeting Stamps - Smiles
Queen of Hearts by Colin Elgie.
1991: Europa - Europe in Space

In August 1846 Queen Victoria was the first monarch to visit Guernsey. The attention of European astronomers, and no doubt Price Albert, was on the hunt for a previously unknown eighth planet, in fact this planet, later named Neptune, was seen twice in August but mistaken for a star and was not identified as a planet until September 1846.

2020: Queen

Queen Live - Freddy Mercury at Wembley Stadium, 1986; Roger Taylor at Queen's free London concert, 1976; The full band photographed at Primrose Hill, 1974; John Deacon at the Hammersmith Odeon, 1975 and Brian May at Nepstadion,Budapest, 1986

Sunday Stamps A-Z and here at Q for Queen - See It On A Postcard  

Thursday, 21 May 2026

Beaches

See It On A Postcard's Thursday Postcard Hunt is at the beach

A choice of beaches at Carnac, the Grande Plage with its 2 kilometres of sand is the largest of the five but the Plage de Legenese, is said to be the most sheltered from the wind.
Heading for the west coast of Denmark famous for its sand dunes along the North Sea. It looks very peaceful
Bank Holiday crowds at Morecambe, Central Promenade early 20th century
Join the crowds at Morecambe. In the past the railway branch line would have terminated close to the sea front bringing day trippers and holiday makers to the seaside resort. A statutory public holiday (Bank Holidays are usually on a Monday) would be a peak time at seaside resorts. The crowds on the promenade will see the expanse of Morecambe Bay and the Lake District hills beyond.  Those on the beach have other things on their mind.