Beardy Men

 

1972: 400th Anniversary of the Birth of Johannes Kepler

As they say "On the shoulders of giants" so with astronomy and for the purpose of this week's Sunday Stamps hirsute theme, a fine beard.  Kepler travelled

1946:Tycho Brahe - 400th Anniversary of his Birth (Design V Bang; Engraver S Ewert)

to meet Tycho Brahe near Prague in 1600 where Brahe was constructing a new observatory.  Looking at their depiction in these two stamps they had not only astronomy in common.

1972: Celebrity Portraits (Design - Hans Erni)

Only a moustache from Albert Einstein .  With that famous hair the addition of a beard might have been a little over the top.

1986-7: Definitives The Post - Past and Present (Design K Oberli; Engraver P Schopfer)

My postie doesn't have a beard however this one from Switzerland does.

Sunday Stamps theme this week is - Beards and moustaches - growing at  See It On A Postcard

Mountains and Lakes

 

1986: USSR Sport's Committee Int Mountaineering Camps (Design - I Kozlov)

Head into the wilds on the border of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan to climb a popular mountain, Lenin Peak (7,134m/23,406ft).

1936-48: Views (Design and Engraving - Karl Bickel)

Here in Switzerland there is a choice between strolling by lakes or climbing peaks such as Mt Pilatus (2073m). Good news there is a quicker route up the mountain on the world's steepest cog railway or even quicker the Dragon Ride, an aerial cable car. Next is Chillon Castle by Lake Geneva with the Dents du Midi mountain range in the distance. The stamp comes in brown and

purple. Then we have Lake Lugano and Mt San Salvatore

1938: National Fete. Fund for Swiss Subjects Abroad

The Tell Chapel was built where, in legend, William Tell leapt from the boat of his captors in a storm and escaped.

1992: Edible Berries (Design - Dennis Noble: Engraving Ashton Potter)

Well after all that travelling maybe nibble on some berries.  I read that the Inuit dried or froze Black Crowberries and also brewed the twigs for tea. This scene is certainly the perfect place for a brew.

Sunday Stamps theme this week is - Mountains and Hills - reach the heights on See It On A Postcard 

Flowers

 

1978: Establishment of the Govt of the Northern Territory

Sturt's Desert Rose, a woody shrub related to the cotton plant found in sandy soils and by dry river beds in Australia. They have a deep roots to search out water and it is the floral emblem of the Northern Territory

1982: Roses (Design - Heinz Schillinger)

For more forgiving climates the perfect  'real' rose that is long flowering and scented - the Bourbon, so called because it originated in the island of Reunion (the former Ile de Bourbon)

1977: Meadow Flowers - Trifolium pratense

 

Walking through clover rich grassland with the buzz of bees, summer in one wild flower

2013: 150th Anniversary of the Birth of Ernst Kreidolf

 

and perhaps there are flower fairies nearby.  The stamp came with

2016; Summer - Laser Cut (Design - Martine Dietrich

 

the perfect accompaniment; though I could have wished for more ink or a hefty hand stamp on the cancel.

2001: Flowers

Perhaps a confusing name - Singapore Rhododendron (Melastoma malabathricum), neither a rhododendron nor confined to Singapore.  It is a prolific spreader, no wonder it is escaping its stamp borders.  Part of a jointly issued Swiss/Singapore mini sheet which can be seen in full bloom here

Sunday Stamps theme this week - Flowers - more growing at See It On A Postcard

Easter

1974: Rozhem Monastery Wood Carvings - "Passover Table" 

 Picture the scene, a man called Simon has travelled a great distance from Cyrene (in modern day Libya) to mark Passover in Jerusalem's temple and has been caught up in a jeering crowd.

1970: Easter. The Stations of the Cross - 'Christ falls for the first time'

He sees Jesus being whipped or rather scourged and sinking under the weight of a cross. Suddenly a Roman soldier seizes Simon and compels him to carry the cross.  From innocent bystander he walks into history carrying the cross through the crowds and behind Jesus to Golgotha. Well that day didn't turn out as expected for him!  No other mention is made of Simon; the Gospels only tell of the women and the 'beloved disciple' who stayed near the cross at the end.

2014: Easter Surprise

Journey from sadness to happiness and Sunday - the day of the Easter Surprise.

Happy Easter

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

Polyglotism

 

1971: International Letter Writing Week - Paintings by Durer

I start with French although this stamp has connections to other languages. Durer's German and his painting of a Venetian Girl who would have spoken Venetian or Veneto, which I read evolved from Vulgar or Colloquial Latin.

1930: 2000th Anniversary of the Birth of Virgil (Design Corrado Mezzana)

1930 and everybody is speaking Italian. But wait. Head back into classical times, no such thing.  The Roman poet Virgil gets 13 stamps featuring scenes from his 'Aeneid' and 'Georgics', this a harvesting scene from the latter.  Now I move from Latin to Runic

1953-1956: The Millennial (Design V Bang; Engraving B Jacobsen)

 and the Runic inscriptions on the 10th Century Jelling Stone from Jutland

1981: Historical Writings (Design K Oberli; Engraving M Muller)

 and one from the Faroe Islands, the 9th Century Kirkjubøur stone.  Then we have the international language of music (a folk song from 1846) and a page from a 1298 code of laws.

 Seal with a ram and the title page of a book of 1673 with a library room as background

1953: Old Manuscripts (Design T Jonsson

 Lastly, a book translated into a myriad languages,. Here the  Stjórn interpretation of the Bible, a collection of Old Norse translations of the Old Testament

Sunday Stamps theme this week is - A Different Language - read more on See It On A Postcard