Clouds

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

The Baltic Sea breaking on the rocks in the Åland Islands as night approaches. I believe this is the rocky shores of Hammarudda (Hammerhead) on Marienhamn..  The image was used in 2018 for their SEPAC stamp entry on the theme Spectacular Views.

Yewbarrow and Wastwater

There might be a shower or two in the clouds gathering over the hills in the Lake District.  

Loch Garry and the Knoyodart Hills, Lochaber

Benevolent clouds in the highlands of Scotland.

Breezy Days

 See It On A Postcard's Thursday Postcard Hunt, this month is watching the weather, today - Blue Skies

Ravenglass is one of the coastal villages of West Cumbria, the gulls are flying on the breeze. The painting is by the watercolour artist Alfred Heaton Cooper(1863-1929) known for his paintings of the Lake District and the Norwegian fjords.  The scene is a  reprinting of one of the early railway companies (Furness Railway) postcards showing the view from Gull Island of the village and a steam train crossing the viaduct heading south.

'A Sudden Gust of Wind' (after Hokusai) by the Canadian photographer Jeff Wall. The original is a photographic transparency which is in an illuminated display case. The Hokkusai can be seen on Wikipedia's Jeff Wall page.

 For contrast here is an idyllic still summer day in the Koli National Park, Finland. Lake Pielinan seen from the top of Ukko-Koli, a hill named after the God of the Sky (and weather), Ukko 

Red in Nature

 

2026: Waterfalls

The Pistyll Rhaeadr (Spring of the Waterfall) in mid-Wales, it was reduced to a trickle in July when a drought was declared in Wales, nobody had seen the falls so low.  It started to rain in September so maybe it looks like this now.

2025: Mushrooms

Nice damp weather for the fungi, such as the Scarlet Elf Cup, it is said the wood elves drink morning dew from the cups. The Fly Algaric is home to fairies.

1992: Edible Berries

Autumn of course is a time for foraging for berries and fruits. The kinnikinnick, is an Algonquin name for 'smoking mixture'; they were only interested in the leaves of this shrubby plant but bears and small mammals prefer the berries.

2008: Wishes

Swimming into view, two fish in love

2003: Roses in Norway

The deep velvety red of a 'Grand Prix' rose, the flower of love

2009: Meteorology

Natures 'goodnight' extravaganza with reds and yellows and pink

An entry to Sunday Stamps theme - Red - See It On A Postcard 

Crossings the Dales

 See It On A Postcard's Thursday Postcard Hunt  is travelling inland over bridges

Settle-Carlisle Postcard No 62

66150 taking cement tanks from Clitheroe to Moss End past the Mount Zion chapel via Dandry Mire Viaduct. The chapel opened in 1876, its foundation stone laid on the 1st May of that year to coincide with the first day of passenger trains running on the line. It is believed to be the only place of of worship in the UK built by railway contractors. Before the permanent chapel was built a temporary wooden shack on the site served as chapel, school and reading room for the railway navvies (workers). Weekly services stopped in 1999 but it is lovingly preserved by the Friends of Hawes Junction Chapel and now provides welcome shelter and maybe reflection for walkers and cyclists exploring the Yorkshire Dales.

Settle to Carlisle Postcard No 53

I've shown a postcard of Ribblehead Viaduct before but as one of my favourite viaducts I seem to have accumulated views of it in all season so here it is in autumn/winter colours. The locomotive is Capability Brown travelling south from Glasgow to London Euston. The loco carried the name Capability Brown (after the famous landscape gardener) from 1992 to 1996 and was subsequently renamed High Peak in 1998 possibly because it changed from passenger service to freight.

Rivers

1965: Gorges du Tarn

The Tarn River in Southern France carving it way through limestone cliffs which tower up to 600m above it.. The gorge has a microclimate that can be hot in summer and mild in winter. A canoeist says it is a most amenable river to paddle along. 

1982: Navigation on the Danube - Danube Commission

The Danube - a  river that has been in the news in this long hot summer as it reaches record lows. The stamp show the ferry Kamzic passing under the SNP (Slovak National Uprising) Bridge, today called the New Bridge. The Kamzic was built in 1972 and could carry up to 200 passengers. It was a popular attraction for Bratislava residents but stopped operating in 2003

1970: Floating Logs - Log Driver Johan Eriksson

Timmerflotting (historic log driving) from the times past when harvested timber was floated down rivers to saw mills. The trees were cut in winter and the spring floods sent them on their watery journey. Commercial floating ended in 1991 with a final drive on the River Klaralven. 

2023: River Wildlife

An Atlantic Salmon making its epic journey from ocean to the freshwater river or stream where  it was hatched, jumping up and over weirs and waterfalls to reach their ultimate destination. But for lazy summer days for humans what could be more pleasant than sitting on a river bank and spotting a Kingfisher. The juveniles will leave home this month in search of territories of their own so there may be more opportunities to see Kingfishers in unexpected places than normal. 

Sunday Stamps theme - Rivers - See  It On A Postcard

Mounains in Monochrome

 

1983: Low Value Definitive Stamps

Seven Stars Crags are limestone karsts peaks rising out of Star Lake in Guangdong. The lake is 20k long. I believe the early morning golden hour is the ideal time to capture the peaks reflections in the lake. The area is also famous for its colourful caves, underground rivers and ancient stone inscriptions.

Mt Zhumulangma, the Chinese name for Mt Everest

Taishan Mountains. Mount Tai is one of China's five sacred mountains rising to an elevation of 5,069 ft (1545 metres) and designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There are about 7000 steps to climb to the top! Over 70 Chinese Emperors have used the stone steps,  an imperial path to ascend the mountain to perform the sacrifices to heaven and earth at the top. Emperors and their massive entourages started the ascent from the Dai Temple. While emperors walked the sacred path as a display of piety and humility they sometimes were carried in sedan chairs up the steepest sections like the 'Eighteen Bends' which lead to the mountain's summit. This single section contains contains exactly 1.633 stone steps carved directly into the mountain cliff. Pity those sedan carriers.

1979: Kluane National Park (National Park definitive series)

Kluane National Park, home of high mountains, glaziers and grizzly bears. The artist Alan C Collier travelled to southwestern Yukon to paint its rugged icy white mountain landscape. The stamp features his 'Across the Tundra'.

Sunday Stamps theme this week - Mountains - See It On A Postcard 

Shelters

 See It On a Postcard's Thursday Postcard Hunt - Shelters

Charcoal Burning

A charcoal burners hut. A charcoal burn requires constant day and night supervision to watch the smoke colour and seal any cracks in the earth mound and control the air flow. The huts are simple structures consisting of a stone base, wooden poles, turf and branches.  At the height of the industrial revolution there must have been hundreds. The remains can still be seen in the woods today, here is an example.

Barn in Winter. (2016: Finnish Barns Maximum Card 112)

 I presume this what the Finns call a Lato (Hay Barn). A good thing to take shelter in if you were caught in a snow storm.

But let our thoughts turn to summer and the 3-12 August 1951 Scout Jamboree in Bad Jschl, Austria. This card has both a hut and tents. The card comes with a

postmark and a scouts message home as he sets out in that direction. It says "At the moment I am not sure who is going to wait for who at Dieppe but I believe it is equal. Otherwise alive and I am not broke yet. Today it is sun again"

Waterfalls

 

1956: Power Stations and Waterfalls (Artist - S Jonsson)

Skogafoss, a 60 metre waterfall on Iceland's south coast with easy access from a car park. 

1977: Europa - Landscapes

In contrast the remote "off-the-beaten-track"  Ofaeru waterfall (Ofaerufoss)  in Iceland's Southern Highlands, a two tier waterfall plunging 40 metres (130 ft). The natural stone bridge spanning the falls was washed away by melting glaciers in 1993.

2026: Waterfalls

High Force, County Durham. The River Tees plunges 21 metres over a vertical cliff. After heavy rain the peat laden river splits into two falls but the rock can be completely covered  by water in exceptional weather.. England's most powerful waterfall in terms of volume.

Hardraw Falls, North Yorkshire plummets over a limestone lip, eroding softer rock to create an overhang. Visitors to this natural amphitheater are warned not to walk behind the veil of water because of the precarious nature of the overhang. 

Sunday Stamps A-Z this week at the letter W - Waterfalls - See It On A Postcard 

Lines

 See It On A Postcard's Thursday Postcard Hunt for Lines

The old half-timbered houses of Vannes, Brittany

Lines in the sand.   On the reverse of the card - "The mysterious and eternal sand dunes of Lake Michigan reflect and shadow the light of the afternoon sun. Ever constant, ever changing in form and beauty, the dunes provide a peaceful and relaxing atmosphere."

 

In contrast the hard lines of a railway crossing at Darley Dale (Church Lane Crossing) near Matlock, Derbyshire. The card shows the  Flying Scotsman visiting the heritage railway, Peak Rail, in August 2000.

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.

Tree Time

 

See It On A Postcard's Thursday Postcard Hunt - Parks and Gardens visiting National Parks

SJ Lamorna Birch travelled the length of England and Scotland from his home in Cornwall to paint travel posters for LMS (London, Midlands and Scottish) Railways. This view of Loughrigg Tarn was painted c1925. One can walk around the tarn and is one of the 'Miles without Stiles' walks in the Lake District National Park.

 

Another 'Miles without Stiles' walk is around Tarn Hows and is a very popular walk with fine views. 

Lathkill Dale, Nr Bakewell

A sunny walk along the Lathkill River which lies at the heart of the Peak District National Park. 

Nature

 

Heart in Nature (Designer Jenny Burman)

The colours of nature

2003: New Zealand Landscapes

on land

and sea

1984: Flower

A  pink Mexican Creeper with its heart shaped leaves, also known as the Bee Bush 

1991 and 1988: Native Birds

Rock Wren - a songbird of the mountains where it stays even in winter. A kingfisher bringing colour to rivers and watery places.

Sunday Stamps A-Z today N for Nature, New Zealand and Nicaragua - See It On A Postcard 

Blue Yonder

 See It On A Postcard's Thursday Postcard Hunt is enjoying spring and the colour Blue

Apollo 11 Launch - 16 July 1969

A perfect launch from Cape Kennedy to set foot on the moon

Decent of Soyuz TMA19M Decent Module, June 2016

A safe deployment of parachute and a decent to Earth after six months orbiting our planet on the International Space Station

Zennor Village with Church of St Sennara and the Tinners Arms

Back on terra firma on the tip of England in Cornwall. It is said if one wants to find a pub then look for a church tower. St Sennara is a Breton saint and shows the Celtic connection between Cornwall and Brittany.

.At the Postal Museum you can travel underground on Mail Rail, a postal railway which once traversed London through narrow tunnels (1927-2003),  today the experience is just for pleasure. The Postal Museum started life in the basement of  GPO Headquarters in 1969. It moved in 1998 to Mount Pleasant archives but this card brings us to the present day. A publicity/donation appeal card issued in 2016. The Museum and Mail Rail opened in its present building in 2017.

Island Life

 

2014: 50 Years of Manx Radio

Weather forecasts on Manx radio and a rather topical stamp this weekend. Strong winds in the Irish Sea have  resulted in ferry crossings being cancelled. The fronts and troughs of low pressure near Iceland and high pressure in the Atlantic have produced weather very different to last year when we enjoyed unusually warm weather.  Ah how fickle is Spring.

1991: Manx Photography (Design - Colleen Corlett)

  The first recorded photograph in the Isle of Man (to be found in the Manx Museum) dates back to the 1850s

These are later. 17p photo by Marshall Wane (operating between 1865 and 1882) of local businessman and philanthropist  Henry Bloom Noble with his group of orphan boys. 21p taken at the beginning of the 20th Century of Douglas on a more benign day than my first stamp. It is by a well know name for postcard collectors, Fredrick Frith, who travelled the British Isles and took approximately a quarter of a million photographs.

26p is from the photographer Hilda Newby (1897-1969) know on the island as a Studio Photographer. 31p is of Cashtal yn Ard one of many landscapes taken by Christopher Killip in the 1970s. The English translation is Castle of the Heights, a megalithic chamber tomb.

The stamp designer of this set, Colleen Corlett, a keen photographer, provides the last photo of a not unfamiliar coastal sight, seagulls at a picnic table. I wonder what tasty morsels they have found?  A 1990 view of Peel where the descendants of those seagulls will probably be scavenging  in the same place in 2026 and looking forward to the coming tourist season.

Sunday Stamps A-Z for Isle of Man and Inclement weather - See It On A Postcard