Neolithic

 See It On A Postcard's Thursday Postcard Hunt is in search of the ancient, buildings and artifacts

Entrance Stone c3000BC

I couldn't find a card for the Summer Solstice which will be celebrated at Stonehenge when the sun rises on the 21st but here is the Entrance Stone at Newgrange passage tomb and where, when the Winter Solstice occurs, a beam of light will come through the window and illuminate the small room inside for 17 minutes at dawn. The room can hold 20 people at a time and there is a lottery in Ireland where the fickle finger of fate will decide who will journey into this ancient space at that hour.

Newgrange or in Gaelic Bru na Boinne, is located in the Boyne Valley, a place full of ancient neolithic structures.  What is striking from the outside are the quartz walls gleaming in the light.  Quartz was important to our neolithic ancestors as rock crystals do unusual things with light.

For scale travel to France and the 3000 Carnac stones.  The card shows the Menec alignments and says on the back "Will the Menec Lines ever reveal their secrets?" The question remains unanswered but as can be seen there are not only stones but lichen too so something to wonder about for both historian and naturalist.

Family Men

 

2019: 50th Anniversary Apollo 11 Moon Landings (Design - Edward Fuglø)

The artist Edward Fuglø's earliest childhood memory was of his father holding him up at the window, pointing at the sky and telling him about the men on the moon.

1974: Renoir Paintings

Auguste Renoir married his model Aline Charigot and here they are enjoying a sojourn in Guernsey, although the paintings were actually created in Paris.  Renoir had realised that he became so mesmerised by the light painting outdoors that his composition suffered so took his sketches back to the studio.  August and Aline had three sons (one of whom was the film director Jean Renoir) and he often painted his family. There are only 3 portraits of Aline but she would also appear in his other paintings, the most famous one is of her playing with a dog as part of a boating party in 'Le Dejeuner des Canotiers'

1955: Five Year Plan

A sightseeing trip for the family.  This is a bit of an outlier in a set featuring economic and industrial development although one of the results of this experiment/plan was urbanisation.

Sunday Stamps theme this week - Fatherly Men - See It On A Postcard

Seasons

 See It On A Postcard's Thursday Postcard Hunt is looking at the seasonal...

"Anjou and Touraine of Yesteryear"

It is September in the gardens of the Chateau du Samur portrayed in 'Les Riches Heures du Duc de Berry" as it looked in 1410 with, I suggest, some artistic license.  The card reminded me I have a book of postcards from this gem. Because rather than perforated cards they are bound I have never felt able to crack open the binding so it remain intact, rather a good move in hindsight.

A Book of Hours refers to the hours of prayer during the day and has illustrations of religious topics but the Duc du Berry's also has the labours of the month and here we have June and the harvest.  The other months can be seen in the Daily Art.  Duke John of Berry collected illustrated manuscripts and on his death left a collection of over 150 manuscripts of which this one was the jewel in the crown.

Winter, a season for resting as the snow falls, unless you are a sheep farmer.  This is the valley of Toutbeck and the settlement of the same name. For  the art lover, or possessor of a book of hours, the church , not too far away, has pre-raphaelite stained glass windows which were installed when it was being restored in the 19th Century.

Countryside

 

2004: A British Journey - Wales

An aerial view of the Welsh countryside, lots to see and do.  All of these have nice countryside walks

1990: National Parks

but these two look as they are setting off fully loaded for a long distance hike in the Pieljakaise National Park

1994:The Age of Steam

Enjoy the views of the countryside from a train window, this one is travelling though Scotland on the West Highland Way.  1994, the year the stamp was issued, was also the year of the opening of the Channel Tunnel.  Another journey by train could be taken from Scotland down to London

1961: Tourist Publicity

and onto the Eurostar to Paris, change on to the TGV, then hop off at Angouleme, there will be a half an hour wait for the local train to arrive and then  on to the destination ,Cognac. Daydreaming a trip I read one can book a "chic picnic", enjoy walking the small roads through the vineyards to meet the winegrower-distiller then eventually settle down in the middle of the vines to a picnic of local produce with wine and cognac. A  relaxing day out in the countryside.

Sunday Stamps is visiting the countryside at See It On A Postcard

Sunrise Sunset

 See It On A Postcard's Thursday Postcard Hunt is book-ending the day with Sunrise and Sunset

The "rosy fingered dawn" and a lone moose, all is peaceful

The buzz of the city at sunset. My sender says "The Point, where you see the fountain, is a great summer escape in my city. Sometimes there are free concerts out there"  Part of the card description says "Seen here, the Golden Triangle and its waterway periphery glow in the Pittsburgh evening sky"  Water and sunsets are always a delight

especially if there is a setting sun melting into the sea.

Movement

1987: Stamp Day

The movement of mail.  The bicycles have to be sturdy but for speed they have to be light

1984: Olympic Games, Los Angeles

and if racing against the clock also

1996: Olympic Games, Atlanta

aerodynamic

1984: Winter Olympics, Sarajevo

ice adds to the speed

1994: Stamp Day

although when delivering mail a more sedate pace is recommended. The stamp shows a Spreewald postman of 1900. I read that the Spreewald (Spree Forest) meaning the forest along the River Spree is sometimes called the Green Venice of Germany, perhaps for postie it is skates in the winter and a boat in the summer.

1961: 3rd Women's Gymnastic Championship

Meanwhile in a different part of Germany a sport that pushes the boundaries of what movements the human body can achieve

1961: Pioneers Meeting, Erfurt

but dancing is for everyone.

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

Fountains

 See It On A Postcard's Thursday Postcard Hunt is in search of fountains, a celebration of water

Trier, Fountain on the Market-place

The fountain with two names, its location - Market Fountain or the figure surveying the scene - St Peter's Fountain (the cities patron saint). The details on the card are indistinct but Peter is holding a very large key, heaven's gate is probably very big although they say the road to it is narrow.  Better pictures of the fountain can be found at Hither and Thither with a bonus photo of market day.

I do like postcard journeys and this German scene, found in a Canadian charity shop, was posted from the west coast of Canada.  I thought this was my only fountain postcard but after a delve through an inherited box of cards found

this of Sheffield probably from the 1960/70s the fountain was on the Midland Station Roundabout. Today it is replaced by the Cutting Edge water sculpture and a lot less greenery after the area was redeveloped in 2006. Sheffield is 'Steel City' and has been making cutlery since medieval times, hence the 'cutting edge' theme.  The Victorian station was originally build in a slum area prone to flooding and outbreaks of malaria. They culverted the River Sheaf  through triple tunnels so if standing on the station platform the river runs beneath your feet.   The city gets its name from the River Sheaf and today the river is acknowledged for instead of Midland Station Roundabout it is now Sheaf Square.