Bridges, old and new

These first two bridges, the Pontcysyllte aqueduct (opened 1805) in north Wales and the iron bridge (opened 1781) at Ironbridge, were part of an industrial archaeology series of stamps published in 1989.  At the time, the bridge was already a UNESCO World Heritage Site, then, in 2009, the aqueduct was added to the list.

I don't know if this third bridge, the Gateshead Millennium Bridge will ever join them on the list.  Only time will tell. The stamp was part of the huge series issued to mark the Millennium, this one in June 2000.

This is a post for Sunday Stamps, hosted by Violet Sky at "See it on a Postcard!"  As usual, click on the link to see some bridges on stamps.

Ballet

I never did want to be a ballerina when I grew up.  Even as a child I knew I would never manage to look like this, though if I'd seen this card, maybe I might have tried a little harder.

It is a card of a very beautiful stamp issued by the United States Postal Service in 1998 to honour classical ballet.

This is a post for Postcard Friendship Friday, hosted by Beth at The Best Hearts are Crunchy.

Fish on stamps

These two stamp cards are part of a larger series, British River Fishes, issued in 1983.  The other two which I no longer have were salmon and trout.

I've always said that collecting postcards, and in this case also stamp collecting, is educational.  In many parts of France, they fish and eat a river fish called "sandre".  They happily told me it was a hybrid of pike and perch but I see now from the stamp cards that in fact pike and perch are not only different species but different families.

So I investigated further and Wikipedia tells me that "sandre" or zander is called pike-perch only because it resembles both fish.  Apparently it's considered a delicacy in many places in Europe.  I can certainly vouch for it being very pleasant to eat.

Back to the present, and the task in hand. This is a post for Sunday Stamps, hosted by Violet Sky at "See it on a Postcard!"  As usual, click on the link to see some other fishy tales.

Summer on stamps

I tend to think of the seaside and summer going hand in hand though I have to say that actually living by the seaside is starting to put a dent in that association. This summer has been less than spectacular.

The top set of stamp cards showing "Seaside Architecture" dates from 2014. It included the bandstand stamp that was Royal Mail's Europa offering for the theme of traditional music. It also included Blackpool Pleasure Beach.

Blackpool Tower, part of the Pleasure Beach, was featured in 2011 in the A to Z of Britain series.

This is a post for Sunday Stamps, hosted by Violet Sky at "See it on a Postcard!"

Butterflies

I would have sworn I had shown these butterfly stamp cards before, but if I did, then I can't find them.  The first is from a recent series, "British Butterflies" issued in 2013, and the second from a series also called "British Butterflies" issued in 1981.

And here is a stamp that arrived just this week, from Belgium, just to make a change from the PHQ stamp cards.

This is a post for Sunday Stamps, hosted by Violet Sky at "See it on a Postcard!"

Postal theme

I've shown almost all my postally themed stamp cards in the past so I've had to scrape the barrel. You can't have post without stamps of some sort so I've chosen these two.  It's really only one degree of separation, don't you think?

This is a post for Sunday Stamps, hosted by Violet Sky at "See it on a Postcard!"

Mushrooms

Neither of these PHQ stamp cards are in my possession because I've sent them to people who collect mushroom cards.  Personally, although I find them interesting, I don't think they are attractive at all and even verge on being sinister.  Day of the Triffids and all that.  I think I read that book too young.

The first, as you can see, was issued in 1988 and ten years later came the second.  Interestingly, the 34p stamp was the highest value of the set, as was the 63p in 1998.  Now 63p is the first class internal mail rate, just seven years later again.

This is a post for Sunday Stamps, hosted by Violet Sky at "See it on a Postcard!"

Peace and Freedom

When I first thought of the theme of "peace", I thought of a dove but the only stamps cards I could find were Christmas ones, and I've posted them before when the theme was birds, I believe.

Then I thought of the rose called "Peace" but all the roses I could find had other names.  I was sure I had a card of that rose but no, I didn't.

So, I'm left with a set of stamps and stamp cards, not my favourite designs, which were issued in 1995 under the title "Peace & Freedom".  It's something of a conglomeration of anniversaries though I suppose they are all linked in a way to peace:

150th anniversary of the British Red Cross
50th anniversay of the end of World War II
50th anniversary of the United Nations.

This is a post for Sunday Stamps, in its current home at "See it on a Postcard!"

Weapons

I thought I was going to be defeated by weapons (the theme) until I remembered some cards showing the uniforms of various regiments in the British Army.  And they have weapons!

These are two out of a set of five from the 1983 series of stamps and PHQ stamp cards.

This is a post for Sunday Stamps, in its current home at "See it on a Postcard!"

Dinosaurs

At one time, or so it seemed to me, dinosaurs were a very popular choice on Postcrossing wishlists.  It was probably about the time of Jurassic Park.  I bought this set of Royal Mail stamp cards and a second set which was issued more recently.

Of course, dinosaurs have now gone out of fashion and I have only managed to send out 4-5 altogether.

This is a post for Sunday Stamps, in its current home at "See it on a Postcard!"

Health

Bear with me while I quickly rectify my mis-scheduled dinosaur post. The good thing is that next Sunday I can relax. :)

The two health related cards I received as a protective layer for some vintage cards I bought on eBay but they seem too good to throw away.  They are free/ad cards so probably nobody wants them.

The first is a Czech card promoting blood donation.  The words mean "Less blood, less help" according to Google.  On the back it asks for help in maintaining the levels of regular blood donors.

The final card, however, is the only health-related stamp card I can lay my hands on just now.

This is a very much last minute, thrown together, post for Sunday Stamps, in its current home at "See it on a Postcard!"

K is for Korea

It's Monday and, on my self-imposed schedule, I should be showing a map card.  However K map cards seem to be in short supply.  I have none of Kentucky or Kansas, while I have already posted one map of Seoul in Korea and another ancient map of Goseong.

So here we have a postcard issued by Korea Post in 2008, along with a set of two stamps, each worth 250 won, illustrating the King Sejong Station Special.  2008 was the International Polar Year, hence the stamps.

The King Seong Station was established in the Antarctic in 1988, so it was also the 20th anniversary of its founding.  There are 17 researchers all year long but during the "summer" months, the number rises to 60 to 70 people.

My son went to the Antarctic one summer four or five years ago and brought back some of the most amazing photos I have seen.

People at Work

History repeats itself.  There have been men tunnelling under London until just a few weeks ago to create the new Crossrail routes with 21 km of new tunnels.  They have had the benefits of modern tunnelling machines which the men in the stamp card above did not.

These men were creating the first underground electric railway, using a Greathead Shield.  They had to dig out the clay from behind the the shield then force the shield forward.  The original image for the stamp card above came from the London Transport Museum and you can see it on the Transport for London site.

The stamps and stamp cards were issued in 2013 to commemorate 150 years of the London Underground.  I did show this card just over two years ago.

This is a post for Sunday Stamps, in its current home at "See it on a Postcard!"

British gardens

A set of stamps was issued in 1983 to celebrate British gardens.  Not just any gardens, you'll notice, but gardens of stately homes.  They show very nicely the changing style over the years.  The only one I've visited myself is Sissinghurst.  I can recommend it as being well worth a visit.

This is a post for Sunday Stamps, in its new home at "See it on a Postcard!"

Welsh Sheep

I haven't received any Year of the Sheep stamps yet so I've had to settle for this PHQ stamp card.  It was issued as a Wintertime series in 1992.  The others in the series showed a fox, a deer, a redwing and a hare, but these are Welsh Mountain Sheep, a hardy breed.

This is a post for Sunday Stamps, in its new home at See it on a Postcard!

Ships

Slightly odd, I think, for a Christmas issue, but that is what this is.  It is one of a set of five paintings by Peter Le Lievre,  issued by the Guernsey Post Office in 1980.

I had to include the second PHQ card even though the ship doesn't exactly take pride of place.  The Mary Rose was raised from the sea bed in the Solent north of the Isle of Wight and not so far from Portsmouth which is where she now rests, in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.  I went to see here early on in her restoration.

I also chose the card for Henry VIII, currently starring in Wolf Hall on BBC Two.  He's much more handsome in Wolf Hall but so far only got to Queen Number Two, Anne Boleyn.

This is a post for Sunday Stamps, in its new home at See it on a Postcard!

PS Windows 8 is as big a challenge as a broken computer.

Reflections in water

I've always loved reflections in water and that is why I've chosen these two PHQ stamp cards today (yesterday now...)

The top shows the Millennium Bridge in Gateshead.  Hopefully it didn't wobble like the one in London but probably not, as I've heard nothing about it.

The second card shows, so they say, the harbour in Portsmouth.  I lived not so far away and visited from time to time.  I can't say it's instantly recognisable.

I'm still struggling on with this computer but I'm crossing my fingers that by next week I will be singing and dancing.again with no more "Aw, snap" from Chrome or, worse, the blue screen of death.

This is a post for Sunday Stamps, in its new home at See it on a Postcard!

Import export

1990 marked the 25th anniversary of Queen's Award for Export and Technology when these two PHQ stamp cards were issued.  It was originally known as the Queen's Award to Industry, became for Export and Technology in 1975, and then in 1992 Environmental Achievement was added too.

I also found this stamp from India, for the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade

which I thought fitted in well with the theme.

I'm continuing to tiptoe around with a poorly computer and, to make things more exciting, an unrelated unreliable internet connection.  Maybe by next week I'll be all singing, all dancing again. Maybe.

This is a post for Sunday Stamps, in its new home at See it on a Postcard!

Astronomy is not astrology

I have had one of those long standing battles with my aging PC this week and have been backing up everything full speed (dead slow).  That should guarantee the aging PC will stagger on for another few months so that I can't justify buying a nice whizzy fast one just yet.  So I apologise for not having visited people.  I should do better .

Astrology evaded me but I found a few examples of astronomy and this one made me smile.  A rather puzzled smile but a smile.

The set of stamps, here shown as PHQ stamp cards, was issued in 1991 to mark Europe in Space and the work at the observatory in the Canary Islands.  They were designed by a Belgian artist (sticking to the European theme) and apparently are intended to make people wonder.  Yes, they do that.  One pair symbolises man looking out to space and the other someone looking back at man.

This is a post for Sunday Stamps, in its new home at See it on a Postcard!

Toys on stamps

Andy Pandy was a made-for-television character, a long time ago in the 1950s, but as he was a puppet and seen here with Teddy, I think they qualify as toys. This PHQ stamp card was issued by Royal Mail in a series of Children's TV at the very beginning of the year, 7 January 2014.

From the Ukraine is an illustration resulting from a competition held by UNESCO for children to draw their rights. Until I discovered the title, I was about to complain about the boys playing with toy boats, trains and so on while the girl had a doll.  But she also has a small aeroplane.  The title is "“Girls also want to be pilots!"

This is a post for Sunday Stamps, now at See it on a Postcard!