orange moments

 

"funny moments are meant to be shared"

a 'ladybug' resting on a dewy orange petal

It seems Highland cattle can be found in Westphalia Germany. (the text reads: loyal, soft, not overly delicate, that's really Westphalian style)

This cool cat is enjoying his saucer of tea

great lakes lights

 

It's annoying that the cancel cancels out the names of these lighthouses.  One for each of the Great Lakes is shown.  Left to right: Lake Superior's Split Rock; Lake Michigan's St Joseph; Lake Huron's Spectacle Reef; Lake Erie's Marblehead; Lake Ontario's Thirty Mile Point

green

 lady mouse in a mobcap

a hungry, hungry caterpillar

Pettson and Findus in their green kitchen

a green snake

one bite

PostNL wrapped this postcard in plastic with a letter of apology for the "damaged" card.  Except it wasn't actually damaged... it was meant to show a bite taken off the chocolate bar!

czech

I am quite intrigued by the engraved and illustrated stamps from Czechoslovakia and Czech Republic (Czechia) and have not yet seen a stamp that was a photograph.

I haven't gotten enough Slovakian stamps to see if they have continued this tradition, but looking online, I think they have.

from 1955

jewellery

glassware

and from 2003, these aquarium fish which I believe are angel fish

cheshire cat

 from Russia

CATURDAY

blue

 a blue cat by Louis Wain

 

blue dome, blue sky, blue sea

some blues for the first Thursday Postcard Hunt of 2025

the best

 

flights

 

Birds are a favourite theme and I was thrilled to find this first day cover featuring a barn owl and a kestrel in flight.  This makes me think of those flip books.  Photography is by S Dalton and the series dates to 2003.

Wishing you all a year of fanciful flights in 2025

christmas in sweden

In Sweden (as well as other countries) the pig is a symbol of good luck.  It had its heyday in the 19th century and a pigs head was common fare for Christmas dinner. This card is illustrated by Jenny Nystrom (1854-1946) who became Sweden's most prolific painter and illustrator.

A few months after Jenny Nystrom died, Sven Nordqvist was born.  He also went on to illustrate children's books; his most well known being Pettson and Findus.

gingerbread

 

I managed to buy these Christmas stamps before the post office went on strike, but have not had a chance to use them. They went on strike Nov 15 ... update: they are back! and mail is moving.

Anyway, these gingerbread houses are different from the ones the USPS issued in 2013.  Ours feature a birdhouse (Canada), a doghouse (US), and a barn (International)

keeping warm

 after a long night...

a stylish squirrel having a break

even the deer are drawn to the flames on the candle

 

 

 

ski wear was certainly different in 1939

red

 

the male cardinal is a bright spot in winter, especially where I live when most of the colourful birds have moved south

red is a popular colour for mailboxes in many countries

and decorators often suggest a pop of red somehere n a room, so this red chair would be welcome

plus a bonus red envelope for your Christmas cards

life in snow

this ice is so comfy...

   seals, blending well with the snow

a Finnish reindeer, standing out in the snow in all their finery

some animals in the snow for Thursday Postcard Hunt

nature

 

glass

In 1999, this magnificent selection from the Corning Museum of Glass was issued

Free blown, mold blown, pressed, and art glass

From 1967, a view of part of Marc Chagall's Peace Window in the UN building, NY.  The full piece is 15' x 12' (which is larger than my living room)

snow

sometimes, the snows falls before all the leaves

sometimes, it doesn't fall on mountains in November, as has happened in Japan this year. snow fell on the 6th, but almost immediately melted away, unlike in this vintage postcard of Mt Fuji in winter.

 

 

But, maybe for more consistent views of snow in winter, you need to head over to Finland.
 

lost in translation

 

I'm not really sure what kind of fruit this is (mango?), though I suspect the Chinese script in the corner gives a clue (if I could read Chinese)

 

This one from Belarus was also tricky.  Turns out it is a 'common raccoon dog' which is not at all a raccoon.  Or a dog.  It is a canid that is closely related to a fox. They are widespread in eastern Europe and Asia.

 

The Moravian Museum is easily translatable.  Okay, I had to google translate 'zemske' (regional)

and, this is obviously the Bavarian Forest, in full winter  splendour

 

some foreign languages for Sunday Stamps

two town views

 

Sent in 1900 to South Shields (an almost 5 hour drive from Cheltenham) in England.

On this card we have 'the Promenade' (top right) which dates back to 1818 in the height of the Regency period, with 'the fountain' (top left).  'Pitville Gardens' is on the bottom, which seems to be a misspelling of Pittville Gardens, part of a large estate created by Joseph Pittville in 1825 for the "rich & famous who came to live in Cheltenham".  The estate includes a large ornamental lake and a pump room (as would befit a spa town).  By 1894, the park was open to the general public.  In the centre is the Cheltenham Ladies College (founded in 1854) a private boarding and day school for girls aged 11-18.

I know a bit less about this town in West Pomerania - not to be confused with Szczecin, the capital of West Pomerania. (including how to properly pronounce it!).  Szczecinek was given town status in 1310.

The building in the top row middle, is the town hall with quite a large fountain.  Most of the city was spared in WWII and the entire old town (middle row far right) is a national heritage monument to Poland.  The image below that shows the Church of St Mary's.  The statue may be of Adam Giedrys, an astronomer and tailor.  The others seem to show various ways you can enjoy yourself in the town.

belgium

 architecture

small animals

 red fox and red squirrel

an exasperated mama cat

 

 

 

those eyes...