lines

 I appreciate the crispness and precision of the lines in the windows above, though they might be too perfect

but then we head outdoors, and I could sit and look at this view for hours and not feel somehow the need to also be perfect in its presence

fresh water island

 

tulips

 Tulips are maybe my favourite flower. There are so many sizes and styles and colours.  And I love that they close up at night and reopen in daylight, so each one looks like two different flowers

By the time you read this, I will be off on a road trip for two weeks.  All Sunday Stamps and Thursday Postcard Hunt posts have been scheduled so nothing will be missed.  Carry on as usual and I will check in with you all when I return.

soccer

 

CATURDAY

Now that the World Cup is in my own back yard, I am, oddly, less interested.  The shine has worn off.  Doesn't mean I won't get caught up in the matches at some point...

swans, again

A cygnet from the Abbotsbury Swannery.  This time presented as a postcard, not a stamp

Some royal curves...

We have our own Stratford swans.  Many of these are descendants of of a pair of mute swans gifted by Queen Elizabeth in 1973, but the origins go back to 1918.

swans

1993 

illustrations by David Gentleman

Mute swans from Abbotsbury Swannery in Dorset, which has an interesting - and ancient - history!

hermitage cat

 

CATURDAY

fonts and letters

there are several fonts, and languages, in this message for our June theme of 'shapes', this week: the shape of letters

information cards are always interesting, even if you already know all the information...

and a busy movie poster from 1943

reach

Although these stamps are from 1989, the reticulated giraffe was only officially recognized as a species by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) in 2025.  Until then, giraffes were classed as one species with nine subspecies.  Distinctive features are the sharp white lines that define the reddish-orange patches that extend down their legs and across their faces.

These creatures can reach up to 6 meters tall, making them the tallest land animal.  They mostly live in Kenya and were considered endangered in 2018, but are slowly recovering with a population of around 16,000-20,000.

cafe cat

 

CATURDAY

blue moon

 second moon in May, which peaks on May 31

forests

Alishan National Scenic Area, famous for its historic narrow-gauge railway that runs along an 86 km route from an elevation of 30 m up to the highest point in Taiwan of 2,316 m

The aunties are having fun dancing in a birch forest in Finland

quercus

 

Quercus rubra, or more commonly, red oak. Stamp is from 1978 and designed by Heather Cooper

Red oak is a native tree and the leaves can grow between 10cm to 20cm in length (or about 2" to 8") and are a good food source for deer, black bear and squirrels

sand dunes

 

My apologies for not posting this on Thursday.  All is well now, but I had a bit of a health issue which put me out of commission for a couple of days.

panda

 

There are no wild pandas in Mongolia, but there is on this 1974 stamp

As we near the end of this alphabet series, I'm wondering what your thoughts are for after we hit Z

Should we continue with another round of A-Z or would you prefer to have a weekly topic?

I see something

CATURDAY

gardens

This isn't a favourite card, but it came in a lot from someone who may have been clearing out a loved one's collection of postcards from a trip to Worthing.  Featuring two views of Beach House Park, Denton Park with its sunken garden, and Marine Gardens.  I like this one below as much for the architecture and the colourful cars as for the garden view from the windows (Steyne Garden)

oddities

First up is an octopus like creature, originally of Norwegian origin, known as the Kraken

and a serpent like creature named Ogopogo, who is said to live in underwater caves of Lake Okanagan

Ogopogo was seen as a sacred protector who is feared and respected by the Indigenous peoples, but as a demon by the later settlers.  Today, it is seen as an elusive, harmless mascot for the area.

a not so gentle bedtime history of the kraken

blue chair

 

CATURDAY

most photographed

 

Jasper has been a park since 1907, renamed as a National Park since 1930.  Since 1984 it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site

For MAY theme of parks and gardens!

a grand hotel

narcissists?

some spring narcissi from Canada, Germany and China

a diving duck from Poland called a netta rufina

and a nightingale, who may have the most beautiful and varied song

hello

CATURDAY 

Tours, Chambord, Chinon, Villandry, Ambroise, Loches

flower moon

April showers bring May flowers 

Valencia's oldest street

blue

 non threatening seashells...

MOPE means 'sea' in Russian

the typical Dutch song for your birthday is Lang zal je leven (long shall you live)

My first large letter card from Japan and it is BEAUTIFUL.  The sender really enjoyed her trip to this World Heritage area with some of Japan's most spectacular mountains and waterways as per a tourist website I found

maple trees

Sugar Maple is where the oh-so-delicious maple syrup comes from.  They do not like non-acidic or compacted soil, so are not found in urban areas.  Silver Maple is also not found in urban areas due to its brittle wood that breaks easily in storms and their shallow roots that can make a mess of sidewalks and foundations.

Norway Maples are a popular choice for landscaping but they are an invasive tree and several cities are working to take them out and replace them with something more suitable - and native.  Manitoba Maple has leaves which look more like an elder than a maple and is sometimes called a box elder

Here is the complete set of maple tree stamps issued in 1994.  Of the twelve shown, only ten are native (Norway and Hedge maples are invasive)

soaking up the sun

 

CATURDAY

purple

 

To me, this orchid looks more pink, but everything I've read online about the bulbophyllum longiflorum thouars says it has 'purple spotting'. It's common name is 'pale umbrella orchid'

but, I think we can all agree that this card from Czech Republic is definitely purple

as is this purple moon