KGB

Hotel Viru, Tallin

Built in 1972 and the first high rise building in Estonia. From this angle, those two towers look awfully close together giving the whole thing a look of a double headboard and a bed.

In the Soviet era "any hotel that was appropriate for foreign visitors had to be appropriate to the KGB"

So this is also now a home to a KGB Museum.

liver bird

The symbol of Liverpool is the mythical Liver Bird. Here is one of the two that stand watch atop the Liver Building.
They are named Bertie and Bella. Not sure which one is shown here.

800

The Eisteddfod is held every August as a celebration of culture and language in Wales.

 Eight days of competitions in music and poetry.

This 844 year old tradition has only been cancelled once  – in 1914 – until this year.

for Sunday Stamps - anniversaries

people make

GLASGOW

Thinking of (my other city) Glasgow during this tense and sad time

angles of luxury

circa 1964
The Inn on the Park, a long ago luxury hotel in Toronto built in the early 1960s
sadly demolished and now a luxury car dealership (Lexus)

add ons

A medieval castle with a museum and inn.

The oldest parts built in the late 13th C with a rebuild and extension in the 15th C and an 'attic' added in the 17th C and the final renovations completed in the 21st C.  It really does look like one of those buildings which was added on to several times until the original is dwarfed.

vamp

Lya de Putti, a Hungarian silent screen actress

(1897-1931)

flying free

an argument?

It looks like these "two old ladies' have had their fill of each other.
We have finally moved on to stage 2 of re-opening so there's an opportunity to get out of the house!

father

This topic proved harder for me than I thought it might...

But, eventually, I settled on Canadian politician Tommy Douglas (1904-1986) who formed the first democratic socialist government in North America. He is best known as the father of universal health care. Back when such things were popular (2004), he was voted 'Greatest Canadian of All Time'.

You may know his grandson, the actor Kiefer Sutherland.

This stamp shows a portrait by Yousuf Karsh

for Sunday Stamps - father figures

watermelon

It's summertime!

American

One of the great features of the American Falls are the multitude of rocks at the bottom. They started as natural rockslides but in 1969 with concerns about too much erosion, the water was shut off so that geological engineers could investigate and stabilize the rockbed. They decided to keep the fallen rocks in place.

There was talk of shutting off the falls again in 2019 in order to repair the bridges to Goat Island, but that was delayed due to lack of funds. 

alice

a favourite book, and not just from childhood

camp nou

after 3 months of no play, soccer returned to an empty stadium

lounging

reading

 Alberto Pisa

Carl Olof Larsson

Unknown Japanese artist

fireworks

Festivals are a time for fireworks.  All of our festivals and fireworks have been cancelled and we wonder if the fireworks part will return. They have been falling out of favour these last few years, and they are prohibitively expensive.

With C19, they may end up a thing of the past and not as a way of celebrating things like the 25th anniversary of the Canadian flag                    (I don't actually remember this celebration?)

Fun fact: fireworks festivals in Japan started in 1733 after a really bad year due to cholera, crop failures and starvation. The festival was meant to memorialize the victims and to pray for an end to the epidemic. so not really a celebration. sadly, I have no Japanese fireworks stamps

So many students are graduating at this time of year with few celebrations except online (I'm seeing many lawn signs, which is nice)

Confetti has been a traditional way of celebrating the happy couple at their wedding - though that is now frowned upon - it does make an unholy mess. 

I suppose ribbons are still okay. I do love a beautifully beribboned present

for Sunday Stamps - celebrations

cape and table

Such a beautiful view of an impossibly natural beauty. And a city.

sultan

The Sultan Abdul Samad Building, named after the 4th Sultan of Selangor  (who died in 1898) was built in 1897, and designed by the Government Architect of Selangor, A.C. Norman.  Constructed entirely of brick, the building features gothic, Moorish and western infuluences. The clock tower is an imposing 41.2 m high

six feet

perce

a nice view of the rock, from the northwest,

but not one where you can see the 'pierce'.

for that view you must travel the peninsula counter clockwise and arrive from southwest

pavlova

Anna Pavlova (1881-1931) Photo from 1908 as Princess Aspicia in The Pharaoh's Daughter
The first ballerina to tour the world.

alaska is big

Amish stuff

Dutch Haven Family Style Restaurant - Gift Shop. US Rte 30, 8 miles east of Lancaster in Soudersberg Pa. Authentic Dutch Cooking served either family style or from the menu. Home of World Famous Dutch Haven Shoo-Fly Pie.

six legs

a praying mantis








and an ant










for Sunday Stamps

on the Baltic

Built in 1906

yellow

painting by Michael Warren

mini

Mini Cooper in London

long haired

 

Over at Mail Adventures, a challenge was put out to choose one stamp to explain how your life has been these last few weeks. It has certainly been up and down (mostly down). Seek comfort where you can.

croatia

from California

1940's