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