Kirklevington Scarecrows 2017 - 3

Three more entries in the Kirkfest scarecrow competition this year.

Another Guard

And for  you cyclists out there, watch if not take part in - 

Wig's Tour de Kirk 2017

But be careful crossing - 

Abbey Road

Kirklevington Scarecrows 2017 - 2

Here are some more of the entries in the Kirkfest competition this year.

Now that's what I call an appropriate entry in this warm weather.

Others obviously had the same idea.

Any volunteers to have their photos taken?

Kirklevington Scarecrows 2017

Last Saturday the annual Kirkfest began with this year's scarecrow competition.

The winner was - 

Dad's Army

relaxing with a beer at the Crown Hotel.

Second was The Great Kirk Bake Off -

On the menu was Kirk strawgoneoff and Kirk levingeton mess.

In third place was a sentry at Kirklevington (Cottage) Castle.

And a British Bulldog gained a merit certificate.

Further pictures will follow later this week.

Weather - Sunday Stamps II

Weather related stamps proved difficult for me to find until I spotted a weather station on this Swedish stamp.

Sweden - 24 May 1973

SMHI = Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute; 100ÄR = 100 years. Just what is being measured here is not clear.

USA - 24 April 2014

The discolouration on this stamp detracts from what it depicts.

This round stamp features a visual representation of the planet’s sea surface temperatures. It shows the Earth with North America at the centre and parts of South America, Asia, and Europe just visible on the edges, surrounded by vivid bands of colour throughout the oceans. The image is one frame in a 1,460-frame animation created from the output of a computer model of Earth’s climate by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory. The full animation shows how the surface temperatures of the oceans vary seasonally and change over time, and how surface ocean currents and eddies transport heat and water around the globe. (Explanation from US Stamp Gallery website)

To check the weather outlook today, look no further than Sunday-Stamps-II-131.

Thiepval Wood - Sunday Stamps II

Gardens and Forests proved a difficult theme for me. Kew Gardens I had shown before -

I struggled to find a forest, but then remembered Thiepval Wood and the poem by Edmund Blundell describing the devastating effect war can have on man and nature.

"The tired air groans as the heavies swing over, the river-hollows boom;

The shell-fountains leap from the swamps, and with wildfire and fume

The shoulder of the chalkdown convulses.

Then the jabbering echoes stampede in the slatting wood,

Ember-black the gibbet trees like bones or thorns protrude

From the poisonous smoke past all impulses.

To them these silvery dews can never again be dear,

Nor the blue javelin-flame of the thunderous noons strike fear."

September 1916

Great Britain 2016

This stamp was part of the part of a five year commemorative programme marking the centenary of the outbreak of The Great War (WWI). Each year of the great war is to be explores through a stamp which covers six key themes: Poppies, War Art, Memorials and Artefacts.

It seems to fit our garden (of remembrance) and our forest theme at Sunday-Stamps-II-130.

Sunday Stamps II - Interesting Fonts

Interesting theme; I had never considered fonts when collecting stamps.

What have I discovered this week?

At the risk of boring you again I must mention that the 2016 Pets USA stamps that I linked to last week had fonts in 'serifa' - I never knew that before.

The Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer Christmas stamps from 2014 had

a font called 'Verlag'. This was initially designed for the Guggenheim Museum, but was expanded and released to the public in 2006.

I thought that stamps identified by the name Helvetia ought to use the font 'Helvetica' like this one from Great Britain.

Great Britain 1969

However when it comes to fonts, perhaps Switzerland 'wins' after all.

Switzerland - 1969

For more fonts or even christenings(?) visit Sunday-Stamps-II-129.

Pets - Sunday Stamps II

I just knew I should not have used that 'Pet' series from the USA a few weeks ago Pets (USA)

That has left me struggling for something to show this week, until I remembered lots of cats.

Bulgaria - 19 June 1967

And from slightly earlier from the same part of the world.

Romania - 20 March 1965

I've used up all my stamps of dogs before and I'm not really a cat person but now I'm surprised at how many cats appeared.

To see more pet just follow the links at Sunday-Stamps-II-128.