Sunday Stamps II A-Z 'R' USA, Great Britain

Back in the 1950s when I was at school, I won my boxing colours and was captain of the boxing team. I wish I could say that I was undefeated like Rocky Marciano, the world heavyweight champion of the time,

USA -26 May 1999

Rocky (not the film) was on the stamp for the 1950s in the Celebrate the Century series.

From boxing to a gentler pastime of poetry for my next stamp from the USA.

" I wake to sleep and take my waking slow.

I feel my fate in what I cannot fear.

I learn  by going where I have to go."

USA - 21 April 2012

Theodore Roethke (1908-1963) is one of the ten 20th century poets that appeared on this set in 2012. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1954.

At this time so many years since England won the football world cup, I have chosen a stamp from back then (1966) showing what is claimed to be Britain's favourite bird.

Great Britain - 6 August 1966

Just like the one that chases other birds away from our feeders when it wants to eat.

This year sees the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Royal Air Force. For the 50th anniversary in 1968 a commemorative stamp showed a Sopwith Camel from WWI and English Electric Lightning Fighters from the 1960s.

Great Britain - 29 May 1968

For other 'R' related stamps fly over and pick up the links at Sunday-stamps-r.

Sunday Stamps II - A-Z; 'Q' USA, Great Britain

I was expecting to show Queens on many stamps today, Last week when covering 'P', I considered focusing on pilots but then found this for today,

USA - 27 April 1991

Harriet Quimby was the first woman pilot in the USA and the first (in 1912) to fly over the English Channel. Tragically she died in a flying accident the same year at the age of 37.

In 1969 the Investiture of HRH the Prince of Wales was held at Caernarfon Castle. One of the set of stamps commemorating this depicted - 

Great Britain - 1 July 1969
Queen Eleanor's Gate, Caernarfon Castle

Queen Eleanor  was the wife of Edward I and gave birth to a son at the castle in 1284 who was to become King Edward II.

To see what other 'Q' related stamps are on show this week just follow the links at Sunday-stamps-q.

Sunday Stamps II A-Z 'P': Great Britain, Norway

I may have shown these before but they are worth another outing.

When I was a boy, fishing on the River Welland, I was always pleased to catch one of these - 

Great Britain - Perch 26 January 1983

Salmon, trout and pike were also in that set of British River Fish. Shame I do not have that pike.

The set for the Centenary of the Royal Society for Protection of Birds issued on 17 January 1989 included - 

Puffin

I always like stamps depicting dogs and despite the time I spent in Norway I never knew that this was a - 

Norwegian Puffin Dog (1983)

I was still in Norway when that stamp was issued.

For other 'P' stamps just pop over to the links at Sunday-stamps-p.

Sunday Stamps II A-Z 'O': Norway, Saudi Arabia, Great Britain

The Viking Ship Museum in Oslo contains three Viking ships - Tune, Gokstad and Oseberg. In 2014 Norway issued a set of three stamps to commemorate the Museum Unfortunately the one in my collection does not show a ship.

Norway - 28 April 2014

Saudi Arabia has vast reserves of oil so it should be no surprise that their stamps reflect this.

Al Khafji Oil Producting-plant - 1976

In 2000 the first series of Millennium Project 'Above and Beyond' stamps included one of my favourite birds.

Great Britain - World Owl Trust, Muncaster

Now if you are wise you will look for other 'O' related stamps at Sunday-Stamps-o.

Sunday Stamps II A-Z 'N' Nobel Prize winners

Three Nobel Prize winners from 1911 appeared on these Swedish stamps issued on 10 December 1971.

Count Maurice Polidore Marie Bernard Maeterlinck
Nobel Prize in Literature

The Nobel Prize in Literature 1911 was awarded to Maurice Maeterlinck "in appreciation of his many-sided literary activities, and especially of his dramatic works, which are distinguished by a wealth of imagination and by a poetic fancy, which reveals, sometimes in the guise of a fairy tale, a deep inspiration, while in a mysterious way they appeal to the readers' own feelings and stimulate their imaginations".

Maeterlinck was born in Ghent, Belgium

Wilhelm Wien & Alivar Gullstrand

Wilhelm Wien, born in a part of Prussia that is now in Russia, was affiliated to Würzburg University in Germany when he won the Nobel Prize for Physics. During his career he submitted 24 nominations for a Nobel Prize and was nominated 9 times for the Physics Prize.

Alivar Gullstrand was Swedish and in 1911 was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. He was also a multi-nominee for Nobel Prizes including the one for Physics.

For other 'N' related stamps please visit Sunday-Stamps-n. where you will find another world famous scientist.

Thematic Photography - Red

You may, like me. have trouble in deciding what is really red - so here are some shades of red from our garden this morning.

Pieris - Mountain Fire

Azalea (on the left)

A wind-battered rhododendron

Battered it may be but not ready for a trip in a

40 year old barrow with a faded red wheel

You may find Carmi's edible red theme at Thematic-photographic-419.

Sunday Stamps II A-Z 'M': USA

Three from the USA this week in the order of which they were issued.

26 May 1937 - US Naval Academy Seal & Midshipmen

In addition to naval personnel the Academy also trains marines.

4 April 1948 - Mississippi sesquicentennial

The the territory of Mississippi was first organised in 1798 with Winthrop Sargent as its governor. It became the 20th state in 1817.

1 May 1969 - The Fourth of July

Anna May Robert (Grandma) Moses didn't begin painting until she was in her seventies. Her basic theme was scenes on American folklore.

For other stamps on the 'M' theme please visit our host at Sunday-Stamps-m.