Sunday Stamps - Dogs and Horses: Great Britain

As the theme this week is something we may choose ourselves I just had to stay with reminders of what I see on my walks (6 days each week).

I talk to most of the dogs I meet ..

Welsh Springer Spaniel

.. but I must confess I've not seen one of these.

The Westie I saw on Saturday went by the name of Monty.

West Highland Terrier

(These were from a set about dogs issued 7 February 1972)

I also try to talk to some horses from a riding school when they are out in a field. They are not like those on a set of stamps issued on 5 July 1978.

However to 'match' the dogs I have chosen - 

Welsh Pony

Shetland Pony

To see choices made by others just visit the links at Sunday Stamps - P

Sunday Stamps - Christmas (Religious); USA

Two paintings fit the theme this week and both reside in museums in the USA.

USA - 13 October 2011

USA - 1 November 1968

Raphael's painting 'The Madonna of the Candelabra' now in the Walter's Art Museum in Baltimore, was painted in 1513.

The 'Angel Gabriel from the Annunciation' by Jan Van Eyck was painted in 1434/1436. His painting of the Annunciation resides in the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC.

For more religious stamps please visit Gifts-of-Magi at Sunday Stamps.

Merry Christmas to one and all.

Sunday Stamps - Secular Christmas; Canada, Greece

A stamp I only received was a 2012 Christmas stamp from Greece.

Greece - 12 December 2012

I recognised the bauble straight away, but it took a while for me to realise that there was also a pin and a paper clip (?). 

No such problems with last year's Canadian stamp.

Canada - 2 November 2018

Warm and cosy - I'm sure you will agree provided there is no orange in the toe on Christmas Day.

For other Christmas stamps just follow the links at Sunday Stamps

Sunday Stamps - Places of Worship: Aden, Cyprus

Aden is now part of Yemen and is currently not a place to be. However in WWII it was a vital staging post for our Navy and  visited by my eldest brother when he was in the Fleet Air Arm.

I doubt that he would have taken much notice of - 

Aden - 1939

This is the Aldrus Mosque in Crater, Aden which was built originally in the 15th or early 16th century and rebuilt after being destroyed in 1859.

Although we have been to Cyprus we did not get to Famagusta in the north of the island to see the St Barnabas Monastery.

Cyprus - 17 September 1962

This is now an icon museum. It includes the tomb of St Barnabas discovered in 480 AD.

For other places of worship check out the stamps shown at Sunday Stamps.

Sunday Stamps - Small Animals; USA, Great Britain

I was nearly knocked over earlier today by a lively one-year old Labrador. 

That reminded me of an issue from 2016 of Forever Pets from the USA in which there were 20 stamps. Here are just four of them that fit this week's theme.

USA - 2 August 1916

I'm not sure that I would have chosen a hermit crab but could understand anyone having a chinchilla, gerbil or a gecko as a pet.

The Woodland Animals series from Great Britain included a small animal whose name has always intrigued me - 

Great Britain - 16 September 2004

I was quite disappointed to learn that Natterer's bat gets it name, not from the sounds it makes but from the name of the Austrian naturalist Johann Natterer. The bat was first described in Germany in 1817.

To see other small animals depicted this week just visit the links at Sunday tamps - Foxy.

Sunday Stamps - Children; Great Britain

I'm having trouble finding stamps I have not shown before on many of the themes now that I have been on Sunday Stamps so long. 

I have 'cheated' this week by posting two stamps that I have not yet seen other than in these images.

Great Britain - 20 October 2019

This is from a series of recent stamps commemorating the 20th anniversary of 'The Gruffalo' - a children's picture book by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Alex Scheffler.

The series issued in 2017 on Classic Toys included this - 

Great Britain - 22 August 2017

I wonder what happened to the Meccano set I had as a boy. I never made anything anywhere as impressive with it as that shown on the stamp.

For more children related stamps visit them at the links on Sunday Stamps.

Sunday Stamps - Insects - Mexico, Great Britain

When I posted this stamp before I wondered what it was the  anniversary of - 

Mexico - 50th Anniversary of the ILO

As I have used up nearly all my butterflies before I just had to include this week one of my all time favourites that is welcomed in my garden at any time.

Great Britain - 12 March 1985

I would never recognise this from its Latin name - Coccinella septempuncata. Ladybirds have been around a long time - I did not realise that the rhyme "Ladybird, ladybird fly away home" has been known in one form or another since 1744.

Now you need to fly away to Sunday stamps to see more insects, linked in the comments.

Remembrance on Sunday Stamps - Canada, Great Britain

1971 saw the 50th anniversary of the British Legion.

Great Britain - 25 August 1971

Appropriately the stamp shows a nurse and military personnel and, of course, the poppy now worn in remembrance every year.

"In Flanders Field" - the war poem written by John McCrae - is commemorated on the Canadian stamp issued on 3rd May 2015, the 100th anniversary of it being written by that Canadian Lieutenant Colonel physician.

Canada

In 2014 in a series commemorating the First World War  Great Britain issued a stamp also showing a poppy.

Great Britain - 28 July 2014

For other remembrance/military stamps just follow the links in the comments to - Sunday Stamps

Sunday Stamps - Singers/Musicians - Norway, USA, Great Britain

In 1985 I was working in Norway. I didn't know then that it was the European Music Year. However a Norwegian Europa stamp issued on 10 June showed Targjel Augundsson a violinist who lived from 1801-1872.

Norway

He was also known as Myltarguten and he paved the way for playing the Hardanger fiddle.

I am not very musical but I had heard the song "Someone to Watch Over Me." by - 

USA - 21 September 1999

For a singer I just had to choose - 

Great Britain - 14 March 2017

However I could not resist showing one of my favourites from my garden.

Great Britain - 4 May 2017

For other musical themed stamps just visit the links at .Sunday Stamps

Sunday Stamps - Bridges in the USA

I have never crossed this bridge - 

USA - 10 September 1998

When completed in 1937 it was then the longest suspension bridge in the world. The Golden Gate Bridge spans the opening into San Francisco Bay.

However I have been over a suspension bridge in Michigan.

USA - 3 February 2010

The Mackinac Bridge connects the upper and lower peninsulas. It opened in 1957.

To cross more bridges just use the links in the comments at Sunday Stamps.

Sunday Stamps - Towers ; Great Britain

I wonder what members at this conference would have made of what is now the shambolic British parliament.

At least it still has the tower - now called the Elizabeth Tower which contains Big Ben, the bell of the clock in the tower.

For more stamp towers just visit Seeitonapostcard.blogspot.

Sunday Stamps - Dinosaurs: Poland, Great Britain.

To my surprise I found a Polish stamp containing a dinosaur, the styracosaurus,  that I had not heard of before.

Poland - 5 March 1965

It stood 1.8 metres tall and was over 5 metres long.

I have used stamps commemorating Sir Richard Owen's classification of dinosaurs before - fortunately in A-Z themed posts. That means I can post another today.

Great Britain - 20 August 1991

For some mythical beasts check here and follow the links.

Sunday Stamps - Harvest; Denmark

Rather than not post anything for this week's theme I decided to go back to Denmark for a stamp I have shown several times before.

Denmark - binder

As a school holiday job on a local farm I had the job of following the binder and forming a 'stook' produced by propping two sheaves up against one another  This kept the ears of corn off the ground.

Not many years later binders were replaced by the combine harvester followed by a baler. I then had the job of heaving rectangular bales onto a trailer. Now the bales have become huge cylinders and manual lifting is not required.

For other harvest stamps please visit Sunday Stamps. 

Staring at trees

Carmi Levy recently posted ' Staring at Trees' - here.

Oscar has a fetish to do the same ... 

ever since once catching a squirrel.

However Gaby is too slow to ever help him out.

Sunday Stamps - Churches; Austria, Great Britain

I've used up all but one of my stamps containing churches.

Mariazell in Austria contains one of the most visited shrines in Austria.

Austria - 25 October 1952

The church contains an image of the Virgin Mary carved in wood which is said to word miracles. Over a million visitors a year visit the small town.

In 1972 Great Britain issued a series of stamps on the Architecture of British Churches. St Andrews in Letheringsett, Norfolk and St Andrews in Helpringham, Lincolnshire are the two that I showed before in 2016.

For another of Austria's churches and links to other churches check out the links at Sunday-stamps-churches.

Sunday Stamps - Paintings: Panama

I have photographed the stamps I am showing this week as I cannot use my scanner with my Macbook Air. Both show paintings of sailing ships from the 17th to the 19th Century, but by different artists.

Panama 7 May 1968

Roque Camiero was a Portuguese painter who specialised in water colours. He died in 1935

Panama - 7 May 1968

Ludwig Lebreton (1818-1866) was a French painter and mariner. The American whaling ship, the Uncas, was built in 1828 in Falmouth, Massachusetts, USA. The ship is named after Unk, the commander-in-chief of the Indian Mohegan tribe.

For other paintings and artists just follow the links at Sunday Stamps

Good Fences on a dog walk in Michigan

Recently in Michigan the road down which I walked my daughter's dog (one at a time) passed fences like these.

I just hope this head does not finish up on a fence. Good Fences.

Sunday Stamps - Commemorative Victoria and George VI

After what seems a long break to me I thought I would return with two early stamps from my collection.

Queen Victoria - Diamond Jubilee 1897

And from the week before I was born - 

Coronation of George VI and Queen Elizabeth

For other commemorative stamps just follow the links at Sunday-stamps-commemorative.

Daily Walks in Michigan

Going for a walk in Michigan is certainly different when you are 3.2 miles away from a paved road. Not that there are any sidewalks (pavements even there)

At least I get the chance to walk the dogs.

Finn and Oscar in Stoneycreek Metro Park

Although it's more usual for me to walk them one at time, in turn, on separate days including Gabby, a Labrador.

On rare occasions in England I may see a deer, more often that not just as road kill. Here I can seen  them daily along Oakwood.

One of many viewed through the trees.

I still have to see one along the aptly named Deer Trail where I walk the dogs.

At home I record the types of bird I see each day and occasionally I'll see a heron circling the village. Here I just have to look outside to see whether - 

Harry's home 

Other birds are more difficult to see in the dense banks of trees. All I have managed to see reasonably clearly is this unknown in a tree in the back compound.

When it comes to insects the dogs were nosing this on the garage floor.

Fortunately there have been no flies this size on me.

Yesterday along the side of the Detroit river I was glad that I don't see buildings this size on my walks at home.

GM Renaissance Centre

Another thing that that is different here is that I can watch a Premier League match on TV - no subscription required - Burnley v Liverpool shortly.

A Humdinger of a Day

The wasps told me to buzz off the back deck at my daughter's house this week.

However how the day turned into a humdinger when I transferred to the front porch as I'm sure you will agree.

Sunday Stamps Z4 - South Africa: Zebra

When it came to learning the alphabet I always knew that 'Z' always stood for - 

Zebra

Because of that I must show (again) the South Africa stamp - 

South Africa - 20 November 1954

So ends the fourth A-Z round of Sunday Stamps. Check out other endings at Sunday-stamps-z.