Sunday Stamps C3 - Belgium, Denmark

As we are on holiday this week the images I'm showing are from the internet - but I do have the stamps at home.

Belgium - 30 June 1960
Memorial of Congo's Independence

You might argue that the next stamp should be for K, but I spell Copenhagen with  C.

Denmark -5 May 1979
500th Anniversary of Copenhagen University

I would appreciate someone telling me what the diagram represents.

I could not resist showing this Danish Northern Issue of swans.

Denmark - 9 September 2009
Cygnus cygnus

Now you may fly off to check other C stamps at sunday-stamps-c.

Sunday Stamps B3 Belgium, Belize, Canada

By a coincidence two of the countries I have this week begin with 'B'. However their subjects are also related to 'B'.

Belgium - 10 September 1953
King Baudouin

Baudouin came to the throne after the abdication of of his father King Leopold III. Baudouin was the fifth king of the Belgians from 1951 until his death in 1993.

The marine life on the Belize Coral Reef includes this fish - 

Belize - 27 February 1984
Four-eyed Butterfly Fish

The species gets its name from the dark spots on its dorsal fin.

I wonder whether it contains many bones.

Canada - 5 May 2016
Dr Leonard 'Bones' McCoy

Even if you are not a Star Trek fan you may pick the bones of more 'B' stamps at Sunday-stamps-b.

Monochromatic - Sunday Stamps II

Finding stamps to meet the 'monochromatic' theme had me puzzled and eventually sidetracked into research.

Google led me to images of monochromatic stamps that appeared to be anything else but one colour. However one stamp in my collection was included.

USA - 15 October 1968

By now I was more interested in the stamp than whether it is truly monochromatic.

The Cherokee Strip was an 8 million acre parcel of land in NW Oklahoma. When members of the Cherokee tribe were moved by the federal government from the southeastern United States to Indian Territory (in eastern Oklahoma) in the 1830s they were given an outlet to the western hunting grounds - this became known as the Cherokee Strip.

On 16 September 1893 the Cherokee Strip was opened by presidential order for a great land run, billed by the New York Times as the greatest real estate deal of the century

The stamp was issued for the 75th anniversary of the historic land run by more than 100,000 prospective homesteaders in the northern portion of Oklahoma. They were competing for 40.000 available home sites.

Still hunting for monochromatic stamps I found this stamp at my local market stall.

Belgium - Queen Astrid

At the time I did not realise that the stamp and the four others with it had black borders because of the black card holder that contained them.

Astrid was a Swedish princess who in 1926 married Belgium's Crown Prince Leopold. He became King with Astrid as his Queen Consort in 1934.

On August 29th, 1835 the royal couple had a car accident in the Swiss Alps - Astrid was killed.

Two months later, on October 31, Belgium issued a 70 centime Queen Astrid stamp. It was the first of a set of eight black bordered Queen Astrid semi-postal stamps.

Semi-postal stamps are also known as charity stamps and raise money for a particular cause.

This are the five stamps that I found.

Belgium - Queen Astrid

The surtax may be seen on each stamp at the top right. Proceeds were divided between several charitable organisations.

Even if you do not agree that my stamps are monochromatic I hope you can see why I have shared them this week under that theme on Sunday-Stamps-II- 47.

Industry on Sunday Stamps

I'm staying in Europe for my stamps on an industrial theme.

Belgium - 50th Anniversary of the International Labour Organisation - issue 31 May 1969

Two stamps from the former Democratic Republic of Germany (East Germany)

DDR - Machinists, 1953

DDR - 1953

From Norway I found  a stamp commemorating the centenary of the handcraft man's society in 1986.

Norway

As I started my career in industry at a British steelworks I was pleased to find I had a steelworks stamp - not from Britain though.

Portugal - Iron & Steel Complex, issued 2 January 1980

For other industrial examples please cross over to the links at Viridian's Sunday-stamps-141

Snappers - Sepia Saturday

Personally I hate having to stand with a group of photographers when I want to take a shot. This week's prompt reminded me of that.

Snapping cherry blossom in Washington

I worked with British Rail a lot in the 1990s and saw my fair share of trainspotters armed with cameras but none quite like this:

Belgian Railfans' photo shoot

They were out to photograph a special train - a farewell to SNCB/NMBS Class 51 diesel locomotive in 2003.

I have no idea what this lot were doing in Dublin:

Team of photographers in front of Jury's Hotel, Dublin

I wonder whether they had to wait all night for someone to turn up,

Mind you I'd be happy to join this pair no matter how long I had to wait.

Wildlife photographers enjoying numerous photographic opportunities

But if it's blossom I want then why go further than our front garden?

Apple blossom (white)

Cherry blossom

I rest my case.

To see what has been snapped elsewhere the place to go is Sepia-Saturday-169

Photos: 

• Railfans - By Peter Van den Bossche - CC BY-SA 2.0
• Dublin - By Andrais Burglega - CC BY-SA 3.0
• Wildlife - Photographers taking images; Public Domain website 

Trunk Call - Sepia Saturday

They say an elephant never forgets. I'm sure the children in this week's picture will not forget their encounter with this elephant.

Elephant (calendar picture)

He looks as though he is searching for something in the tree tops. My memory is not so good as it used to be so I had to search my files from 2006.

Elephants - Detroit Zoo 2006

Belgium isn't a country that you would associate with elephants. However on the coast at De Panne you just might get a surprise.

Art from Andrias Botha for project Beaufort (2006)

(By Kattenfan - CC A-S A 3.0 unported license)

If all that sea and sand makes you thirsty beware of drinking too much alcohol, you just might start seeing:

Pink Elephant

(by Kjraesh  - CC A-S A 3.0 unported license - 'doctored' by He Who Laughs Last)

You may think that this post should be disposed of because its cost, in your time, is out of proportion to its worth - it's a white elephant in fact.

White Elephant - 1855

Watercolour with pen and ink of the “Lord White Elephant”, a rare and auspicious white elephant kept by the King at Amarapura.

Just to remind you that it's a jungle out there and other animals find elephants a bit of a yawn - here's a different fellow.

Hip - Hip - Hippo (Detroit Zoo 2006)

 But now I guess it's time for you all to march off:

 to take a look at other elephants at Sepia-saturday-133

Drink Up! - Thematic Photography

Finding something to post for Carmi's theme this week was driving me to drink until I found this:

Tankard finds new use as receptacle for pens

This tankard commemorating brewery tradition usually sits on the bottom shelf of my desk unit and as you can see it has acquired a new use.

The six breweries on it had '"Together 1000 years of Brewing Tradition." Alas many of them are no longer in existence - the victims of takeovers and demolition,

In the 1800s Edinburgh was known as 'Auld Reekie' due the number of breweries in the city.

Lorimer & Clark, Edinburgh

In 1869 George Lorimer and Robert Clarke opened the Caledonian Brewery. In 1919 it was taken over by Vaux Breweries in Sunderland but fortunately was subject to a management buy-out in 1987.

The second badge on the tankard hails from Belgium.

Liefmans, Oudenaarde, Belgium

Liefmans has been one of Belgium's cult breweries since 1679.

But Belgium is not the only country outside the UK to figure on the tankard.

Fred Koch Brewery, New York State

Fred Koch Brewery produced beer and ale in Dunkirk, New York  from the late 1880s to 1985. 

We are back in England for the last three firms on the tankard, all linked together in the story of their demise.

Vaux Brewery,  Sunderland

The Vaux family had been involved in the brewery business since 1806 but Vaux did not establish their own brewery until 1837. The first Vaux brewery was named after the founder Cuthbert Vaux, C. Vaux & Co. and would become one of Sunderland's most successful businesses.

By the 1990s the Vaux Group had expanded into hotels. Despite the brewing business being profitable and an offer to buy it having been received from management, in March 1999 the Board closed both its Sundeland breweries. The brewery was later demolished.

Vaux also figured in the demise of our next famous brewery.

Wards Sheaf Brewery, Sheffield

In 1837, William Roper and John Kiby started a brewery on Effingham Street. Roper died in 1842 leaving John Kiby in sole control. Septimus Henry Ward joined the company in 1868 when it ran into financial trouble. Due to the substantial amount he invested the primary brand was renamed Wards Best Bitter. . The business continued to expand buying up other breweries. In 1876 they bought the SOHO Brewery and made it their main premises, renaming it to Sheaf Brewery. It was made a limited company called S.H. Wards & Company Limited in 1896.

In 1972 the company was acquired by Vaux and continued to brew bitter as a subsidiary. Despite still being profitable the brewery was closed in 1999 as the Vaux company was broken up. The land was sold to developers who demolished most of it to make way for apartments. Ironically, it was revealed later that the price achieved was several £million less than the buyout that would have saved this much-loved brewer.

Darley's, Thorne, Doncaster

 

The Darley family were closely connected with the town of Thorne for many generations.  W.M. Darley operated a small firm with a few pubs in and around Thorne. His son, C.W. Darley assumed control of the firm in 1892 on the death of his father, when the brewery was enlarged and improved. The brewery remained in the family until October 1978 when it was acquired by Vaux Breweries of Sunderland. Brewing continued until 1986 when the brewery was closed and production transferred to Wards Brewery in Sheffield, also part of the Vaux group. And you know what happened to them.

If you haven't drunk up by now then I suggest you visit the other drinkers at Carmi's Thematic Photographic 170