Great Britain Swimmers on Sunday Stamps

As I have been 'missing' for quite a while I guess it is time for me to share a dip with an engaging British bird to be seen on many of our rivers

Dipper - 16 Jan 1980

Dippers are so-called because of their bobbing and dipping movements, They have the ability to dive and swim under water where they catch, among other things, small fish to eat.

However a fish I was always proud, as a boy, to catch when fishing would have been too large for the dipper - but the larger ones would have made a meal for me.

Perch - 26 Jan 1983

I suspect that the perch would also have made a meal for this mammal that used to frequent the rivers which ran through and near the village where I spent my youth.

Otter - 5 Oct 1977

I'm ashamed to say back then they were hunted by packs of otter hounds - although I never saw any being caught.

For more swimmers and to have a whale of a time visit the links at Sunday Stamps.

Christmas Stamps on Sunday: Great Britain

 British stamps have acquired bar codes this year - but fortunately not all of them. No-one in our post offices (counters in a newsagent and a general shop) can tell us what they are for.

Christmas without a barcode

Christmas with a bar code

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to one and all.

Don't forget to follow the links at Sunday Stamps for more Christmas stamps.

Sunday Stamps - Winter: Great Britain, Canada

 We moved into our present home in 1991. At that time we could stand at the windows at the back of our house and see the North Yorkshire Moors in the distance. This view has now been lost due to new houses blocking the way.

In 1992 the first series of the Four Seasons - Wintertime was issued and included this ...

Hare on the North York Moors
Great Britain - 14 January 1992

It is difficult to match winter and the snowy conditions in the Canadian World Heritage Site, The Dinosaur Provincial Park and there's not a dinosaur to be seen as a competitor of our Yorkshire hare.

Canada - 21 August 2015

However you may see competing Canadian animals and another of the GB Wintertime series at Snow on Sunday Stamps

Sunday Stamps _ British Trees

 "Under a spreading ..

Great Britain - 27 February 1974

.. chestnut tree,

The village smithy stands" (Longfellow)

The horse chestnut trees I pass six days every week stand inside a wood alongside some mighty oaks.

Great Britain - 28 February 1973

This mighty oak also appears on trees posted at Trees, Tall and Wide on Sunday Stamps this week.

Sunday Stamps - Great Britain: Queen Victoria One Penny Red

 One of our neighbours from one of our previous addresses has provided me with stamps over a number or years. These have been mainly from Greece but last week she brought me a stamp that has become the oldest in my collections.

Great Britain - 1841

The One Penny Red was first issued in 1841 - the second stamp issued. The original was unperforated. Several different versions were issued - perforated and with different letters in the bottom corners. This has O - A.

As you can see the stamp is a bit tired but that's not surprising for something around 180 years old. I still have to establish exactly what year this was issued.

The theme today on Sunday Stamps is transportation. My old stamp has transported me back even if it's not on theme.

Sunday Stamps - Summertime: Great Britain

 In August 1994 the 3rd Series of the 4 Seasons depicted events from Summertime.

I have 3 of the 5 stamps in the set - 

Great Britain - 2 August 1994
Royal Welsh Show

The Royal Welsh Show will be a virtual event this year on 19th July.

Wimbledon Tennis Championships

Wimbledon will begin on 28 June having avoided a 'virtual' threat.

Braemar Gathering

Unfortunately the organisers of the Braemar Gathering have decide to cancel this years event.

To check out others' summertime offerings just visit the links at Sunday Stamps

Small Animals in Britain - Sunday Stamps

 I showed this set of stamps back in 2012 but as it is a favourite of mind I just had to post it again, The strip of five wild animals was issued in 

 1977.

Great Britain - 5 October 1977

We had a hibernating hedgehog in our garden a few years ago. Unfortunately I only see them as roadkill these days.

Grey squirrels still visit us in the hope that the bird feeders have left something for them.

Otherwise there are no hares or badgers near us and I don't know of any otters in the local rivers.

To see other small animals visit the links to be found at Island mammals at Sunday Stamps.

Sunday Stamps - Sports: Great Britain

 One games - three events in the 9th British Commonwealth Games.

Runners

Swimmers

Cyclists

This set was issued on 15th July 1970 for the Games held at Edinburgh.

Sunday Stamps - Statues: Cyprus, Greece

 I found several, but none where I know who the statue represents.

Cyprus - 2 September 1968

Issued for the 20th Anniversary of WHO, I guess that this is Aristotle - at least it's the right number of letters in the name.

Greece - 21 November 1966 - Folk art statues

Greece - 28 February 1967 - Greek sculptors

I had hoped to honour Prince Phillip today but the nearest I could get was this miniature sheet Scanned from the collect GB stamps website) showing the memorial to another royal consort.

Great Britain - 24 May 2019

For other statues/memorials visit the links at Sunday Stamps - hero.

Sunday Stamps - Air Travel ; Great Britain

 We have no intention of travelling by air during the pandemic but the means of flying by my selection this week would not be possible anyway.

From a set covering British aircraft designers - 

Gloster Meteor T Max 7 - 10 June 1997

And celebrating the 50 Anniversary of Passenger Jet Aviation Airlines, the plane that will never be surpassed.

Concorde - 2 May 2002

And just for fun - 

Meccano Constructor Biplane - 18 September 2003

And it's not all hot air just check other means of transport by following the links at Air mail

Sunday Stamps - Children: USA, Great Britain

 In 2001 a series of 4 stamps were issued for the New Millennium, Rights of The Child in the form of face paintings.

Great Britain - 16 January 2001
Flower Nuture Children

If you stretch 'Youth' to mean children then the centenary of the ELKS organisation will fit the theme.

USA - 1 May 1968

For children just check out the stamps for Anne and the links at Sunday Stamps

Sunday Stamps - Working Dogs: Great Britain

 One of the favourite stamps in my collection is the Assistance Dog published as part of the series on Working Dogs issued on 5 February 2008.

As I have none of the others I have 'cheated' this week to show the others in the series.

There is only one of these that I have not seen in action - can you guess which one it is?

To see what others have chosen just follow the links it the comments at Sunday Stamps - Travels

Sunday Stamps - Romance: Great Britain

 For the romantic amongst you you could not do better than going back to 1476 and reading The Tretyse of Love.

Great Britain - 29 September 1976

The only word I can make out on this is 'passion' - if you are passionate enough to read further it may be available on Project Gutenberg otherwise it might cost you over £1400, a costly present for your Valentine.

It would have been much cheaper just to send a card with this booklet stamp from 2005.

Great Britain - 4 October 2005

For more romantic stamps cross over to Sunday Stamps - Roses

Sunday Stamps - Poets; Great Britain, USA

 I went to school in Stamford Lincolnshire and travelled many times by train to Peterborough passing through on the way the village of Helpston.

Helpston was the place where the poet John Clare lived. Clare features on one of the 10 stamps commemorating 'The Romantic Poets' issued in April 2020. 

Coleridge, Blake,Scott, Shelly, Wordsworth, Mary Robinson. Letitia Landon, Keats and Byron are the other poets in the series.

I posted my only stamp for John Keats in 'Poetry in Stamps' nearly 10 years ago - you may find it here http://bit.ly/2KGh0N4

Meanwhile The Romantic Poets series has this for him.

Great Britain - 20 April 2020

My 'Poetry in Stamps' post will, if you checked out the link I gave earlier, includes  Theodore Roethke from the USA series for '20th Century Poets'. The whole series can be seen in one sheet - 

USA - 21 April 2012

I must confess that I only recognised one of these - Sylvia Plath.

For more poets today don't forget to check the links at Tekahion Wake on Sunday Stamps

 

Sunday Stamps - Christmas: Great Britain

 I'm always pleased to see robins in our garden so they are a natural choice with which to celebrate a secular Christmas.

Robin on some railings

This was one of a set of five issued for Christmas 1995. The other two of the set in my possession were - 

The postmark on the 11p stamp shows they were used in1996 - perhaps the robin had to find a road sign first; the robin had found a doorknob to rest upon on the 60p.

For more Christmas stamps just fly over to Sunday Stamp's calendar to start counting the days.

Sunday Stamps - Red: Great Britain, USA

Two old stamps to start this week, one from when I was a young boy.

Great Britain - 1939-1948

The 9th World Scout Jamboree, known as the Jubilee Jamboree, was held in Sutton Park in Sutton Coldfield in August 1957 and commemorated with three stamps. This is one of them.

Great Britain - 1 August 1957

By 1962 Jetliners had become a more common sight as shown by this one flying over the Capitol.

USA - 5 December 1962

We already have a poinsettia plant ready to be part of our Christmas decorations this year - I suppose that this would also be appropriate for next weeks secular theme.

USA - 10 October 2013

Father Christmas may well land on a red roof soon, so check it out at Seeitonapostcard.

 

Sunday Stamps - Front Line Workers: Great Britain, Iceland

I understand hat a number of countries will issue stamps relevant for these COVID times. However I have been disappointed to find that we do not really have many stamps that address front line workers at all.

the Salvation Army provides support to many and their centenary was celebrated as long ago as 1965.

Great Britain - 9 August 1965

A set of stamps  was issued for the police, 150 years after it was formed.

Great Britain - 28 September 1979

When it comes to nurses I could only find a District Nurse - in a set commemorating the centenary of the first telephone call.

Great Britain - 10 March 1976

For a stamp depicting a nurse  I had to visit Iceland - 

Iceland - 19 June 1970

 and that was for the 50th anniversary of the Icelandic Nurses Association.

To see front line workers found by others just visit the links at Sunday Stamps.

Sunday Stamps in Motion

 In 1986 Australia beat England in the final of the men's World Hockey Cup in London. A stamp to commemorate the World Cup was issued at the same time as stamps for the 13th Commonwealth Games at Edinburgh..

Great Britain - 15 July 1986

Hockey was a game I played for many years. 

It has been many years since I have run to catch a bus and the last double-decker that I rode on was on the way to Newcastle.

Perhaps a stationary one is more appropriate for me now. These are from the series for the 150th anniversary of the double-decker bus.

Great Britain - 15 May 2001

The 17th Commonwealth Games was held in Manchester in 2002 and was commemorate by a series of stamps, one of which really depicts people in motion and definitely running faster than I ever could.

Great Britain - 16 July 2002

Now it's your chance to get in Motion at Sunday stamps and run through the links posted there.