Playtime, toys or games - Sunday Stamps II

This has proved a difficult theme for me. However when looking for some stamps for Words and Numbers last week another William Caxton stamp caught my eye.

Great Britain 1976 - Game and Playe of Chess

Then I've had to cheat a bit and go to New Zealand for some 'games'.

New Zealand 1974 - Xth British Commonwealth Games

I know that Sunday Stamps has a Christmas theme for the next two weeks but I found a different New Zealand stamp which shows a game in progress.

Cricket on the beach - Christmas 2013

I struggled to find a toy that I had not shown before but an old Swedish toy saved the day.

Sweden 1978

My wife usually asks me on a Sunday whether I have finished playing with my stamps. Little did she know that 'Playtime' is very appropriate for Violet this week at Sunday-Stamps-II-51.

Old - Thematic Photography

For this week's theme I thought I would show some 'old' photographs from the 1950s. 

They have a sporting theme until you get to the present day!

Just study them carefully.

Stamford School 1st XI 

Those in the blazers have won their cricket colours. That's me second from the left.

Here I am again in 1954 or 1955 at the ground of Lincoln Lindum.

Relaxing while the Peterborough team was batting

And how better a way to relax than with a companion like this.

Later to become my wife

Over 60 years later the blazer is still around.

In full colour now, casually draped on my office chair, or

On a hanger

And that's because I'm old as well  - and can no longer get it on.

For other old interpretations check out the links at Carmi's Thematic-Photographic-355.

This Sporting Life - Sepia Saturday

Until quite recently I've always played one sport or another so this week's prompt struck a chord with me.

I have never grown a moustache and no longer have a singlet like the one he's wearing. However there are still some golfing trophies on the top of my filing cabinet.

Golfing trophies and souvenir golf balls.

The first trophy I won was for the shot put in the U14 age group at Stamford School's sports day in 1950 (I think). I don't remember what it was like or the Fielding Cup for cricket that was to come later when I was in the 1st XI.

I played cricket for many years and was always proud to wear my School Cricket Colour Blazer, long after I left school. Black and white photos don't do it justice at all.

Cricket blazer - Lincoln Lindum Ground, 1950s

Same ground, same blazer accompanied by a girl.

The girl who was to become my wife.

So cricket has a lot to answer for. What you can't see here is that her dress has thin red strips that went with the red in my blazer.

My first job in industry was at Richard Thomas & Baldwins, Redbourn Works in Scunthorpe where I collected the Interdepartmental  Cricket Cup for 1963 on behalf of the Laboratory team.

Who should have combed his hair?

Our children played sport as well and I have managed to find some photos including trophies.

Rachel with her teddy; Andrew with his trophy (1970s)

And later an older Rachel with a tennis trophy of her own.

I played my last games of cricket during the 1980s in Norway. It was there that now aged 50 and too old and slow for hockey that I discovered golf. I never played golf while at St Andrews University at the end of the 1950s - something I'll always regret.

I suppose that brings me back to the trophies in my first picture - the ones I have been allowed to keep. At one time I could have shown off a lot more.

Golfing success in 1989

I guess time has caught up with me so I have only small replicas to admire. However especially for you I have had my photo taken again today.

Bob in that School Cricket Blazer from the 1950s.

I can still wear it as you can see - but it's tight across the shoulders and ...

I can't do the damned thing up!

To see what others have on show this week run across to Sepia-Saturday-205. And you Aussies - no sledging!

Ball Games - Sepia Saturday

I knew what I was going to post as soon as I saw this week's prompt:

I played cricket for many years but I've only watched one game of baseball.

Baseball - Dearborn, Michigan 2006

Earlier that summer we visited England's north-east coast and came across a cricket match in progress in the shadow of Bamburgh Castle.

Cricket at Bamburgh Castle 2006

 I've also played a lot of tennis but was never good enough to beat my daughter even when I was fit.

Beaten again - Sveti Stefan

Playing tennis indoors on hard courts didn't help my knees so I turned to golf at the late age of 50. As an active hockey and cricket player I had always told my golfing friends that any b....! fool can hit a ball that stays still.

Billingham Golf Club - 17th green

 I was recovering from minor surgery at the time that I took that shot of two of my golfing partners.

Billingham - 11th fairway

 I also have to admit that my daughter also beats me at golf although she only plays a few times a year.

The Homestead - Michigan's fresh water resort

Here she's posing with a golfing statue at Michigan's Homestead resort.

Finally here's the family's current sporting star.

Surfing champion

For more fun and games I suggest that you take a look at what's happening on Sepia-saturday-136

Sporting Organs - Sepia Saturday.

When I was sorting the pictures I took in Cornwall last week I found two of the interior of Truro Cathedral that included the 17th-century Byfield Organ. Originally intended for the Chapel Royal at Westminster it was never installed there. A local mine owner presented the organ to Truro..

The organ pipes can just be seen to the right of the left hand pillar.

Here the organ is at the top right.

To introduce some sporting men I have to go back to 1955 with this team picture taken at the Appelby Frodingham Steel Company cricket ground in Scunthorpe:

Lincolnshire Colts v Nottinghamshire Colts (1955, I think)

I had to get into the act - centre front row.

But on 28 April 1956 at St Andrews University sports ground the photographer could not get all the fielders in the shots. You will have to accept my word that I was there at coverpoint in both.

St Andrews University v Forfarshire

Photos by Gillian Falconer

There's more to check out at: Alan's Sepia Saturday 75