Folk Art - Sunday Stamps

Some of the themes set by Viridian force me to find out more about the stamps in my collection. This week's theme of folk art is no exception as I knew nothing about the ones I have to show other than where they came from.

Ireland - Winged Ox

Ireland - Eagle

Apparently both these image appear in the Lichfield Bible. Ireland issued a prehistoric art series in 1969. I haven't traced the issue  of these two denominations to that date but the art series definitely contains a lower denomination winged ox. I'm still investigating the two above.

For more art shows visit the links to be found at Sunday-stamps-156.

A Virgin Case - Sepia Saturday

I struggled to find anything appropriate for association with a suitcase until I remembered a story, 'A Virgin Case,' written about my journeys to Mexico some years ago. Let me introduce you to Anita, the case in question.

'Anita' Antler

This isn't actually Anita but a more recent model. Not that Anita's shy; it's just that I can hear her sobbing inside her black plastic bag up there in our loft. Her sobbing is not so loud as it used to be before the extra 4 inches of insulation was added to aid to reducing our energy consumption

My acquaintance with Anita began when I was looking for a larger case in which to carry Mexican training course material. She was to replace a smaller relative who had done sterling service in Europe and the Middle East. As you can see Adam is looking rather tired as a result.

Adam Antler

The last thing Anita was told before she left a North East department store was to beware of anyone trying to undo her zips!

She was to share her trips to Mexico with Sam Sonite, a small shoulder bag.

Sam Sonite

Sam was always bragging about his superiority which earned him the right to travel in the warm cabin of the planes while Anita had to resist the attentions of loads of luggage down in the cold hold.

These days Sam would have been accused of sexual harassment for all the things he said he would like to do to Anita when he got her alone

On early morning in a Mexico City hotel bedroom the earth moved for Anita. 

No - not due to Sam; just a little 'trembolo,'  an earthquake to you and me.

Note: 'A Virgin Case' is much too long a story to tell in full. You will just have to be satisfied with what appears above.

In case that is not enough then I suggest you take a look at what other Sepians have to say this week at Sepia-saturday-213.

Threesies - Thematic Photography

I've fooled about a bit today to meet Carmi's 'Threeies' theme. This Tuesday  is when our recycling  bins are emptied and there at the bottom of our drive were the empty containers for everyone to see.

Recycling containers

Blue box for glass; white bag (on side) for newspapers and on the right the larger white bag for cans, plastic and cardboard emptied every two weeks if you remember to put them out by the kerbside early in the morning.

The local fields are full of pregnant ewes; it will soon be lambing time. I see them every day when I walk to fetch a paper.

 A threesome in waiting

I have to pass the village playing field on the way and it has a colourful threesome on show.

Playground threesome

When my wife arrived home from the shops I found a threesome threesie among her goods. It didn't photograph very well.

Three threesies

If you could read the labels, reading left to right for each column, there is a threesie for £10 and two threesies for £6.

I decided I'd better be more serious for my next two threesies and return to Tresco on the Isles of Scilly.

Tresco Abbey Gardens
Statue of the Dorien-Smith children, symbolic of the freedom of the islands

This permits me to finish with a threesie of our own.

Adrian, Andrew & Rachel, Cromwell's Castle, Tresco 2008

So you have eight threesies to pick from here and I'm sure you'll find lots of others via Thematic-photographic-279.

Landscapes - Sunday Stamps

I had a number of stamps to chose from for Viridian's geology/landscapes theme this week but finally settled for a set from 1966.

Great Britain - Landscapes, 2 May 1966

As is often the case in sets like this there is one from each of the countries - England, Ireland, Wales and Scotland. Somehow, to me, a castle seems out of place in a set like this.

For other scenes you should amble over and check out the links at Sunday-Stamps-155. 

Snow Conditions - Sepia Saturday

I guess we have been lucky so far this winter as conditions have not been right for snow - plenty of rain however. 

Despite working for nearly ten years in Norway I never made it to the ski slopes as I would have need to have done to have any personal shots to match this week's prompt.

So I went looking for appropriate pictures from the past. I even managed to find one from Norway.

Skiing in Strandalen 1924
(County Archives in Sogn and Fjordane)

I have tried my hand a sledging but not as long ago as this.

Sledding & Skiing in Frognebakken (Oslo, Norway) 1903
(Anders Beer Wilson 1865 - 1949 - Norwegian Museum of Cultural Heritage)

Before I went to Norway we had snow in the UK of course and our children were please to pose with (on) the beginnings of a snowman (or was it just a large snowball?)

Andrew, Rachel & Adrian (early 1970s)

It seems to me that the snow was much deeper here in the USA.

Cody (or Scout) - Michigan 2011

The most snow I remember was in the winter of 1947 when the Rutland village where I lived had that much snow that the boys were able to hack out large caves in the snow. Unfortunately no-one had a camera so you will have to take my word for it; it was the snowiest winter since 1814 and I don't believe there has been one like it since.

For other snowy conditions you should plough across to Sepia-Saturday-212.

Greyish - Thematic Photography

We have had some winter fogs the last two days but there is no sign of one today when Carmi gas set us a 'greyish' theme. So I looked back to January a few years ago and this is what I found.

Not fog, but snow blotting out the sky.

However there was sufficient fog to ground helicopters when we visited Tresco on the Isles of Scilly in August 2008.

Hill fog - Tresco, 2008

And enough to distort the shape of rocks on the same day.

A 'beast' in the mist

The foggiest shot I have taken for a while I posted late last year in another of Carmi's TP themes (here when you scroll down).

For other greyish views check out the links at Thematic-Photographic-278.

Pets on Sunday Stamps

I bought two sets of stamps this week from my local market trader. One was the set of George Stubbs paintings featuring dogs - but I will save that for another time. The other set was just right for this week's theme of 'Pets.'

Great Britain

The set commemorated the 150th anniversary of the Royal Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in 1990.

Here are the other three that make up the set.

Great Britain

Pick your favourite and guess which one is mine before you check out other pets, including one of the dogs painted by Stubbs, at Viridian's Sunday-Stamps-154.