A Postcard a Day

Stained glass windows by Tiffany

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila @ A Postcard a Day) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 05:46:23 PST

I love all stained glass, I think, ancient, modern and in between. The window shown on this postcard dates from 1909 and was designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany, and American artist well known for his stained glass. This is one of four pairs of windows in the Union Church of Proctor, Vermont. It is a memorial to Redfield Proctor and is titled "Summer". The other three are Spring, Autumn and Winter and are dedicated to Minnie Proctor, Fletcher proctor and Mr & Mrs Redfield Proctor, Jr.

Louis Tiffany started out as a painter and then went into interior design before concentrating on glass making. In 1902 he became design director for his father's company, Tiffany & Co. A large and comprehensive collection of his work can be seen in Florida, at the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art. Outside the USA, the largest public collection of his work can be seen in the Haworth Art Gallery in Accrington, Lancashire, in the UK. The collection was presented to the town by Joseph Briggs who had once worked for Tiffany's.

This is a post for Postcard Friendship Friday hosted on Beth Niquette's blog The Best Hearts are Crunchy. Just click on the button to visit and join in.

Fantastic view

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila @ A Postcard a Day) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:20:47 PST

The writing you may just be able to see says "Fantastic view of Xingping", and a fantastic view it is. The people who live in the town of Xingping, once the largest along the river Li, pride themselves on living in the most beautiful place in the world, and they do have a point.

The various peaks all have descriptive names and stories attached. The town itself is at the foot of Five Fingers Hill, while others are called Camel Hill, Snail Hill, Pen Holder Hill, and so on. Two are said to look like a nun and monk arguing,

A mud house in the Tukhfah Mountains

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila @ A Postcard a Day) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:56:18 PST

According to the back of the card, this is the oldest mud house in the Tukhfah Mountains of Saudi Arabia, in the Qasim or Qasseem province. It is interesting to see the similarities with mud-built houses elsewhere in the world, for instance in New Mexico.

The province, as you might guess from the picture, has a typical desert climate with cold and (relatively) rainy winters followed by hot and dry summers. Traditionally it is an agricultural area, producing dates, oranges and lemons and other fruits.

Loch Awe and Kilchurn Castle

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila @ A Postcard a Day) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 08:54:00 PST

Loch Awe seems very aptly named to me - it is stunning - though it comes from the Gaelic "Obha" which has no connection with awe. It is the third largest loch in Scotland and home to four castles of which Kilchurn is one.

Kilchurn was built in the 15th century as a five storey tower and enlarged in the 17th century to provide "modern" barracks. It was used as a garrison for government troops during both Jacobite rebellions (1715 and 1745), then in 1760 was badly damaged in a storm.

During all this time Kilchurn was on a small island hardly any bigger than the castle. In 1817 the lake's water level was lowered and now Kilchurn is on the mainland. People still do arrive by boat but you can now walk to visit.

Year of the Dragon

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila @ A Postcard a Day) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:51:28 PST

The Chinese New Year is the longest and most significant festival in the Chinese calendar. It marks the end of the winter and an opportunity to sweep away any bad luck from the previous year, and welcome in good luck.

The Year of the Dragon is a particularly auspicious year and many Chinese people have made particular efforts to have babies born this year. According to the BBC, the Hong Kong authorities are expecting a 5% increase in the number of births compared with last year, and some say possibly even 10%.

My card comes from Taiwan.

Diamond Jubilee

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila @ A Postcard a Day) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 02:29:00 PST

This card shows the Dorothy Wilding Definitive photo of Queen Elizabeth II with a frame designed by Edmund Dulac, issued 19 June 1952.

This year being the Diamond Jubilee of the queen's accession to the throne, the Post Office is issuing new definitives and a miniature sheet which will have several different images of the queen taken from stamps, coins and banknotes.

Image from Norvic Philatelics

Stamps always have always shown the queen facing to the left (in fact all the monarchs since the Penny Black) whereas coins show the queen facing right. So for the first time we will have an unconventional view of the queen on the stamps to be issued in a miniature sheet on 6 February this year. The images will also be available as stamp cards.

Image from Norvic Philatelics

The far left stamp on the miniature sheet will be the new definitive stamp from the date of issue, 6 February, until the end of the year. The colour is described as diamond blue.

This is a post for Sunday Stamps, run by Viridian. Click on the button to visit her blog and all the other participants.

A very good head

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila @ A Postcard a Day) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 05:08:18 PST

"Rye Museum

An early Edwardian doll in the museum's collection of toys. It has a very good head by Kamer & Reinhart c. 1903. The articulated body is probably thirty years older."

This postcard was bought from Rye Museum, in Sussex, during the 1980s. Rye was once a port on the south coast of England but is now some two miles from the sea. It has a very long history and some beautiful old buildings, including the Mermaid Inn which dates from 1156.

A whole new world has opened up to me in trying to find out who Kamer and Reinhart were. It turns out that it should be "Kämmer & Reinhardt", a doll company founded in 1886 in Waltershausen, Germany.

I read that Kämmer & Reinhardt made dolly faced dolls, and that held me up for a time, while I tried to find out what other sort of dolls anyone would make. Apparently the alternative is a character faced doll, one that looks more like a real child and has more expression.

Clearly the doll in the postcard is a dolly faced doll even if her body is 30 years older. I bet she's looking in the mirror wishing her body could be rejuvenated too. I know how she feels.

A post for Sepia Saturday. A click on the button will take you to the blog.

Dwarves in Wrocław

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila @ A Postcard a Day) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 12:55:33 PST

To understand the presence of these dwarves in Wrocław, we need to go back to the 1980s when the Orange alternative movement was active in Poland. Their purpose was to use nonsensical ways of protesting, to poke fun instead of other more confrontational means. They were a branch of Solidarity, Solidarność.

They started off by painting dwarves over the efforts by the police to cover over anti-government slogans. Although they stopped being active in 1989, in 2001 they reactivated, and dwarves started to reappear on the streets of Wrocław, though this time they were small statues rather than graffiti.

Since their first appearance, their numbers have been growing steadily. Although new ones appear each year, sadly some are disappearing.

This is a post for Postcard Friendship Friday hosted on Beth Niquette's blog The Best Hearts are Crunchy. Just click on the button to visit and join in.

Beauty Parlor

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila @ A Postcard a Day) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:10:34 PST

Charles M Russell, 1864-1926, "the cowboy artist" was fascinated by the wild west and ultimately created over 4,000 works of art all set in the American west. Not only was he an artist, but a writer, historian, and a conservationist.

He spent a great deal of time with the Blood Indians in Canada and this gave him the background to be able to produce detailed works like this one, showing everyday life. He was the first artist to live most of his life in the west which gave him the ability to capture the spirit and culture of the time and place. There is a museum dedicated to his works in Great Falls, Montana, and in it you can see this painting.

Shifting sand

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila @ A Postcard a Day) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:53:49 PST

I thought it must be from Australia, or somewhere similar. In fact it's the Netherlands, a national park called De Loonse en Drunense Duinen. It is 3,500 hectares of varied landscaped. The majority is shifting sand but there are other areas which are the last remnants of woodland and marsh with reeds and grasslands.

The shifting sands, the largest area in Europe, support some tough grasses and lichens and also insects. These in turn provide a food supply for birds and lizards. It may look arid, but there is a lot going on with closer inspection.

The steps of Montmartre

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila @ A Postcard a Day) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:02:48 PST

Or, as it should be known, "Les Escaliers de Montmartre". It is a famous image from the Hungarian photographer, Gyula Halász who moved to Paris in 1924 and spent the rest of his life there. The steps lead up the hill of Montmartre to the Basilica of Sacré Coeur.

Smile

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila @ A Postcard a Day) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 13:47:06 PST

Rise above those rain clouds!

Blancmange

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila @ A Postcard a Day) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 22:00:01 PST

I received the beautiful card from Annecy, a place I'd love to see, last year through Postcrossing. The stamp on it surprised me because although I knew the post office in France had published a series on regional foods, I didn't think blancmange would be a dish to celebrate and it's nothing to do with Annecy. It was always something of a joke at school. Clearly I haven't had the opportunity to eat the real thing.

There was a series of twelve in the booklet, these being the remaining eleven. Even there, there were a few surprises. French caviar? I had no idea.

Quite mouth-watering on the whole and a little more expected than blancmange. They are meant to be arranged as three menus of four courses: starter, main course, cheese and dessert. I'm afraid I had them in alphabetical order before I realised.

This is a post for Sunday Stamps, run by Viridian. Click on the button to visit her blog and all the other participants.

I'm going to be away from computers most of this weekend so I'll be doing my commenting during the week.

To market, to market

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila @ A Postcard a Day) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 05:08:12 PST

A feathered hat, what the well dressed lady wears when going to market in the early 1900s

She may have been the only one, she certainly seems to have drawn some looks from one or two people. I never wore a feathered hat, or any hat at all, when I used to go to the market in St Germain, in the same market place getting on for 100 years later. The styles may have changed but the market place remains the same.

St Germain en Laye is a town to the west of Paris, commuter land to some extent because it lies at the end of the RER (Réseau Express Régional) line into La Défense, the centre of Paris and right out the other side to Disneyland. It is apparently one of the busiest lines in the world. The RER line dates from 1969 but before that, and around the time of this postcard, there was a tram running from the centre of Paris to the château in Saint Germain.

Louis XIV was born in the château and later lived there for some 20 years. He handed it over to James VII of Scotland and & II of England after the Glorious Revolution of 1688. James VII & II is buried in a nearby church.

A post for Sepia Saturday. A click on the button will take you to the blog.

I'm going to be away from computers most of this weekend so I'll be doing my commenting during the week.

Wishing you luck

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila @ A Postcard a Day) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 07:57:39 PST

Here comes ...
... a little lucky charm card for you!

This is what they call a lenticular postcard which changes its image depending on the angle at which it is viewed. They are quite incredibly difficult to scan and in fact I had to resort to taking photos from different angles. The technique was developed years ago and first became popular in the 1940s but recent developments have meant that different types can be produced, with different effects. Some of them I've seen for sale make me feel dizzy.

This one though comes, from Germany, to wish you luck on this Friday 13th.

This is a post for Postcard Friendship Friday hosted on Beth Niquette's blog The Best Hearts are Crunchy. Just click on the button to visit and join in.

House interior, Ukraine

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila @ A Postcard a Day) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 12:34:26 PST

This 19th century house can be seen at the Museum of Ukrainian Folk Architecture, Rural Life and Folk Art in Pirogovo village to the south west of Kiev. There they have gathered together examples of regional traditional buildings on a 150 hectare site. Some are replicas and others have been transported there and reassembled. In the same place they have wooden churches, windmills, craft shops and a restaurant selling traditional Ukrainian food.

The interior shown on this particular postcard is of a 19th century house from the village of Bekhy in the Korosten district, Zhytomyr region which is towards the north of Ukraine. I like the look of it - bright and airy. The fascinating thing though, is the fireplace. I presume it's a fireplace. I have never before seen a fire suspended in that way.

Zaslawye or Val

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila @ A Postcard a Day) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 11:36:53 PST

This church, the Church of the Saviour's Transfiguration, stands in what remains of the ancient castle of Zaslawye or Zaslavl in Minsk, Belarus. The castle was built during the late 11th to 12th century, and changed and developed over the following centuries.

Only the church survived intact. It was once a Calvinist Protestant church built in the 16th century but is now a Russian Orthodox church, having been a Franciscan Catholic church too along the way. The grassy banks surrounding the church mark the remains of the ramparts.

Cheese market at Alkmaar

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila @ A Postcard a Day) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 04:42:11 PST

The cheese market at Alkmaar in the Netherlands is a tradition going back to the 16th century though there was a weighing house there as early 1365. At one time, until World War I, about 300 tons of cheese was sold on market days. The tradition is continued but now with less than 10% the quantity of cheese.

It looks a lovely spectacle and I know it's popular with tourists. Apparently as many as 100,000 people arrive to see the market each year. The cheese carriers wear traditional costumes as you can see on this postcard. The colours on their hats denote the different groups (or vemen).

One other piece of odd information about Alkmaar - there is a museum dedicated to the Beatles because John Lennon's first guitar was made in the town.

This card was sent to me by Deirdre of Mail Corner. Thank you Deirdre!

Great horned owl

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila @ A Postcard a Day) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 11:59:00 PST

The Great Horned Owl, Bubo virginianus, is a native of the Americas, mottled grey-brown above with fine dark grey horizontal banding below. Ear tufts set wide apart and yellow eyes. This owl hunts rabbits, rodents, and birds, including crows, ducks and other owls. Occasionally skunks. Found in all habitat with trees and cliffs.
It is unlawful to have such birds in your possession. Report helpless birds to State Wildlife Commissions immediately.

I have only once ever seen an owl though I heard them frequently when we lived beside woodland. When I did see one, it was very close because it flew into the house. It was a magnificent bird. I opened the windows, turned off the light, and it glided away as silently as it arrived. I would have thought it was a dream but the rest of the family was there - as amazed as I was.

Stamps from Ethiopia

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila @ A Postcard a Day) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 00:00:03 PST

I found this postcard among several others from Africa, the first I've seen illustrating stamps. It was sent in August 2008, but apparently inside an envelope because there is no address or stamp on the reverse. The message is clearly from an aid worker in Ethiopia, and sounds rather despairing.

"..we must have a new project agreement, otherwise we have to leave the country. It is so much more complicated here ... At the moment we have major team problems ... Sometimes only prayer keeps me here"

It must be a very special person who can work in a country with the problems they have.

This is a post for Sunday Stamps, run by Viridian. Click on the button to visit her blog and all the other participants.

Miss Aileen Mac Carthy

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila @ A Postcard a Day) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 12:22:04 PST

I've chosen this card for this week's Sepia Saturday entry on the basis of the picture of a young woman/girl and an animal.

As you may be able to see, there is a quote from the song "Phil the Fluter's Ball": Miss Aileen Mac Carthy and her private ass and cart. In fact it isn't a direct quote because the song makes reference to the beautiful Miss Bradys in a private ass and cart so I've no idea where Miss Aileen Mac Carthy came from. I wonder if she's the model.

The card appears to date from somewhere between 1902 and 1907. It allowed a message to be written on the back "except to the United States, Japan and Spain". The regulations to allow it changed for British cards in 1902 and for US cards in 1907.

The writer of the song was Percy French (1954-1920) who was a successful entertainer in Ireland and elsewhere. I remember many of his songs from my youth in Ireland: "The Mountains of Mourne", "Come Back Paddy Reilly, to Ballyjamesduff", and my father's constant favourite used on many occasions, "Are ye right there, Michael, are ye right?".

But I'll leave you with the chorus from "Phil the Fluter's Ball"

With the toot of the flute, and the twiddle of the fiddle-O!
Hopping in the middle, like a herrin' on the griddle-O!
Up! down, hands around, crossing to the wall!
Hadn't we the gaiety at Phil the Fluter's Ball.

And I'll be singing it for the rest of today.

Updated to add some links to the song:
Ronnie Drew (most authentic to my ear)
The Bachelors (with words)
The High Kings (modern arrangement)

It's good that you're you ...

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila @ A Postcard a Day) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 04:09:56 PST

... and I can be myself...
A postcard sent from Lithuania. I used Google translate to tell me what the Lithuanian words mean so I am prepared to be corrected. :)

The little boy's saxophone is almost as big as he is, so I'm fairly confident this displays some artistic licence. I do enjoy street musicians. The very best can be found near good music schools, a great treat for passers-by.

This is a post for Postcard Friendship Friday hosted on Beth Niquette's blog The Best Hearts are Crunchy.

Lighthouses of North Carolina

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila @ A Postcard a Day) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 05:51:31 PST

From Cape Hatteras and marked with the stamp from the Cape Hatteras National Seashore and the light station itself comes this beautiful postcard showing the "lights of the state of North Carolina reachable by car or ferry".

The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is the tallest lighthouse in the USA and one of the tallest brick built lighthouses in the world. It was built in 1870 in place of an earlier one. Interestingly, in 1999 it had to be moved 2900 feet inland because of coastal erosion.

Thank you so much, Maureen!

Donjon Carondelet

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila @ A Postcard a Day) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 03:59:22 PST

Is it a fortified house, is it a keep, is it a castle? I'm never sure of the different definitions though it is without a doubt old and beautiful. It may have been built as early as the 11th or 12th century although wasn't actually mentioned in documents until the 14th. It is private property and can't be visited by the public. We can admire it from here all the same.

It is in a little village called Crupet in Wallonie, Belgium, and listed on the website, The Most Beautiful Villages of Wallonia which is part of a network of similar sites also in Italy and France. I've often visited similar villages in France and they are always a delight.

This card was sent to me by Gerda, from My Postcard Page. Thank you, Gerda!

Wooden churches of Romania

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila @ A Postcard a Day) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 03:57:58 PST

Typical wooden churches similar to this one here are found in the Maramureş region of Romania, in the north of the country. There are about 100 of them and some eight are listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. They are very distinctive in appearance, with a tall tower and steeply pitched roof.

From the back of the card:

Insights into the Romanian soul

So much toil and such deep faith shine
So much sorrow under this church's shrine
Under the grassy earth is buried the horde
That awaits a holy sign from the Lord.

The older, historic region called Maramureş includes a part of western Ukraine. It is a valley completely surrounded by mountains and not easily accessible. As a result the area is relatively unspoilt and several protected natural parks have been set up.

Thank you Dan, from World, Come to my Home!