an ancient land

 

Shetland, an archipelago off the north coast of Scotland,which was ruled by the Norse from the 8th to the 15th C. On the last Tuesday in January they hold the largest fire festival in Europe. Up Helly Aa in Lerwick can include over 1000 'guizers' (dressed in disguise, in this case Vikings) in a procession that culminates in the burning of a replica Viking Longship. There is much more to it than that, which you can read all about here

trees

above: a year in the life of an apricot tree                                       below: an avenue of ginkgo trees
 

for Sunday Stamps

yoga

 

CATURDAY

kaffee

An ideal place to fall in love with your 

Viennese coffee house business

most beloved

 

I have two stamps of Colette, a French writer whose full name was Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (28 Jan 1873 - 3 Aug 1954). She wrote Gigi, which was the basis of one of my favourite films (the 1958 one with Leslie Caron)

 

From the most beloved writer of France to the best beloved writer of Scotland, Rabbie Burns whose 265th birthday this week inspired this theme. This rosy cheeked portrait is by Alexander Naysmith

Maybe I should have chosen this theme for next week when it would have been Colette's 151st birthday, but I hadn't decided on the second writer at the time.

yelling cat

 

CATURDAY

words of love

 Juliet's Balcony

La Casa di Giulietta dates to the 13th century and was once home to the Cappello family (the inspiration to the Capulets of Shakespeare's play). The balcony was added to the house in the early 20th century after being bought by the city of Verona.  Beneath the balcony are scores of graffiti scribbles.

far away

 

A totally different landscape from yesterday... this view at least doesn't totally obliterate Mt Fuji from the skyline. It is about 100 miles away, or 2-3 hours by car or train.

arctic beauty

 

Lofoten, an archipelago with stunning scenery. It was an inspiration for the landscapes in the movie Frozen

bridges

the same, but different

from 1984, when Europa stamps were all the same design. Each country still managed to show some individuality

a bridge for Sunday Stamps

two views

 

CATURDAY

fantasy

and this may not be strictly a movie poster, but I love it, not least for the Tiffany blue

pyramid

This ancient mosque with a pyramid shaped minaret sits atop a hill in the city of Ghardaia. It is thought to be the first building in the Ghardaia Palace, built around 1048. The smaller six metre minaret is the older one with the larger 23 metre minaret being built in the 16th C.

on the promenade

 

CATURDAY

large letters

you get an idea of the important landmarks of a city within the name

some words and letters for the first Thursday Postcard Hunt of 2024

lucky pig