Saturday 31 December 2016

Clocks and time

This post is linked to Maria’s Postcards for the Weekend.  If you would like to see other folk’s posts on this subject please visit Maria’s blog and follow the links.  They are always well worth viewing.

In 2015 I had clocks as my theme and there is a special blog devoted to them at Scriptor's Clock Cards.   It is impossible to picvk out just a couple as favourites so I settled for these random ones...

2655 - From Eva in Morocco.



2891 - from Katya in Ukraine.



2437 - mail art from Heleen in the Netherlands.



2294 - from Susanne in Germany- 


HAPPY NEW YEAR Everyone.




Wednesday 28 December 2016

Reading

If there is one theme on postcards that I like without exception it is reading - women reading (the most common), men reading, children reading, animals reading...  Most of m,y friends are well aware of this and as a result I get quite a lot of them.  Here are just a few of the latest ones.

4267 - from Renate in Austria.


By Austrian artist Franz von Defregger (1835-1921).  And this was the super stamp on the card.


4282 - From Susanne in Germany.   By Carl Larsson (1853-1919)



4273 - Another from Susanne. The bookworm by H Fenner-Behmer.


4225 - From Eva in Morocco.  By Rene Magritte.


4239 - From Heleen in the Netherlands.  'I always stay with you' by Sjoerd Kuijper.


4252 - Owl by Jorg Block  from Susanne.


4253 - also from Susanne.


4254 - And another of Susanne's.  "Sitting nude with pillow" 1911 by  August Mackie.

4258 - Susanne -


4259 - Susanne - Findus by Sven Nordqvist.


4261 - Yet another from my German friend, Susanne.



4309 - From my generous Susanne by Rudi Herzlmeier.  I can't tell if the budgerigar is reading as well!


4319 - From Heleen in the Netherlands.  This Rembrandt card came from the Rijksmuseum.  The painting dates from 1662.



4314 - From Heleen.  Old woman reading by Gerard Dou.  This face has such character.


I have received many more but I had better leave it there for now.  I hope you enjoyed looking at them as much as I enjoyed receiving (and of course READING them).

Saturday 24 December 2016

December Holidays

Christmas is a time for celebrating and for peace but it also has its serious side and these two embroidered cards made in France and Belgium during the First World War say it all.  They were made by the local French and Belgian girls to sell to the soldiers.



This first one was from Arthur Lane to my grandmother (his aunt) for 1914/15.  “Dear Auntie, I thought you might like one of the crowd of patriotic cards that are sold out here.  Everywhere you go you come across these card: even hawkers selling them.  We are now back at ___ for Divisional Rest .  Yesterday we had a Church Parade and H.C.  This moprning we have been out practiding attacking.  Love from Arthur.”  Within a year he and two of his brothers were dead in the trenches of France.



This one - "To my dear wife from Tom xxx" said "Hoping you enjoy yourself as best you can.  I got back all safe and sound in the muck.  It's rotten here.  Ta Ta."  I don’t know whether Tom was around to celebrate Christmas the next year – I hope so.

This post is linked to Maria’s Postcards for the Weekend.  If you would like to see other folk’s posts on this subject please visit Maria’s blog and follow the links.  They are always well worth viewing.


Saturday 10 December 2016

Winter Scenes

0000 - Monca.  The first postcard I recorded after I started seriously collecting them in February 2012 was from my friend Monica in Sweden.  It was by Lennart Helje, an artist I had never come across before but who I have come to love.


4243 - Monica.  Just a few days ago I received another of Helje's winter scenes from Monica.


Lennart Helje is a Swedish painter/ illustrator, born in 1940 in Lima, who paints Christmas elves/ tomtes and animals in snowy landscapes. His fairytale artwork has been reproduced as Christmas cards, both in Sweden and internationally, by UNICEF. He has also illustrated the stamps and postal Christmas seals, with Nordic nature and plant motifs.

This post is linked to Maria’s Postcards for the Weekend.  If you would like to see other folk’s posts on this subject please visit Maria’s blog and follow the links.  They are always well worth viewing.

Sunday 4 December 2016

Lighthouse

This post is linked to Maria’s Postcards for the Weekend.  If you would like to see other folk’s posts on this subject please visit Maria’s blog and follow the links.  They are always well worth viewing.

1634 - From Christy in Texas.


The Bolivar Point Lighthouse in Texas was built in 1872 ansd in a hurrican in 1900 it sheltered 125 people. After 61 years service it was retired but remains a landmark on the Texas Gulf coast.  

This was one of the card's stamps.