Sepia Saturday 119 - Work

I don't seem to have any postcards or magazines featuring people actually working for this week's Sepia Saturday theme of work, so I've had to opt for people going to or from work. In this case it's people crossing London Bridge on their way to and from work in the early 1900's.

As usual 100's more vintage postcards can be found on my web site

    

Sunday Stamps 63 - Flowers

Spring is really here in the UK this week. We've had some fantastic weather and we even managed to have a barbecue yesterday. For this week's Sunday Stamps of Flowers I found this presentation pack from 1979 of British Flowers. What's curious is that the stamps themselves seems to have been printed with such heavy background colours that it makes them look a little dull. I've included scans of the inserts as these have much more lively and spring like colours. The 2nd insert cites over picking and uprooting as the major causes of the decline of these flowers ... no mention of clearing vast tracts of countryside to build new roads, houses, or business parks.

Presentation Pack of British Flowers stamps, c.1979

Presentation pack insert

Presentation pack insert

Presentation pack insert

    

Sunday Stamps 62 - S.S. Great Britain

I've been in India with work all week but fortunately there's just about time for me to submit a short posting for this week's Sunday Stamps. This is a commemorative cover of the arrival of the S.S.Great Britain back at Avonmouth after having been serving in the Falkland Islands for 84 years. This is one of the last covers before we took the plunge and went from pounds, shillings and pence to become decimal.

Commemotaive cover featuring a 1 shilling S.S.Great Britain stamp, c.1970

    

Theme Thursday - Season

The season is definitely changing here in the UK. Last weekend was very Spring like, although it's a bit overcast and cooler today (probably normal for the time of year but I have just returned from a business trip to India where it was hot). I like all the seasons though and as I could not decide on a favourite one, for my submission to this week's Theme Thursday Season I thought I'd share four vintage postcards, one for each season.

Spring Flighting

Margate Sands in the Summer

Beeches in Autumn

Stratford-on-Avon, river in Winter

As usual 100's more vintage postcards on my web site

    

Sepia Saturday 116 - Hair

Whilst I don't think I can quite compete with some of the incredible beards shown for this week's Sepia Saturday, I do have a few Carte de Visite, showing ernest young men with various facial hair ... here are a selection.

Carte de Visite, published by Edmund Baker, 207 Bristol Street, Birmingham

Carte de Visite, published by B.D.Howard, 23 Broad Street, Ludlow

Carte de Visite, published by Davy, Stonehouse, Devon

As usual 100's of vintage postcards and Carte de Visite on my web site ... and I'm also no on Pinterest

    

Postcard Friendship Friday 106 - Isle of Wight

Having not participated in Postcard Friendship Friday for a couple of weeks I felt that I ought to put that right. I definitely don't have anything on theme, not even sure I've ever seen a St. Patrick's Day postcard. Instead however I have decided to share a couple of vintage postcards that I came across late last year but have only just processed. They are both of the Isle of Wight, which for those of you not from the UK is a small island just off the South Coast. I love the magnificent colours used by the artist Henry Wimbush. The postcards were both published by Raphael Tuck and date back to the 1900's.

Isle of Wight, Freshwater Bay

Isle of Wight, the Needles

As usual 100's more vintage postcards on my web site, and now also on Pinterest

    

Sunday Stamps 60 - Public Transportation

It's been a few weeks since I've participated in Sunday Stamps. Work has been manic, and the kids' social events seem to occupy most of the weekend. Can't say I'm looking forward to standing on the touchline this afternoon as it's grim weather here. I had quite a few public transportation related stamps to choose from but eventually decided on this one as it's quite unusual. Admittedly the stamp itself does not feature any mode of transportation, but the postmark and first day cover envelope all do, so I hope this slight deviation from the theme is ok :-)

The first day cover is of the final arrival at Southampton of the Queen Mary, 19th October 1967.

First day cover, Last Arrival at Southampton of the Queen Mary

Insert from first day cover

    

Sepia Saturday 115 - Games

For this week's Sepia Saturday theme of games I dug out this vintage postcard of a curious game called Pushball. You can read all about it here Pushball.

As usual, 100's more vintage postcards on my web site