I am testing my new computer. How do I find specific postcards in my vast collection? The above postcard is the first one searched for successfully.
Fluffy Cat
Month: September 2022
Teaching a Donkey to Speak Sir Robert Richardson, Treasurer of Scotland
My sister married a Robert Richardson.
A physician at court accepted the impossible task of teaching a donkey to speak. Other doctors had failed and been executed. This doctor told the King it would take ten years and be very expensive. Why would you accept such a task, asked the court jesters? In ten years, I, the donkey, or the King might be dead, but I will have made good money. Sir Robert Richardson laughed at the story, just as I his descendent.
Sir Robert Robertson is my 12th great grandfather, on my maternal tree. It was the King who collected taxes and called men into battle; however the ordinary person owed their allegiance to the Catholic faith in Scotland. Sir Robert was well educated. King James IV was a wise and effective ruler of Scotland. The King built Holyrood Palace (where Queen Elizabeth…
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The Town Mouse
I am linked to this thread through my sister’s marriage to Robert Richardson.
The Taill of the Uponlandis Mous and the Burges Mous, written by a Scot, around 1480, tells of fog and farne, and the fable was made. Today it’s call The Town Mouse and the City Mouse, part of Aesop’s Fairy Tales. It was an unusual tale for the times, as it blended the two protagonists with animal and human characteristics that satirized the new social classes in the rising burgess towns.
My 13th great grandfather, Sir/Lord Robert Richardson (Burgess of Jedburgh) was born during the reign of King James IV 1473-1513. According to the Scottish historian, George Crawfurd, he was descended of a stock of ancient and opulent burgesses of Edinburgh. Perhaps? George said the grandfather arrived in Scotland in 1424 in the reign of James I.
Robert Richardson became a Burgess.
Burgesses
were merchants or craftsmen who owned property in…
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Holyhead breakwater
A walk along Holyhead breakwater is great exercise and provides some fantastic views of the coast of Anglesey and perhaps, if you’re lucky, Ireland and the Isle of Man. We visited a few weeks ago, in August, and parked at the Breakwater Country Park, where there’s a cafe and gallery. We walked along the lane and then along the breakwater to the end and back. It’s not a long or arduous walk and there are great views and fresh, salty air. Here are some pics.
It’s the longest breakwater in the UK at around 1.7miles. It was built to protect the shipping between Ireland and Wales (mainland UK) using the port from northerly winds and bad weather and construction commenced in 1848. Rock was quarried from nearby Holyhead Mountain, but the work was dangerous. Up…
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Family Group
Farewell to Summer
Thank You for your Service Ma’am
I mourn her passing.
Most Memorable Moments: McNeil River, Part 1
Wonderful text and photos.
Some Most Memorable Moments last three days. And it should have been four. In this two part post, WC describes his 1995 visit to the McNeil River State Game Sanctuary. WC has reported on parts of the trip before, and a few of the photos have appeared earlier, but many photos are new and this post will try to provide context. All photos are scanned from Kodacolor prints and are less than perfect, but should convey the sense of what we saw. This is part 1 of 2.
Unless you are famous or politically hardwired, you get to go to McNeil River Game Sanctuary by winning a lottery. In 1995, Mrs. WC won. In the third week of July, we drove from Fairbanks to Homer and, after one day’s delay…
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Trip to Tacoma
I went on a trip yesterday from Seattle to Tacoma. Not a very long trip – 30 miles or so. It was wonderful. Clear blue sky, stunning views of Mt. Rainier and Tacoma harbor. A smooth ride but oh the traffic – high speed on the freeway all the way. Rush rush rush. I wanted everything to slow down and “smell the roses”. Our destination was the Washington Museum of History. Not only were the usual exhibits very good but a special exhibit of Hawaiian shirts was a big bonus. The model railroaders club had a huge panorama of the Tacoma landscape with trains zipping back and forth and around the hills and plains. Very impressive! Then near the History Museum was the stunning Chihuli Wall of Glass. Following these mind-blowing displays we went for lunch in an 1890’s style pub – Mcmenamin’s A nice day out for 9 “old” ladies.
Why Do I Collect Postcards?
Well, for one I like images – perhaps they remind of a place where I have been. Or I like the artwork. Or the postcard reminds me of someone I used to know or a place I liked to visit. Take for example the West coast of Africa. I lived in Ghana for a year 1988-1989. So all postcards relating to Ghana and more widely the West coast of Africa are of interest. I am currently reading Mary Kingsley’s book Travels in West Africa. And I have become friends with a person from Upper Volta-Bourkina Faso. History, literature, art, politics, geography -it can all be there in a humble postcard.
Janet's Thread 2 