A Postcard A Day - Tuesday 5 May 2026 - T for Scandinavian design, crosses and al fresco breakfast

 Hello lovely peeps, 

It's time for T! Have you got a drink to show me? I have one and I will show you later. 

First let me show you a postcard I received a little while ago:

Isn't that a pretty drawing/watercolour? The design is by  Søstrene Grene. 

Wikipedia writes: Søstrene Grene is a family-owned Danish multi-category retail chain. It was founded in Aarhus, Denmark in 1973 by married team Inger Grene and Knud Cresten Vaupell Olsen.

'Søstrene Grene' is Danish for 'the Grene sisters'. The Grene family still owns and runs the chain today, with the founders' children Mikkel Grene becoming the CEO and Cresten Grene becoming the creative director in 2012.

        A Søstrene Grene shop in the city of Groningen,                                 Netherlands.

My postcard comes from the Netherlands and I think the sender bought the card in the above shop (looking at the postmark)

Wikipedia writes:

Søstrene Grene stores have a maze layout with a course that carries customers through all their product categories, leading them to return to the checkouts at the front of the store. The stores use strategic spotlighting and dark walls to create a cosy atmosphere and play classical music to create a sense of calm.

Their product selections include homeware (such as furniture, kitchenware, lighting, bathroom accessories), crafts, gardening, gifting supplies, stationery, travel accessories, children's games and toys, and snacks. New products are released weekly and available for a short time creating an experience of discovery and uniqueness. Products have a focus on Scandinavian design, many with floral elements, and are priced very affordably. All products are exclusive to Søstrene Grene with the exception of some snacks and online-only exclusive items.

The stamp on the card is this one:

Sorry it's not a good image (unfocused). But you get the gist. We've had herrings last week and now a windmill. All things typically Dutch.

What have I been doing here in Spain? I'm packing my suitcase, photocopying my credit cards and documents. Pouring lotions and potions in small travel bottles. Writing instructions for my house sitters. Nothing exciting really. 

This past weekend was a long weekend here. Because of the fact that the first of May, which is a public holiday, fell on a Friday. Our village had also declared the Thursday a day off so Happy Days! 

It is also the festival of the May Crosses where people decorate crosses and display them in their patio/garden or shop window or public place. 

Below is one of the crosses in the little hermitage in the village:

In this case the cross is decorated with bread and the display is of artisanally (is that a word?) made copper articles. Most of them antique.

Today is T for Tuesday so I need a drink. Let me think....

Saturday I was invited to a breakfast (on her terrace) organised by my friend Antonia's daughter who lives not far from me.

She had laid out lots of stuff on the terrace: sausages, bread, cheese, salamis, sweet breads, broad beans. Also drinks including wine. 

Here she is carrying her youngest daughter:

Below is Serafin (another neighbour) cooking some belly pork on the fire

There were all sorts of fowl running around:

They even have a turkey called Paco.

I had never seen a live turkey before so that was special. I just had to touch those strange 'blobs'! I hope I get invited when they eat him...

That is all from me.

Happy T-Day all,

Lisca

A Postcard A day - Friday - 1 May 2026 - Friday Smiles

 

Hello lovely peeps. Are you all ready for the weekend? I am, although I have nothing really exciting planned.

But first, let me show you a postcard. 

Unfortunately it is damaged, where it probably stuck to another piece of mail. We have had wet weather so that could be the reason.

The card depicts a painting by Giuseppe Falchetti (1843-1919) and is entitled Herbstprodukte (autumn produce) painted in 1881 on wood.

Wikipedia writes about him:

Giuseppe Falchetti was an Italian still life and landscape painter, particularly known for his vivid depictions of wine and grapes. Born in Turin, Italy on June 18, 1843 to a modest artisan family, Falchetti joined Giuseppe Camino’s studio at the age of 12. Though originally trained in landscape painting at Camino’s studio, after numerous visits to the Sabauda Gallery of Turin, Falchetti began to take an interest in the genre of still life, and was further influenced by the study of Flemish painting. Falchetti was respected by the noble families of Turin and was often commissioned for his wide-horizon landscapes populated by minute figures, as well as his still life paintings featuring bottles of wine, fruit, small game, and grapes. His proficiency at depicting this last subject led him to be commissioned by the Italian government to paint representations of the national viticulture in 1876. Falchetti died on November 6, 1918 in Turin, Italy.

The stamp is the run-of-the-mill German stamp with the paper castle. Even so it's quite pretty.

How was my week? It has rained a lot this week. This is good for the land but it makes the sky dull and grey. 

The village is preparing for the Festival of Crosses. 

The village is celebrating the May Crosses this week, where people decorate a large cross and surround it with traditional artifacts. The town hall has published which houses are open to view the crosses. And of course public places and some shops and restaurants have one too. I might go and see some this weekend and write a blog about it.

Yesterday I went to meet a Dutch lady who put a message out on Facebook, asking if there were other Dutch people in my village. I responded and we decided to meet. She is 83 and we got along fine. 

We'll meet again after I come back from holiday.

I'm slowly getting ready for my big trip. My friend Andy helped me get the right apps on my phone, like Airalo, a virtual sim card to be able to use my phone in lots of different countries,. We also checked if my Uber app was still patent.

My house sitters are on their way (already in Spain) and I prepared their room this afternoon and made up the bed although they are not coming until next week.

That's all from me this Friday. Of course I will show you some funnies at the end. 

Enjoy your weekend,

Lisca

A Postcard A Day - Tuesday 28 April 2026 - T for sailing, King's Day and a haircut

Hello lovely peeps, How are you all? 

I have another postcard for you:

Yes, It's a postcard although it looks like a book. It is the image of a real book by Peter Heaton.

Goodreads describes it as:

This is a book for beginners. It describes the technique of choosing, buying, fitting out, sailing and storing a yacht in detail and in plain language. In addition, there are shanties, salty stories, sea-lore, instructions on subjects ranging from forecasting weather to curing sea-sickness, and the whole is profusely illustrated with line drawings and photographs.

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1949

The postcard was sent to me from the Netherlands. It was chosen probably because in my profile, I have written that I like reading and anything to do with books.

The stamp is the standards Dutch international stamp. 

It features a fresh herring, which people eat from a street stall with onions.

Soused herring is raw herring soaked in a mild preserving liquid. It can be raw herring in a mild vinegar pickle or Dutch brined herring. As well as vinegar, the marinade might contain cider, wine or tea, sugar, herbs, spices, and chopped onion. Wikipedia

It's eaten like this:

Talking of Dutch, today (I'm writing this on Monday the 27th) the Dutch king's birthday is celebrated. 

It's a big thing in the Netherlands.

Every year the king and his family go to a different location to celebrate his birthday. This year it was Friesland in the North of the country.

This is king Willem Alexander and his wife queen Máxima and their three daughters, earlier today.

The Dutch turn out onto the streets, dressed in orange:

This is a photo from one of the news channels earlier today. I think I recognise this as being Amsterdam.

Great fun!

Now today is T for Tuesday and I need a drink reference. On Saturday, after our Intercambio language exchange, we went for a drink and there was an important bull fight on the tv. Although controversial, bull fighting is still very popular in Andalusia. This one was from the feria in Seville.

On the photo, a lot of bottles can be seen, as the tv is hung behind the bar. The head you can see is that of my friend Jim.

This evening I went to have my hair cut. My friend Kim came too. We always have appointments together so that I can translate should she need it. I took this photo while I was waiting outside for her. After A while I reckoned that she had already gone inside. (She had). There are two signs in the photo, one is for the hairdresser and the other for the dentist. They are in the same building.

I've just noticed a palm tree. This one is for Elizabeth, who loves palm trees.

Kim's hair is lovely:

This is my 'before' photo. 

And here is the 'after' picture.

I'm writing this on the sofa with Ronnie fast asleep and snoring beside me. Isn't he gorgeous.

The elephant print is my apron. I'm one of those people that always wears an apron in the house.

That's all for now folks.

Happy T-Day to all!

Lisca

 

A Postcard A day - Friday 24 April 2026 - Friday Smiles

 

Hello lovely peeps, 

It's nearly weekend! For me 'weekend' means no work-outs as I do Pilates every day. I'm trying to eat healthily and don't snack or eat sweet things and abstain from alcohol. But on weekends I allow myself a glass (or two) of wine! Big smile!

So if we're talking about what made me smile this week, I must count wine as my biggest smile. Last weekend's activities were shown in Tuesday's blogpost. (In that photo I was drinking water, but I had wine in the evening. Sorry, no photo).

My postcard today features a conservatory:

It was sent to me by Erin in the USA. What you see is the West Conservatory at Longwood Gardens, a famous botanical garden in Philadelphia.

A tourist website writes this:

Longwood Gardens is one of the world’s premier horticultural display gardens.

Located in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania (about an hour outside of Philadelphia), Longwood Gardens showcases more than 10,000 species and varieties of plants spread out across more than 1,100 acres of gardens and elaborate horticultural displays.

This celebrated collection of indoor and outdoor gardens — over two-dozen in total — attracts visitors from around the globe to enjoy stunning botanical displays, fountain shows, glistening lakes, picturesque meadows and winding woodlands.

In 2024, Longwood Gardens expanded with Longwood Reimagined, a sweeping transformation of 17 acres of Longwood’s core conservatory area, creating several new attractions, a reimagined restaurant and a seamless connection between the lush gardens.

The horticultural haven also hosts hundreds of events annually, including gardening demonstrations, educational programs, children’s activities, concerts and musical theater.

The West Conservatory apparently is a new one. I found this information:

More like a floating crystal palace than a traditional conservatory, the brand-new West Conservatory is not a display garden like most of Longwood, but a Mediterranean-inspired landscape of water features and blooming perennials designed to grow over time.

The state-of-the-art conservatory is a living, breathing structure with geothermal heating and cooling, and computerized windows and vents that open and close in response to the seasons.

I like botanical gardens and this one, I'd love to visit.

The stamps are interesting too:

The two large ones in particular. The left of the two is marked Connecticut, and features a scene from the Appalachian Trail. I find that interesting as I am walking the Appalachian Trail virtually with Walking4fun.

On the left you can see where I'm at. In Virginia. I still have 2685 km to do. I input my steps every day, and the program shows me where I have walked with photos of the trail. It is fun to do. 

The right hand large stamp features a photo by Ansel Adams. 

USPS writes:

Experience the wonder of the American West through the lens of one of America’s most iconic photographers, Ansel Adams (1902-1984). This pane of 16 stamps features some of Adams’ most famous images in his signature “straight photography” style, an approach defined by its precision and directness.

The first row of stamps, left to right, features “Half Dome, Merced River, Winter, Yosemite National Park, California” (1938); “Oak Tree, Sunset City, Sierra Foothills, California” (1962); “Thundercloud, Ellery Lake, High Sierra, Sierra Nevada, California” (1934); and “Denali and Wonder Lake, Denali National Park, Alaska” (1947).

The second row, left to right, features “The Golden Gate and Bridge from Baker Beach, San Francisco, California” (c.1953); “Road and Fog, Del Monte Forest, Pebble Beach, California” (1964); “Rock and Grass, Moraine Lake, Sequoia National Park, California” (1936); and “Leaves, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington” (c.1942).

The third row, left to right, features “Monument Valley, Arizona” (1958); “Tetons and Snake River, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming” (1942); “Jeffrey Pine, Sentinel Dome, Yosemite National Park, California” (1940); and “Mirror Lake, Mount Watkins, Spring, Yosemite National Park, California” (1935).

The fourth row, left to right, features “Maroon Bells, near Aspen, Colorado” (1951); “Aspens, Dawn, Autumn, Dolores River Canyon, Colorado” (1937); “Road After Rain, Northern California” (1960); and “Dunes, Oceano, California” (1963).

As evidenced by the striking images in this collection, Adams devoted much of his career to the advancement of photography as a fine art. Derry Noyes, an art director with USPS, designed the stamps using existing photographs.

So the stamp on my postcard shows 'Dunes, Oceano, California (1963). 

Beautiful photos!

Last month I showed you the jigsaw puzzle I was given for my birthday and I showed you the little bit I had done.

I will show you where I am now (Nearly finished):

The image is about Venice.There is a gondola, ice creams, wine, Merano glass, carnival masks and art of all types, as well as recognisable buildings.

Below is the complete picture from the box:

That is all my smiles for now. I'm going to put some funnies at the end as per usual.

Enjoy your weekend.

Lisca