A Postcard a Day - 14 Dec 2015 - Map Monday Ireland

Good Morning folks! Happy Monday! I hope your weekend was good and restful.

Today is my husband Graham's birthday. So he started the day by opening birthday cards that have come in the post but which I have hidden until today.
He is 69 today and we give thanks to the Lord for another year in health and happiness. We will be having lunch at our favorite restaurant today at 2pm, where we will be joined by several of our friends. I'm looking forward to that.

The map postcard I want to show you today comes from Ireland.

Ireland is the third-largest island in Europe and the 20th largest island in the world. It lies to the northwest of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. 

Politically the island is divided in the Republic of Ireland (Eire), which covers five sixth of the island, and Northern Ireland, a part of the United Kingdom, which covers the remaining area and is located in the northeast of the island.

In 2011 the population of Ireland was approximately 6.4 million people, ranking it the second most populous island in Europe after Great Britain. Just under 4.6 million people live in the Republic of Ireland, and just under 1.8 million live in Northern Ireland.

This is the stamp that is on the postcard. It has a bird on it: a black-legged Kittiwake. The kittiwake is a sea gull and is called black-legged to distinguish it from a red-legged variety in North America.

I'll leave it at that. I have a busy day ahead of me. See you tomorrow at T for Tuesday.

Be blessed,

Lisca

A Postcard a Day - Monday 7 Sept 2015 Ireland and tatting

Good Morning! It's Monday! 

It's especially on Mondays that I really like being retired. I really feel for my friends who are middle aged but through the change in the law now have to work many years longer than they thought.

Monday with me now means 'map Monday'. I love map cards and today I'm showing you one from Eire (Ireland).

The Cead Mile Failte (sorry there should be accents on those words but I don't know how to do accents on my keyboard) is Gaelic and as far as I know means: One hundred thousands welcomes.

It was sent to me a while ago now by John. He tells me that his partner's elderly mother is an expert lace maker, who has shown samples of her work in Europe. His partner does tatting but he doesn't know what that is. Perhaps you don't either. It is a kind of knotted lace made by hand with a small shuttle, and is used chiefly for trimming.

The stamps are beautiful.

But I have not been able to find any information on them. The left hand stamp is a Christmas edition from 2001. The one on the right is from 2007 but I have no idea what it is celebrating... marriage? And what does the white carnation symbolize?

I'll leave you with that. Have a good Monday. 
See you tomorrow when I link up with T for Tuesday.

Blessings,
Lisca