Alderney Lighthouse

The Alderney Lighthouse (also known as Mannez Lighthouse) is a stone lighthouse built on the North-East coast of the island of Alderney. It was constructed in 1912 to protect shipping from the dangerous waters of the Alderney Race and the numerous rocks surrounding Alderney.

The Alderney Lighthouse was constructed from granite in 1912 under the guidance of local businessman William Baron. It was electrified in 1976, and automated in 1997, when the last resident lighthouse keeper left. Before its construction there were several notable wrecks off Alderney, including the Leros. It still functions as a lighthouse, but is open for guided tours during the summer months when it is linked with the rest of the island by the Alderney Railway.

In March 2011 the lighthouse was downgraded. The light reduced from 24hrs with a 23 nautical miles (43 km; 26 mi) range to dark hours only with a 12 nautical miles (22 km; 14 mi). This downgrade meant that the main beam was switched off, the lens shrouded and the light pulse now provided by a pair of LED lamps fixed to the sides of the tower. The fog signal was stopped at the same time. Thank you Maria for this nice card.

Lighthouse on Vesterålen

This picture is of one of the lighthouses of the Vesterålen (Western Islands) District of Nordland County, located off the north-western coast of Norway just to the north of the Lofoten Islands. (The Vesterålen also extends northeastward across the border into Troms Count. Located entirely north of the Arctic Circle, the mountainous islands have a stunning beauty and attract many visitors. The major islands are connected to each other and to the mainland by bridges. Thank you Maria for this nice card.

Finnish Frigate Osmo

This pretty picture was painted by the famous artist John Sychold.

Bugs Bunny

I was just thinking of posting something which would make all of us laugh a little, when the postman came to the rescue with this delightful card. Bugs Bunny is an American animated character created in 1938 at Leon Schlesinger Productions, later Warner Bros. Cartoons. Bugs is an anthropomorphic grey hare or rabbit and is famous for his flippant, insouciant personality and his portrayal as a trickster. He has primarily appeared in animated cartoons, most notably the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of theatrical short films. His popularity there led to his becoming a corporate mascot of the Warner Bros. Company. Bugs has appeared in more films than any other cartoon character and is the ninth most portrayed film personality in the world.
According to Bugs Bunny: 50 Years and Only One Grey Hare, Bugs was born on July 27, 1940 in Brooklyn, New York in a warren under Ebbets Field, home of the Brooklyn Dodgers. In reality, he was created by many animators and staff, including Tex Avery, who directed A Wild Hare, Bugs' debut role, and Robert McKimson, who created the definitive "Bugs Bunny" character design. According to Mel Blanc, the character's original voice actor, Bugs has a Flatbush accent. Bugs has had numerous catchphrases, the most prominent being a casual "Eh... What's up, doc?” usually said while chewing a carrot. Thank you Barb for starting my day with Good Ole Bugs!

The Kykkos Monastery

The Holy, Royal and Stavropegic Monastery of Kykkos, is located 20 km west of Pedoulas, and is one of the wealthiest and best-known monasteries in Cyprus.

The Holy Monastery of the Virgin of Kykkos was founded around the end of the 11th century by the Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos (1081 - 1118). The monastery lies at an altitude of 1318 meters on the northwest face of Troödos Mountains. There are no remains of the original monastery as it was burned down many times. The first President of Cyprus, Archbishop Makarios III started his ecclesiastical career there as a monk in 1926. He remained fond of the place and returned there many times. His request to be buried there materialised after his death in 1977. His tomb lies 3 km west of Kykkos monastery and remains a popular tourist destination. Merja gave me this nice maxi card.

The Caspian turtle

The Caspian turtle or Striped-neck terrapin (Mauremys caspica) is a species of turtle in the family Geoemydidae, living of the eastern Mediterranean region. It ranges from southwestern former USSR and central Iran to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Israel and Lebanon, northward through Turkey to Bulgaria, and through Cyprus, Crete, and the Ionian Peninsula to former Yugoslavia. This is a tan to blackish, medium-sized (to 25 cm), semi-aquatic turtle. Its low, oval carapace has a slight medial keel (better developed in juveniles) and a smooth unserrated marginal border, which is slightly upturned and tapered above the tail. A pair of low lateral keels are present on the pleural scutes of hatchlings but these become lower with age and disappear completely in adults. Females are generally larger than males, have flat plastra and shorter tails with the vent under the rim of the carapace. The smaller males have concave plastra and longer, thicker tails with the vent beyond the rim of the carapace. This Maxi card was given by Merja.

Aphrodite the Goddess of Cyprus

Who does not know about Aphrodite? Here I won’t be telling you stories about the Goddess, but we’ll see what sculptor’s thought she looked like. I have these three cards to illustrate what I mean.

The statue at top right is that of Aphrodite displayed in the Archeological Museum in Nicosia.

The statues shown at top left are of Aphrodite of Milos. She was named after the island of Milos where the statue was found. It could have been made ariund 130-120 BC by an unknown sculptor. Presently in the Louvre Museum in Paris. According to Greek mythology the Goddess of love and beauty was born in Cyprus.

The card below has the photo of Aphrodite, Pan and Cupid. It was found on the Island of Delos. It was made around 100 BC. It is presently situated in the National Museum of Athens. According to Greek mythology ”She rose out of the sea foam, and for this they called her Aphrodite”.

Thank you Merja for showing me these priceless statues.