Remembering in my Own Way.

 It’s no coincidence that my blog page features a design of books.  As well as having a great love of nature, like many with similar interests I am a bibliophile.  I have learned over the years to be particular as to what to add to my library and I have two books of which I am very proud to own, both by James Alder.  They are the Birds and Flowers of the Castle of Mey and the Birds of Balmoral. The  former was presented to the Queen Mother and the latter to Her Majesty the Queen.  Whether you are of a left, right or centre political persuasion I think you would be hard indeed not to have found the death of Her Majesty the Queen a sad occasion.  I had my copy of the birds of Balmoral out on the table this week.

Her Majesty previews the artwork

Both books contain some wonderful prints of birds and flowers by James Alder.  There are short introductions in both books and this includes in Birds of Balmoral words from the Queen to James about the conservation work done on the estate of Balmoral of which Prince Phillip had taken a great interest.  The Queen did acknowledge that historically some wildlife was not encouraged on the estate, and of course we all know what that meant.  Let us hope that the numerous gamekeepers on the estate are rather more tolerant these days.

From Court Circular in The Times, June 1998

Anyway, I share one thing in common with royalty, I have both books by James Alder on my shelves.

Whilst I collect books I never kept up a childhood hobby of collecting postage stamps.  On refection I wish I had kept it going, as philately is such a great tool of learning.  I’d been thinking just how much the world has changed during my lifetime lived with Queen Elizabeth being the only monarch I have known.  Many of the political and geographical changes to the world are reflected in my small postage stamp book passed to me as a child by my elder brother.  Who would believe these days that in the 1950s you could purchase a stamp for a halfpenny in ‘old money?’

I’ve included a selection of images of postage stamps which have a natural history theme and which were issued, as were many others, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 11.

I’ll try and not be such a stranger to my blog.