Tahkuna Lighthouse, Estonia

Another lighthouse from Janek on today's menu.

This is the Tahkuna Lighthouse on the Tahkuna Cape, on the Hiiumaa Island. It was completed in 1875 and is the highest cast-iron tower in Estonia, whose height is 43 m. It has remained unchanged since its construction.

two beautiful lighthouse stamps on the back! The one on the left, showing the Vaindloo Lighthouse was issued in 1996, while the other one, issued in a set of two in 2005 shows the Norrby upper lighthouse (the other stamp in the set shows the Norrby Lower Lighthouse)

Costa Rica

From Hong Kong we move on to Costa Rica, to another one of the, 'oh it has arrived so long ago' cards.

The card shows an ox-cart, which is like way more beautiful than the usual ox-carts one is used to seeing. It makes you wonder if this is indeed used in everyday life or is it just like a museum exhibit.

But, the ox carts in Costa Rica indeed have a long, deep history in economics and the arts. These carts are not just a means of transportation; they represent the spirit of a country and even though  these days they are mainly used as ornaments there are still some places in Costa Rica where the roads are too rough for modern vehicles, or where the locals just can’t afford a car and these are the places where genuine use of ox carts is still prevalent. The art of hand-painting each ox cart is a tradition, and a symbol of a people, that has been passed down through the generations, and is a skill that some possess even today. 

The colours are just so beautiful and vibrant and all those small details as well.

I like buying souvenirs when I travel, but if I ever have the chance to go to Costa Rica, hopefully I won't come back with an ox-cart :D

the stamp here is actually a kind of a sticker, which has been used as postage since 2007. So unfortunately, cannot give any further details about it.

Bolivia

Hello all and welcome to a new postcards' episode :)

I must admit I've been a bit lazy this past week, but hopefully I will get through today's update which will open with a card from Bolivia.

I received this one as part of some lottery, that from this perspective I remember nothing about (well it was like 6 years ago so no wonder).
From what I could understand, on the card you can see people removing coca leaves - yeah, coca not cocoa as I had misread.
Coca is any of the four cultivated plants in the family Erythroxylaceae, native to western South America. The plant is grown as a cash crop in Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, even in areas where its cultivation is unlawful and it is well known throughout the world for its psychoactive alkaloid, cocaine. The UN Office of Drug Control estimated that 30,900 hectares of coca were planted in Bolivia in 2009, making Bolivia the third largest producer of coca after Colombia and Peru.
It is estimated that 35,148 of 54,608 metric tons produced in Bolivia is sold in unauthorized markets dominated by the cocaine trade, most of it from coca production in the Chapare (a rural province in Central Bolivia).

I wonder now if this card is legal in the first place :D

I love these huge cancellations, even though they sometimes give me the trouble having to delete the address and all without actually ruining the cancellation itself. As for the stamp, it is from a set of four stamps issued in 2008 for the 30th Anniversary of the Japan International Cooperation Agency in Bolivia.

Thanks a lot to Marisol for this card and I am really sorry I do not remember the exact lottery occasion for it.

Bihać, Bosnia and Herzegovina

a card that Jasmin sent me as part of the Ireland vs the Wolrd RR on the PC forum - i find it a bit funny to receive a card from Bosnia for something with the name of Ireland as part of it :)))

The card shows the Una river which at total length of 212 km, flows both through Bosnia and Croatia.
In the background you can see the main bridge, and further in the back you can see both a church and a mosque.

There is also a movie titled Una, based on the book by Momo Kapor. You can watch it on YouTube, though unfortunately it has no English subtitles =/

probably like one of the most frequently used stamps from Bosnia from the set of 6 vegetable stamps issued in 2006.

Jasmine, hvala ti puno :)

Tam-shui River, Taiwan

Another river for today, this one running through Taipei, Taiwan's capital.

It is one of the few rivers in the island that flows along a north-south direction, with a total length of 159 km.
Unfortunately, it is heavily polluted by both raw sewage and industrial pollution from illegal industry. Clean up and natural river restoration is on the agenda of the Taipei City Government, Taiwan Central Government and several citizen organizations.

I guess a river couldn't really be proud of itself when among the scarce information you find about it, one refers to its pollution.
However, the view at dusk is really nice.

a lovely cat stamp from a set of four stamps issued in 2005 featuring cats and dogs.

Gratulerer med dagen Norge! / Happy Birthday Norway!

17 May is like probably the most important day in Norway since it is the country's Constitution Day, which is the National Day of Norway.

The Constitution of Norway was signed at Eidsvoll on May 17 in the year 1814. The constitution declared Norway to be an independent kingdom in an attempt to avoid being ceded to Sweden after Denmark–Norway's devastating defeat in the Napoleonic Wars.

So for the birthday of my most beloved country in the world, here are a few Norwegian cards which I thought that thematically would be appropriate for today =)
In case you wanna read a bit more about the Norwegian's most important day of the year, take a look here - Understanding 17 May

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First comes an official card which even though shows the Norwegian flag, was actually sent from Poland, but don't get me started on that now, let me tell you a few words about the flag instead :)

It was adopted on 13 July 1821, by a resolution by the Norwegian parliament, the Storting.

The idea for this flag belongs to Frederik Meltzer, Member of Parliament from Bergen. He got the idea of adding a blue cross to the Danish flag during a meeting in the parliament. The discussion on the flag circled around considerations about reflecting the past, that is the Danish colours, which enjoyed great popularity, and considerations that the union with Sweden should also be reflected in the flag. So we can say that the red and white came from the Danish flag, the blue from the Swedish. At the same time, the colour combination red, white, blue was also attractive to the Parliament because it reflected the colours of liberty, as in the flags of France, the USA, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.

here is that Polish stamp issued in 2009 for the World Post Day.



I have no idea how I obtained the following two cards (most probably a swap) - all I know is that I found them in the 2010 pile.

On both of the cards you can see a map of the country along with some beautiful nature scenes located in different parts of it (the one above actually shows views from the north of the country only).

The next map card - I received it twice....and funny thing is that both senders sent it like just a few days apart...what a telepathy!! :D
One was sent by Sissel and one by Cathrine - I can freely say my two most regular Norwegian contributors :))

Both Sissel and Cathrine have said on the cards that the map is a bit inaccurate - I don't know if it's cos its maybe an older edition or something...but still makes it a really nice map-card.

Among else it says that
- the country is a Constitutional Monarchy with a Parliamentary system of Government
- monetary unit is the Norwegian krone
- religion: Protestant
- main export: oil and gas, ships and offshore platforms, fish, paper
- capital: Oslo
- largest lake: Mjøsa
- highest mountain: Galdhøpiggen, 2469m
- average life expectancy: women - 80 years, men - 73 years  (what the hell are you doing to your men Norway?? or should I ask that the Norwegian women maybe? :P)
- national anthem: Ja, vi elsker dette landet

speaking of mountains, it reminded me of this thing I read yesterday - it is not the latest news, actually it is like more than a year old, but I still thought it may be worth sharing this article about the Future Library Project that is taking place in Norway :)

here are the two stamps that came along with these cards - the above one featuring the Revtangen, Klepp, Rogaland was issued in 2009 in a set of 6 Tourism stamps, while the one below was issued in 2011 in a set of three stamps for the Year of the Architecture.

For the end of this post I will share with you a small anecdote from my recent Spanish trip that is related to Norway :)

See, we were visiting Benidorm one day, and just as we parked the car, another car parked in front of us, and I don't know why I took a look, but something just got my attention and I realized the car was Norwegian! I couldn't really believe it and I just stood there waiting for the people to get out of the car in order to talk to them, in my terrible basic Norwegian! To make it worse, I was so excited that I couldn't even think of the simplest of words at the moment!! And I don't know who was more shocked, me, that I came across Norwegians at a random place in Spain, or them, that they came across someone at a random place in Spain who actually spoke Norwegian (or better said, had her attempts to do so :D) It was hilarious cos as I've probably mentioned before, spoken Norwegian is a nightmare to me, so not only they talked to me in Norwegian, they often had to translate in English what they had actually said cos my brain was duh? huh? what??!! Yeah, the joke's on me, I know, but frankly I am also proud of myself cos I didn't run away as I usually do when I have to talk in a language I am not fluent in (like Spanish or German), but on the whole contrary, I was waiting for them to get out of the car in order to exchange a few words.
They were an older and really lovely couple, so a big hug to them in case they ever come across this post and remember that clumsy girl in Benidorm who tried to talk to them in Norwegian :D

Cats, cats, cats....and a Poem

As for my last post today comes one of my longish, annoying ones, with a bunch of cards, and today's subject is Cats.

Now, I know that time ago I said no more cat cards and I didn't really plan on posting some, until recently I received this card which kinda changed my mind and inspired me to do a cat-post.
The card itself is not a cat card at all, but had a reference to a poem which is the main 'offender' of why this post was born. And here it is...

Stray Cat

by Francis Witham

“Oh, what unhappy twist of fate Has brought you homeless to my gate? The gate where once another stood To beg for shelter, warmth, and food For from that day I ceased to be The master of my destiny. While he, with purr and velvet paw Became within my house the law. He scratched the furniture and shed And claimed the middle of my bed. He ruled in arrogance and pride And broke my heart the day he died. So if you really think, oh Cat, I’d willingly relive all that Because you come forlorn and thin Well…don’t just stand there…Come on in!”

It is both so heartwarming and heartbreaking and I'm sure that anyone who has ever kept a cat would be kinda touched by it and find it all so true.

So for the love of all adorable cats out there, here come a few on cards (I tried to make a variety of the countries where these came from so at least in case you are not into cat-cards, you may enjoy the stamps =)


I have no idea now who sent me this first one, but I'm glad to have it cos it is adorable beyond words.

If this cute little fella came to your door, how can you not bring it in?? Look at that adorable face and eyes!! Gosh, I'm such a sucker when it comes to cats. If I could I'd rescue all the stray cats out there (and unfortunately there are way too many here =/)


Next comes a great Nouvelles Images card sent by Bryon, showing different breeds of felines.

I have to admit that in general I prefer stray cats to the famous breeds' ones, and I'd never really go for a cat (or dog) for which I'd have to pay money - I'd always rescue some poor little fella from the streets and I really encourage other people to do so, since those little creatures are the ones that truly NEED your help.
Among else, this card reminded me that it's been really a while since I've posted something from the NI series here...

And what makes a cat card perfect?? Well, cat-stamps of course! :D These are from the amazing 2010 Adopt a Shelter Pet - series (just what I was saying above).

Thank you soooo much Bryon!!



Next is a card I received from Larisa in 2012...

....showing this photographer-wanna-be. However I think that (s)he is easily distracted so I wouldn't expect some booming career here :P

On the back we have one of the 2008 definitives, the Moscow Kremlin from the Kremlins' set of 2009, and one from the set of 4 stamps issued in 2010, showing Head Dresses of the Republic of Tatarstan.



Another one from the NI series received as an official in 2013.

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The expression on both the girl's and the cat's face are just priceless, for different reasons. The little girl is so delighted and there is something evil in her smile, while the cat has this 'oh my God, here comes my torturer, the fun days are over' kinda look.

The card came with a number of stamps, which I rarely get to see on the official ones from the Netherlands :)
First is a 5c definitive issued in 2003, then we have the blue 10c stamp which is from a set of 5 Numeral stamps issued in 1976. The top-right corner stamp was issued in 1992 commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Dutch Pediatrist Union. The one below featuring Wilem Jansz Blaeu is a Charity stamp issued in 1983, while the very last one is from 1991 from a set of 3 Summer stamps.

Thanks a bunch to Anne for this one!!


This one with the surreal green eyes came as an official from Great Britain and is actually a resent card since the first one went, who knows where..

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This one reminds me a lot of Kimi...even though his eyes weren't green as this, but that face and that look are just the same...and cannot believe that it's been almost a year without him =/

The stamp is a Christmas stamp from a mini-sheet of 7 stamps issued in 2012.



So besides a photographer wanna-be, today we also have a reader wanna-be.

The looks on this one's face is just heart-melting...and look at those lovely paws!! I don't know why but there is just something particularly adorable about little kittens' paws ❤

A number of nice stamps on the backside of this one. At the very bottom is a stamp from the Polish Farmhouses set issued in 2001. The top row starts with a stamp issued in 2004, showing Sandomierz, from the Polish Towns series. In the middle is a stamp issued in 2006 as part of the Polish Alphabet issue (so one stamp for each letter - so 26 in total. The last stamp was issued in 2009, from the Tytus, Romek and Atomek set (a Polish comic-book series).

Thanks a lot to Patycja for this one!




This double-cuteness arrived in 2009, for the Winner of the Month lottery at the PC forum.

Being a WOTM is a really great experience! Unfortunately I don't take much part in the forum activities now, and this also includes the lottery in question. However, I still have a number of cards received as part of it, that haven't been shown yet (and I was a winner twice actually during my PC career :)))

This card arrived from Steffi who attached two stamps - a lighthouse one from the set of 2 issued in 2009 and one definitive from the flowers' set issued in 2005.



Looks like a pretty vain cat this next one with a killers' look! :)

It arrived as a surprise from dear Essie in 2010 - yeah, another one of those 'shame on me it took me so long to post it'. But better late than never, no?

a very very cute stamp issued in 2009, representing Multi-cultural Finland.

Essi dear, kiitos!!!



I decided to close this post  with another card from Bryon cos this one is like one of the most unique cards I have received!

The card is an Edward Gorey's illustration that is part of the Cats & Dogs boxed postcard set.
And I think it makes a perfect postcard here when it comes to address, space for writing and additional stuff - therefore had to scan both sides, but deleted (most of) the text, cos otherwise one just cannot get the idea about the coolness of the card :)

It came with three different stamps, starting with the Polar Bear one issued in 2009. Next is a great tiger stamp issued in 2011, trying to raise awareness about the endangered species, while the last one showing two Love Birds was issued in 2006.

Big thank you again to Bryon! :)

Well, I guess you have had more than enough of your daily cat dose :)

Thank you for dropping by! Till next time...

Jamaica

So, after some weeks of silence, here I am back again...and of course that silence as always has been justified :)

I'll start today's update with this card from Jamaica that Glenn sent me like six years ago...yep, that long...but maybe it will again bring Glenn some nice memories after seeing this one :)

It shows a Fishing Pot...not sure if it is in Runway Bay exactly from where Glenn sent this card..but either way it is a cool one...I love such everyday-life scenes  and fishing certainly is a daily scene on the island.

the stamp is from a set of 8 definitives issued in 2006, showing Devon House St. Andrew.

Thanks a bunch Glenn (again)! And hope you are doing fine...and away from the fires at Fort McMurray....such a tragic and scary incident =/

Josip Broz Tito

Three days ago, I wrote a post on my stamps' blog, commemorating Tito's death, and now since the day calls for it, here comes a post, commemorating his birth, since according to the data, he was born on 7 May, in 1892 or exactly 124 years ago...and for this post I have these two cards sent by my dear partner in crime (I could have sworn I have at least one more, but in all this mess, it remained not-found...well I guess I will have to keep it for some future Tito-related post.

Here you can see him with his wife, Jovanka Broz...well, one of his wives, since she was not the first one, but was the last one.
It is a public secret that he has not been the most faithful of men out there, but well, don't get me on the unfaithfulness issue in general, so who are we to judge him?
Sadly, Jovanka passed away too 2013 and even more sadly, it seemed that after Tito's death, she was like almost forgotten by the society and the Government and just anyone =/

One of my favourite Serbian stamps...cos it is a train of course :D Issued in 2009 in a set of two stamps, commemorating the 125th Anniversary of the Railroad in Serbia

This other card shows Tito playing tennis...often when I look at him on some pictures, he reminds me of my grand-father...esp the posture, but I don't know, maybe it is just some common appearance of the Yugoslavian men :)))
Here Tito is playing tennis in Belgrade on May 19, 1953, in the Užička street, where his residence was.

A great stamp issued in 2012, commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the ANC - African National Congress....so many commemorations withing one post...

Aнчи, хвала ти опет за супер изненађења, и надам се да си ми добро керида! ❤

Yuri Gagarin, Russia

well, apart from the Italian maxi card, some Russian cards of course...well a bunch of them actually....though I still have this feeling that I must have overlooked some :)

if you are not such a Gagarin fan, maybe you love Russian stamps....and this post has plenty of beautiful ones to show...
But before I get down to that, just wanted to show a picture of Yuri's night here in Skopje (it is an event organized throughout the world), and this time it was organized by the Russian Embassy here which I thought would be something spectacular, but was utterly boring but at least I got to meet some of my astronomy buddies and other friends....and at least pose for the picture with Gagarin....thanks to Iskra for the picture :)

and after the introduction lets get down to the cards....where for some I have NO idea how I have obtained them....yeah, blank cards....and the very first one is of such kind....

Found it in the 2010 pile, and it says it was issued by the State Institution of culture of Moscow, "The Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics".....other than that, it says "Yuri Gagarin - the first cosmonaut of the planet fulfilled the age-old dream of the Mankind about flight to space. On April 12th, 1961 spacecraft 'Vostok' with Yuri Gagarin on the board, made one Earth orbit and successfully landed. The era of manned space flight has begun.

well, as I said, it is blank, so no stamps nor any idea who sent it to me....


Now, when it comes to the next one, I have two copies of it, one received for the WOTM in 2012 from Alexandra, and the other one as part of a swap from Ekaterina in...unfortunately I cannot read the cancellation...

but both are written and stamped, so a few words about the stamps now...

on the first one we have one of the Russian Kremlins' stamps from 2009 (the Moscow Kremlin) and the other one is from a set of 4 stamps issued in 2011, for the Olympic Games in Sochi, showing Krasnaya Polyana, the only ski-resort at the Black Coast.

on the other card we have another of the Russian Kremlins' stamps  (the Rostov one) and three more - there are two stamps from the set of 5 issued in 2005, commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of A.I.Mikoyan...and the one on the right, issued in 2008 in a set of 4 stamps showing the Decorative-Aplied Arts of Dagestan.



next we have another blank card from 2010...with a smiling Yuri! ♥

now this one is not a maxi-card, even though at first glance it may seem so...

the sender, Natalia, had designed it herself, and she says this was her first designer's experience with a retro photo....well done Natalia!! And thank you for sending it to me! :

and she used nice stamps too....two more of the Russian Kremlins (haha, maybe by the end of the post I will have them all :P) - here you can see the Zarask Kremlin and the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin, and also a fantastic stamp issued in 2010, showing the Curonian spit...and if you actually touch it, you can feel the rough sandy-surface!


Next is probably one of the most iconic Gagarin pictures, where he is holding a dove...but in general there is a trend of famous people being photographed with doves, promoting peace and all...

blank card unfortunately...



another one with this super-charming Gagarin smile :D

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received this one as an official from Elena in 2014 (I also have a blank copy, so if anyone is interested, let me know).

and among the three stamps here, we also have a matching one with Gagarin!!! Issued in 2009, for the 75th anniversary since his birth...we also have one of the 2008 definitives, and one from one of my favourite Russian cartoons with Karlson - it comes from a set of 4 cartoons' stamps issued in 2012.


Ok, i think we are like half-way through, and next comes a card dear Maria sent me in 2010

It was indeed issued to commemorate April 12th, and the world's first spaceman!



Next is probably one of my favourite Gagarin cards where you can see him in the company of Gina Lollobrigida at the Second Moscow International Movie Festival in 1961

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Received it from Polina in 2011, when Russia still had 6-digit IDs :)

On the stamp you can see another one of the Kremlins - the Ryazan Kremlin.


A card I received in 2012 from Anna for the wishlist-tag...

The English translation on the back of the card says "Long Live the Son of the Communist Party"!
I don't know how come the translation has the word 'communist' in it...or maybe it is understandable it refers to the communist party...but I do somewhat disagree with such wilful addition/omission of words..

anyways, the card comes with a nice stamp issued in 2011, showing the Pechora-Ilych Nature Reserve.


this next card is from the same series as the one above...an official received last year, sent by Larisa and Anastasia...sisters I guess :)

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the English translation says, "We are creative and friendly and clever, we're making space to be peaceful forever"! 

which word means 'clever' in Russian here? 

one more Kremlin stamp :D it shows the Astrakhan Kremlin. There is also one from the 2008 defintivies and one Sochi stamp from the set of 15 issued in 2014, showing all the different disciplines.


The next-to-last....

...received from Irina for the (no-more-existing) Favourites RR.
I wonder what's going through Gagarin's pensive head here....

A gorgeous stamp with Orcinus Orca from the set of two whales' stamps issued in 2012....and another 2008 definitive.


And this last card for this post, and today came as a surprise from dear Katya in 2013

another pensive Gagarin-look....probably before take-off :)

Here you can again see the Moscow Kremlin and another beautiful stamp issued in 2013 in a set of 3 Contemporary Russian Art stamps.


Sorry Yuri for the delay in this post....but I hope it still counts :)

and wishing you all a nice weekend....yeah sorry, that would be all for today, but I just wanted to make one update dedicated to Gagarin...I will try to come back soon with a new regular kind of update...promise! :)