Panda Bears, Hong Kong

Next are two extra adorable panda bears from Hong Kong

To my great regret, I didn't manage to see the Pandas neither in Hong Kong nor in China, but it is on my list, and hoping to go back to China sooner or later, I do hope to see these lovely creatures. I've been also thinking of applying for a job as a panda bear caretaker - at least I won't need to know Chinese in order to be able to talk to them :)

Isn't this just way better than any office job out there... or just any job involving people :)

Two stamps on the card, and very conveniently, one of a panda bear too, issued in a set of 4 in 2008, in order to present the new giant panda bears in the Ocean Park in HK. The other stamp is from 2012 from a set of 6, commemorating the 150th Anniversary of stamp insurance in Hong Kong.

Penguins, T.A.A.F

well, here are some adorable little penguins...and Ive been feel like one of them these days...in case you live in Europe, probably you are more or less a witness to the "nice" snow storms and freezing temperatures....maybe not the worst kind of weather I can remember, but it certainly is more than awful, demanding some good physical skills to get from A to B without kissing the ground and breaking a bone or two...looking at it outside the window is really beautiful, but once you are out in the streets, things change...the funniest thing is that the authorities are always caught off guard and don't know how to cope with it, so all the streets are a real mess...I mean...snow in the middle of the winter?! That's is really a surprise, no?

well, at least these cute guys do not have to deal with the urban problems snow brings with itself..they are just used to uncleaned and frozen paths and have no one to complain about it anyways.
These ones here are known as the Emperor penguins, which are the tallest and heaviest of all living penguin species and are endemic to Antarctica

the ones above live on Terre Adélie, in the Antarctic and is recognized by France as one of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands.

Among else, penguins remind me of my childhood....I could repeatedly watch the Oxygen 4 video...over and over again....and it also got me interested into Jean-Michelle Jarre's music...arent these penguins just adorable!

and here come some awesome stamps too! the two on the left are from 2009, showing pyrites. The middle one with the flag is from a set of 5 issued in 2008, representing the FSAT flag, just on different backgrounds. While the last two were issued in 2011 as a set of two stamps showing zircons.

well, here is another T.A.A.F penguin card, so it was logical to show it here as well. These guys live on the Kerguelen Islands, also known as the Desolation Islands, and are situated in the Southern Indian Ocean.
These ones are known as King penguins, which are considered as the second largest penguin species.

One funny BBC video about penguins.....can you notice a resemblance to humans?

here ive scanned the entire backside of the card coz it was simply more than worth it with this fantastic cancellation! as for the stamp..it was issued in 2009, commemorating the Centenary of the Stamp "Résidence de France".

btw, have I ever told you that I dream of having a pet-penguin?? I just dont know how would I be able to accommodate it here during summer...and I certainly have no intention of moving to the Antarctic....might go and visit it though...

thanks a million to Jean-Pierre for these amazing cards!!

Dolphins, Portugal

Ill close the update today with this lovely lovely dolphin card...ive always loved these animals, but having the chance to see them live recently, they absolutely captured my heart for good!

I won this card in a lottery hosted by Joana and this lovely creature here is supposed to be swimming somewhere around the shores of Azores.
Have you ever swum with dolphins? I havent, but i think that it must be one of the most calming things one could do, when you just forget about all the stress and all the problems, and you just let yourself be charmed by one of the most intelligent and friendliest of animals....i wish i lived somewhere near the ocean, and everyday i could go and play with them, feed them, take care of them....but where i live, im stuck with my cats only :)

a city-transport stamp, issued in a set of 3 in 2008.

thank you Joana for the lovely card...and to everyone else who's guilty for making my mailbox happy :)

till soon...

Sheep, Ireland

Well, since both of the cards represent Irish sheep, I decided to include them together in one post.

the first card came as a swap...and it shows a fantastic scene of sheep at the Dunquin Pier, on the Dingle Peninsula...quite an interesting path to climb.

these sheep here come from the Derryclare Lough in Connemara...

Have you noticed the beauty of the Irish cards? Not just coz of the scenery...but they simply make them in a way, that these cards look stunning...they have great photography, lovely colours, clear images...I wish our printing houses/photographers paid more attention to this...im pretty sure we would have much more amazing cards to offer.

This second card comes from the Ireland vs Other Countries RR...and arrived written and stamped.

the stamp is probably the most common one you would see on Irish cards..or at least the flower theme is common on the Irish stamps...this one is from a set of 3 Wild Flowers' stamps issued in 2008, representing the Sea aster.

thank you for following, and if you are anticipating Friday as much as I am, im wishing you a great fulfilling weekend!

St. Kitts and Nevis

So, as the week comes to an end (there are less than two hours actually until Monday officially begins), it is also time to post some new cards...this past week has been crazy busy..and a two-day weekend sometimes is simply not enough to get enough rest. But well, Tuesday is a national holiday, so I think, or at least I hope, that the following week will be easier to manage.

And now lets see what Ive chosen for today....first we have a new country in my collection...wohooo!!! And again with the huge thanks to dear Glenn. You know, his blog is titled 'gems world of postcards'...and not only that he receives true gems of cards but he definitely sends such too!
This card is also sent from his latest cruise, and this time the stop was in St. Kitts and Nevis....

the card shows a real cutie! He (or maybe it's a 'she') is so adorable that I would love to hug him/her. These animals always capture me with their eyes...they simply have this timid look that wins my heart. I only really hate it when I see people using them to earn money...like, you know, in street attractions and performances...just as with any other circus animals actually...I mean, their place is not there! I remember, when I went to Montenegro and there were this guy and his monkey and he was making the poor animal do all sorts of things to entertain the audience, even though it was obvious that the monkey wasnt in the mood for such stuff...and of course, if you recall some movies, these animals have been perfectly used for pickpocketing...and they turn to be quite good ones in the end...I wonder if the monkey business is in bloom on St. Kitts and Nevis too...
Did you know btw that, the French had imported a few vervet or green monkeys from Africa as pets during their century of rulership. When the British took over the island, they deported their enemies. However, they refused to allow the monkeys on the ships, and the primates were turned loose on the mountainous island. The tropical climate, miles of untamed rainforest, and plentiful vegetation agreed with the furry creatures, so much in fact, that today the monkey population is estimated to be two and a half times larger than the human population in this twin island federation.

and here are the stamps and cancellation...the fact which makes me more than proud to own this card coz it is a written and stamped one from such a rare country!
the stamp is a definitive issued in 2007, and it represents a sugar apple.

thank you soooo much Glenn!!! 

Weddell seal, Antarctica

Dont you just have the itch to hug it and cuddle it??!!!

this feels like a perfect thing to tuck yourself in on a cold winter night....well, provided you are not spending that night in the open air in Antarctica, otherwise, I think you would be all icicles when you wake up...

This cutie here is the Weddell Seal, the most southerly-breeding mammal of all. It lives on inshore ice around the Antarctic Coast. The playful pups grow a staggering two kilograms a day while suckling and weigh up to 600 kilograms when fully grown. They can live to over 20 years of age.

heh, there is someone who gains weight at a bigger ratio than me....2kg a day...i feel relieved :P

they are called Weddell because they were discovered by James Weddell in 1820s, when he was on a sailing expedition within the Weddell Sea, also named after him.

I love this card!! And its probably gonna enter my list of all time favourite postcards!

Plants and Animals

here is a really cool card which at first i actually thought represented only cactuses in the desert...but when i took a closer look, i noticed that it has a bit more variety than that....i got the card in the surprise-tag...Linda saw it in my wishlist album, and sent it to me...thoughtful people always leave me speechless, you know...

To be honest, im not familiar with like more than 50 percent of the things represented on the card...fishhook...jumping cholla....teddy bear cholla...ocotillo....this is the very first time i hear about these...than God for the cartoon, or i wouldnt have heard about 'roadrunner' either :D
I think ill google them each eventually, but i surely wont bother you with info about all of them...there are just too many...though i think that Carol may know a lot more about these, since these all seem to be desert-related...if you are reading this Carol, please, help! :)
btw...Joshua Tree...reminds me of a movie which believe it or not, right now i have no idea if i had watched it or no...it is also an album by U2....but i didnt know it was some sort of a real tree as well....Joshua....its a nice name...has warmth in it...

Knut, Germany

If I could, i would be delighted to keep this adorable little creature at home! Well, ok, on the card its little, once it's full grown it wont be that cute probably...but just look at him....he is so cute and playful...i wish i could at least hug him :)

When Knut was born (on Dec 5, 2006) he was no bigger than a snowball and unable to care for himself. His mother didn't know how to take care of Knut and rejected him. Knut would have died if it weren't for Thomas Dorflein, a zookeeper who nurtured Knut and gave him the love and attention he needed to thrive. The adorable little polar bear captured the world's attention, and now Knut is loved around

Unfortunately, i read that Thomas died of a heart attack last September...i really wonder how Knut (who is now 2 years old) reacted to that, having in mind how animals react to the death of the people who take care of them. They maybe are not conscious, but they surely can sense the bad things happening around them.

*sighs* I really wish i could hug him....he just seems so timid....

Thank you Yukiko for this adorable card!