A Card From Brazil

I am showing just a single card today. It arrived on Dec 24th, the last day that we had any mail delivery. Next mail is due tomorrow, the 29th. The card is from Barra do Pirai.It is a Brazilian city in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro. It had a population in 2005 of around 94,000 people and is located 127 km from the city of Rio de Janeiro. The card was sent by a Postcrosser living in Barro do Pirai. She used 4 different stamps to get the card to Canada. They include a 2002 issues featuring a trumpet, 1 of a set of 10 showing musical instruments. Next are the 2 Christmas stamps for 2008. The last stamp is from 2005, 1 of a set of 3 featuring different professions.

I also want to show a cover from Macedonia . It is franked with 6 different stamps from the years 1996, 1997 , 2006 and 2008. I am gaining a wonderful Macedonian stamp collection thanks to Ana, who sent a beautiful Christmas card in this cover. Thanks Ana. I just want to mention the stamp on the left . It is from 1997 and features Alpine Skiing. It is just a wonderful stamp.

December 24th - Christmas Eve

Merry Christmas To One and All
Once again as Christmas Day is just about upon us, I want to take this opportunity to wish all my fellow postcard, cover and stamp bloggers, along with all my readers a very Merry Christmas. My Christmas wishes for all of you are again summed up in the 3 Christmas stamps issued by Canada Post in 2007. Hope , Joy, and Peace. What more could we ask for ?

Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year , Joyeux Noel et Bonne Annee , Buon Natale e Felice Anno Nuovo ,Feliz Navidad y Prospero Ano Nuevo

Images Added

Hi there. Just a short note to say that the uploading problem I had has been corrected. I have now added all the images of postcards , stamps and cover for the updates of Monday 22 Dec and Friday 19 Dec. I hope you can now look back and enjoy them.
Cheers!

New Country # 209 Kazakhstan

Well, I am trying another update again today. I hope I have better luck that I did with my last. I was never able to upload the images of the cards, stamps and cover for the last update. Hopefully, today works out better.
I received a card from a new country in my collection of stamped and mailed postcards. It is from Kazakhstan and is the 209th . It was sent by Jo who lives in Almaty. Kazakhstan is located in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. It is the 9th largest country in the world as well as the largest landlocked country. It borders Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and China. Kazakhstan became independent on Dec 16, 1991, the last Soviet republic to do so. Its capital is Astana, but the largest city is Almaty. The card shows Ustyurt, a desert plateau that is half in Kazakhstan and half in Uzbekistan. It is roughly 200,000 sq km with an average elevation of 150 meters. The stamp that Jo used is from 1993 and features President Nasarbajew.

The second card for today is from Germany. It was sent by Steff, a Postcrosser. It shows a building in the town of Bad Schwalbach, which is about 20 km NW of Wiesbaden. It is between 289 and 465 m above sea level in the Taunus mountain range. Steff used 2 stamps, the one on the left, I have written about before and the one on the right, was issued this year, 2008. It shows a painting by Carl Spitzweg,1808-1885. He was a German painter and poet.

Beautiful Cover From Turkey and 4 Cards

Well I have been a bit lax in posting any updates to this blog for the past week. There just never seems to be enough time in this busy season. But I do have another excuse, I have a minor computer problem, which now appears to be fixed. Oh well, on to postcards . I have 4 postcards and a cover to show today. The postcards are from The Netherlands, 2 from Finland and another from Germany. The cover is from Turkey.
First the postcards . First is the card from Zaandam, Netherlands. Zaandam is a town in North Holland. It dates as a city to 1811. It is located on the Zaan, close to the North Sea canal and close to the capital Amsterdam. The card shows a few typical scenes from Zaandam. It was sent by Heddy, who I can only think reads my blog and wanted to send a card. Thanks Heddy. The 3 stamps on the card are from a 2008 set of 10 encouraging one and all to think green and act green.

The next card is from Finland. It shows a typical winter landscape in Finland. It was sent by Aada, a 9 year old Postcrosser. Aada says the scene on the card is about 20 km from her home.
She used a wonderful stamp. It was issued this year, 2008 and is 1 of 2 in a souvenir sheet, which was a joint issue with Greenland. It shows the iron and steel square rigged sailing ship Sofia in 1883.

Next is another winter scene from Finland. Again it was sent by a Postcrosser and Annika is her name. The stamp is a 2008 Christmas stamp.

The last card is a card from Germany. It shows various street scenes in Cologne. Cologne is one of the oldest cities in Germany, having been founded by the Romans in 38 BC. The larger picture on the right side is of the Cologne Cathedral with the Hohenzollen Bridge. Need I say, another Postcrossing card. The stamp on the left was issued in 2008 and is of a World Heritage Site. I have featured this stamp before. The stamp on the right , also issued 2008, features Lorenz Werthmann, 1858-1921, on the occasion of the 150 anniversary of his birth.

Now the beautiful cover from Turkey. Sent by Ahmet, who drew the beautiful bird on the cover. I have seen 2 other examples of his artistic flair and I think he is quite talented. Thanks Ahmet. Your return cover is on the way. The 2 stamps are both Europa stamps issued this year. They appear to feature handwriting and autographs.

That's all she wrote for today. Hopefully the next update will be sooner than later. Thanks to all who sent the postcards and the cover. As always your comments are welcome.

Another Small Update

Here's another small update, 2 postcards and a cover.First the postcards, since this is a postcard blog. First card is from Great Falls, Montana, USA. The card is from Mike, a Postcrosser in Great Falls, which is really just down the road from Calgary, where I am located . Mike sent a card of The Mark Twain House in Hartford , CT. This house is a National Historic Landmark. Twain lived, worked, and raised his family in this house from 1874 - 1891. Mike used a couple of definitives , the 2003 10 cent American Clock, and the 2008 27 cent papaya. He also used 1 of the Flags of Our Nation set , issued 2008, and in this case Delaware.

The second card is from Japan. It shows the Arashiyama area of Kyoto City, Japan. The card was sent by Kyoko who live in Kyoto. She used a couple of definitives featuring a rooster and a butterfly.

And finally for something just a little different. I received a cover from Nablus, Palestine. It is from The Office of The President, An-Najah National University. It was Registered mail posted in Ramallah. The cover is franked with 3 different Palestinian Authority stamps. These are the first Palestinian Authority stamps that I have owned. Also included in the cover were a number of mint Palestinian Authority stamps. I would have loved for this to have been a postcard, but I have confirmation from another source that a postcard is on the way. The red stamp on the left is a Christmas stamp as are some of the mint stamps.

As I said , a short update . Now I have to go and shovel again. It has been showing here all day and temperatures are dropping tonight into the minus 28-30 degrees C. It's going to be a cold , wintry weekend. Looks like a white Christmas around these parts. Take care. Comments?

A Small Update Today

I have just one posted , mailed postcard to show today. It is from Finland. It was sent by a Postcrossing member, as are many of the postcards that I receive. She lives in the town of Valkeakoski, about 35 km south of Tampere. The town has about 20,000 people and is best known for its paper industry. The card is a seasonal card wishing Merry Christmas. The stamp on it is also a Christmas stamp, issued this year and is 1 of a set of 2.

I also want to snow something that I received from Scott at Positively Postal. The Positively Postal website is www.positivelypostal.co.uk . He sent a set of the GB Christmas 2008 stamp postcards. The stamps were issued by Royal Mail in November. Scott used a number of the actual stamps on the envelope he sent the cards in , as you can see. There are 7 postcards in the set in total , and I am showing a number of them, but not all.

As I said , just a small update. Cheers!

A Few New Postcards

Well, I am back after quite a while away from this blog. No, I didn't go away , nothing like that. I guess it's just the time of year. Christmas approaching, shopping, addressing cards , decorating the house outside, shoveling snow, yes we have snow now, have had to clear the driveway and walks twice. All this takes time , time away from this blog. But enough about that , the house is quiet right now and I am here with an update.
My first card for today is from Finland. it was sent by Sari, a Postcrosser, and mailed from Helsinki.
The card shows an Ilyushin Il-76 in Aeroflot colors. This plane saw extensive service as a commercial freighter, especially for the delivery of out sized or very heavy cargo. Sari says that the card is an old Russian postcard. She may be right. The back of the card has The Aeroflot Soviet Airlines logo along with an Olympic symbol and the slogan Official Olympic Carrier. If it dates from the 1980 boycotted Summer Olympics, it could be in the range of 28 years old. The stamp on the card is from a 2005 set of 4 featuring icebreakers. This card is a great addition to my aircraft on postcards collection. As a former airline worker, I have been collecting these for many years, long before I started collecting postcards as such. Thanks Sari for your consideration in sending this type of card.

The next card is also from Finland and was posted in Oulu. It was sent by another Postcrosser, named Linda. She lives in Kuusamo. This is a town of about 17,000, located in the north of Finland. It is a major center for winter sports and receives approximately a million tourists a year. One of the largest skiing centers in Finland, Ruka, is situated in Kuusamo. Ruka hosts many competitions in ski jumping, cross country and Nordic combined. It also has the longest bobsleigh track in Finland. You can see some of the facilities on the card. Linda used a new 2008 stamp , 1 of a set of 4, featuring moths.
My final card for this update is from The Netherlands and is quite appropriate for the upcoming season. It is quite self explanatory. Another Postcrossing card.

Now , an update to my Nov 18th blog. A number of suggestions were received on how to get a card from Kazakhstan. I received an email today, from a source, that a card is in the mail. I will advise when it arrives.

That's it for today, hopefully I will get back to a little more regular updates. Thanks for reading. Comments are always welcome.

Another New Country, Togo #208

Today my collection of stamped and mailed postcards from different countries has increased again. I can now add Togo to that list, making it the 208th country from which I have received a stamped postcard. Again this is thanks to a U.S. Peace Corp volunteer. Rebecca Friedrichs, a volunteer in Vogan , Togo sent the card. She has a blog entitled Would You Like That For Here Or Togo ? Thanks Rebecca. Togo is a narrow country in West Africa, bordering Ghana, Benin, and Burkina Faso. Togo gained its independence from France in 1960. The country of more than 6 million has its capital in Lome. The card has four pictures of locals from Togo dressed in colorful costumes and taking part in musical celebrations. Rebecca used a 2007 stamp highlighting aids on the card. It is from a set of three.

I also received a card from Norway. It was sent by Silje, a Postcrosser who lives North of the Arctic Circle. That sounds cold to me. But I liked the way that she described Norway as follows: Norway, the land of mountains, fjords, northern lights and the beautiful midnight sun. That says a lot. I think she could write for the Norwegian Tourist Board. The picture on the card also says a lot- The Midnight Sun. Silje used a stamp from 2007 featuring marine life.

There is just one more thing to look at today. Even though this blog is about postcards, I do sometimes receive a cover or some such item. And I always need to acknowledge them. This is the case again today. I received an aerogram from Malaysia. It is a prestamped envelope bearing a 2007 aviation themed prestamped postage. A very nice item actually. A wonderful addition to my planes on stamps topical collection. It was sent by Khor Kok Keong of kkkhor.blogspot.com fame.
Thanks again to Rebecca, Silje and kkkhor.
Have a good day and please visit again.

Paraguay, New Country # 207 Plus More

Today I am able to add to my country collection of postcards. I have received a postcard from Paraguay, making that country # 207 . It was sent to me by Laara Manler, a Peace Corps Volunteer located there. She has a blog of her experiences in Paraguay entitled Laara's Paraguay Adventure. Paraguay is one of two landlocked countries in South America. It is located along the Paraguay River bordering Argentina, Brazil and Bolivia. It has a population of over 6 million and its capital is Asuncion. The card shows some scenery along a lake , close to the to the town of Loma Grande, where Laara lives. The stamps on the card were both issued in 2008 . The one on the left commemorates the Rotary Club in Asuncion. It is from a set of 2. The stamp on the right features birds and is also part of a set of 2. Thanks Laara for this card and for adding to my collection.

My next card is from Lithuania. It was sent by Helen who lives in Estonia. She just happened to be attending a congress in Vilnius. The card has a view of the city of Vilnius. Thanks Helen. Helen used a 2008 stamp commemorating the 2008 Beijing Olympic games. This one is from a set of 2 and features the sport of sailing .

And finally a card from Taiwan R.O.C. It shows a view of Fengbin Jichi Bay located on the northern part of the Hualien - Taitung Coastline . The card was sent by Postcrosser Lisa. She used 2 stamps , the first one from 2008 featuring the President and the Vice-President. The other stamp features Tea, the Taiwanese favorite drink.
Once again, thanks to Laara, Helen and Lisa.

That's all for today. Be sure to come back tomorrow.

Republic of Crimea # 206 in my Collection

Today's mail brought a wonderful and total surprise in the form of a postcard from The Republic of Crimea. This will be # 206 of my collection. I am not sure who sent it to me but I hope that you will contact me via email or at least leave a comment on the blog. To know that I have readers in that part of the world is quite something. Thank you so much.
The Autonomous Republic of Crimea is an autonomous republic of Ukraine, located on the northern coast of the Black Sea. Crimea is a parliamentary republic which is governed by the Constitution of Crimea in accordance with the laws of Ukraine. The capital and seat of the republic's government is the city of Simferopol, from which this postcard was mailed. The comment on the card says" This card was sent by ground mail from Simferopol, capital of Crimea, 19Nov 2008. " Eight days later, it's delivered in Calgary, Canada, not too bad for a card that started out by ground mail.
Crimea's total area is 26,200 square kilometres with a population of approximately 2 million inhabitants.
The card shows Bakhchisaray Palace, located in the city of Bakhchisaray, a city of roughly 35,000 people. Known as The Khan's Palace or Hansaray, it was built in the 16th century . The walled enclosure contains a mosque, a harem, a cemetery, living quarters and gardens. The republic's capital, Simferopol has the longest trolleybus lime in the world with a total of 86 kilometres.
The sender used 4 wonderful stamps from Ukraine. The large one on top was issued in 2003 and features Yevpatoria , coat of arms and ships and boats. The small stamp at left is from a set of 7 definitives , issued in 2007 featuring art and antique objects. the middle stamp, issued in 2005 shows Sebastopol and again coats of arms and ships & boats. Finally the stamp on the right , issued in 2004 shows Balaklava with coat of arms .
This is a great addition to my postcard collection. To whoever sent it, many thanks . If and when you contact me , I will certainly acknowledge your sending it to me.
Best regards to all. Comments welcome.

Couple of Postcards

Hello again, I have a couple of postcards for today, plus a cover and some stamps.First the two postcards are both from Postcrossers. The German card is from Gundula and shows a scene from a beach. I believe this is a card produced from the sender's own picture. Now, my German is not all that good, not even fair, but I believe the words made with rocks on the beach translate into many greetings from Gundula. I'm sure that if not, someone will correct me. She used two semi-postals on this card, from a set of 4 issued in 2007. They featured horses, dogs, rabbits and hares.A really nice set.
The second card is from Laura who lives in Santa Rose, Sonoma County, Californis, U.S.A. The card shows Wine Country, Northern California. Santa Rosa is located 55 miles north of San Francisco. There are over 400 wineries in the area. Laura used 2 37 cent flag definitives.
Although I don't show many covers on this blog, I want to show one I received from Anton of Tashkent, Uzbekistan. He has contributed a couple of times to this blog with postcards from his country. Inside the cover were a set of 4 stamps from 2006 and a single stamp souvenir sheet, from the same Flora of Uzbekistan series.

Just a short update this time. Thanks Gundula, Laura and Anton