Classics Reproductions, USA

I think this is the most monochrome I could have gone for today... thanks to George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Abraham Lincoln, featured on this set of 6 stamps issued in 2016 and thanks to Bryon for his long-lasting partnership in "mail crimes" :)) 

 

At Sunday Stamps you can see more monochromatic beauties.

The 100th Anniversary of Leipzig Zoo, DDR

Even though I love animals in general, I cannot deny that the smaller guys have an extra special place in my heart - I dont know if it is cos they seem more helpless than the grown / bigger ones and they seem like they need extra care and protection...though on the other hand my heart has melted countless of times over many examples all over the internet showing big animals...

Either way, on today's subject of small animals, I am participating with this set of four stamps issued on 23 May 1978 in DDR, for the 100th Anniversary of the Zoo in Leipzig (first opened on 09 June 1878), featuring a leopard, a lion, a snow leopard and (siberian) tiger, i.e their mini versions in which none of them look intimidating, do they?

Check out today's Sunday Stamps for more adorable animal buddies. 

 

 

The 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Lady Bird Johnson, USA

On 30th November 2012. the USPS issued a set of 6 stamps to commemorate the achievements of Lady Bird Jonhson, who is best remembered for awakening the nation’s environmental conscience. 

With the help and encouragement of philanthropist Mary Lasker, she organized a committee that raised private funds to plant trees and flowering plants in the monumental areas of the nation's capital. Her efforts prompted local businesses and others in Washington, D.C., to begin beautification efforts in less touristy neighborhoods. She also encouraged community involvement in efforts to improve public spaces, schoolyards, and parks.

And while you may wonder how this fits into today's topic of "P" on Sunday Stamps... 5 of the stamps in the set bear the message "Plant for..." so I thought it would be an appropriate choice :)

I do believe that we can make our places of living more beautiful by planting more trees and flowers instead of building more and more buildings in an already concrete jungle.

Check out today's Sunday Stamps to see what others have come up with for the letter P :)

 

Urban Architecture, Macedonia

 Been a while since I've posted some 'domestic' issues, so I shall use today's opportunity on the 'Buildings' theme for that :)

There is really a lot of interesting architecture in the Macedonian cities and villages and while most of the stamps issued feature the rural architecture, there is this 2003 issue dedicated to some urban (or city) architecture

Million of thanks goes to Stefani who helped me to pinpoint this particular building since my google searches were useless. 

It shows one of the houses in the Jankovec village which is in the vicinity of the town of Resen at the Prespa Lake. The village has a number of houses which due to their beauty and age have been placed under state protection and I believe the one featured on this stamp belongs to that group too.

Found it on google maps in the street view so here is a screenshot so that you can see how it looks in real life. I dont know if it has been under some reconstruction at the time this image was taken. It doesnt look the most representative with all that debris but it is what it is :)

 

The second stamp features a building in my hometown Skopje, and if Im not mistaken, this building (and a number of similar ones to it) can be found in one of the most famous streets in the city, which aside from the architecture, was also famous for the line of trees along the street that unfortunately were mercilessly cut down when the city decided to transform the street into a boulevard. The people opposed but of course, their voice is rarely heard since the Government always knows better. It is not the first nor the last of the beauties destroyed and it is really a pity that the focus is always put on building more, and cutting down the trees for that purpose - and then we wonder why summers are like living hell here...

Here is also a glimpse of it in real life :)

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So that would be my contribution for today. For more buildings from around the world, go and visit Sunday Stamps

The 100th Anniversary of the Cherry Blossom Festilval, Washington D.C. , USA

One of the things everyone is looking forward to in spring here, are the cherry blossoms in the city centre. Too bad they dont last long, and the picture here doesn't do them justice, but I thought I would share it as an addition to the today's chosen cover (every coincidence is unintentional :))

Do you have cherry blossoms in your place of living? 

I know of sure that Washington D.C has them and they even have an annual Cherry blossom festival and these se-tenant stamps on today's cover were issued in 2012 to commemorate the festival's 100 anniversary.

Cherry blossoms are not today's Sunday stamps topic, however, the issue fit :)

There is one scene across the two stamps — picturing cherry trees in full-bloom around the Tidal Basin. In the stamp on the left, trees arch over two girls dressed in bright kimonos and a family on a stroll with the Washington Monument in the background. On the second stamp, the Jefferson Memorial forms the backdrop for tourists taking in the sights under a canopy of pink blooms.

Received this lovely cover from Bryon (a very appropriate envelope too) just a little over 9 years ago! Time flies so fast, it is sometimes even hard to grasp that I've known some of you that long :)) Not complaining :))

For more stamps on this topic, visit today's Sunday Stamps

The 100th anniversary of aviation, Malaysia

This cover comes probably with one of the worst scribbles of hiding an address 😄

Today's Sunday Stamps topic is air travel... something I've been missing terribly for over a year now and something I still have no idea when i will be able to go back to - I frankly hate all those rules being imposed - travelling should make you feel free, travelling is liberating, travelling shouldnt give me headaches regarding vaccines, quarantines, PCR tests, masks on hours and hours long flihts and such restrictions... I dont know if the travelling we used to know has come to an end or not, but then again, it is not just travelling but life in general....

Well at least Sunday Stamps is still the good old one, and my contribution today is with this cover from Malaysia, issued on 7th of July, 2011, commemorating the 100 years of aviation. The stamps show the upgrade / development of planes (starting from the right side), showing the birth of aviation, then the era of aviation development and in the end the era of aviation excellence. That is excellence for the time being... Im sure in 100 years or so, things will have advanced to a totally different level (regular flights to space maybe?? )

For more air-travel stamps, visit today's edition of Sunday Stamps 

And tell me, do you miss travelling? What is it that you miss the most during all these lockdowns and restrictions? 

Flowers, Bosnia and Herzegovina

First of all, Happy Easter to all of you folks celebrating it today! Here in Macedonia according to the Orthodox Calendar, we shall celebrate it at the end of the month... whether it is gonna be like last year in a total lockdown or not, we shall yet see...

On today's topic of Easter, flowers, spring (even though the weather outside is more like an autumn on its way to winter), I have chosen these two sets of stamps from Bosnia and Herzegovina, issued in 2012 and 2013, respectively. 

      

The 2012 issue (7th of June) is dedicated to the so-called spring flowers, the same flower represented in both the top and the bottom stamp in its column.

First is the Viola odorata, that is more commonly known as wood violet or sweet violet or garden violet (a small stamp-salute to our dear host of Sunday stamps 😉).  When I was a child we had plenty of pots in the garden with violets. I loved them! The colours were just so distinct, yet the petals felt so fragile.  

Next to it are two examples of Primula veris, better known as cowslip, followed by the Helleborus niger, that bears the names of winter rose or Christmas rose (even though it does not belong to the rose family). In Macedonian, we call this plant "kukurek" and it is often used in the context when someone is ill... usually we say that when you wake up in the morning, you will feel as 'kukurek' (meaning you will get better and healthy).  I never really thought about the etymology of the saying, until just now... There are some references to some old myths, but still not quite sure which one is to blame :)

The fourth column of stamps features the lovely Galanthus, or better known as snowdrop. We've been having these in our garden ever since I could remember, and they've always brought joy since they would be the first thing blooming during winter days, and were always like the herald of better days coming :) I just have the impression that each year they blossom earlier and earlier... or it might be just my impression...

The last in this set is the Crocus sativus, or much better known as saffron. I haven't used it in the cuisine yet, though I come across it in some recipes. Recently I spotted it in the supermarket and wanted to buy it and give it a try... but boy is this fella expensive 😀  And now I read it is considered to be the most valuable spice by weight...so it shall wait for some better days... till then my food can certainly survive without it 😊

       

The 2013, issued on 25th September,  set features the so-called nectariferous plants (producing nectar). Again there are two stamps dedicated to each of the flowers, though the order is a bit mixed up here :)

First is the "black locust" (also known as 'false acacia). second is the sage, whose tea I sometimes drink when I have dental issues - it has proven really effective. In the middle, that little yellow flower with the bee is the dandelion, of which we have plenty in the front part of our garden, and with the daffodils in the mix, it is really a beautiful sight! 

The fourth stamp features the 'common heather', while  the last one is dedicated to the linden, which is also kind of a symbol of my city, famous for the smell of linden overwhelming the streets in spring (not so fun for the ones with allergies tho').

So, if you haven't gotten tired of flowers and springy themes, head over to Sunday stamps for some more beauties :)

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