Christmas, Dominica

Here is my participation for Viridian's Sunday Stamps today on the theme Christmas

Believe it or not the Macedonian post office is DUE to issue this next week...just egregious! I really dont know what they've been thinking..but in case you are getting a Christmas card from me this year, it's gonna be with oldish Christmas stamps...which according to me, are nothing special so don't expect some 'wows' - hoping that they won't get lost in the Christmas chaos in the first place :)
Also, our postal service issues just one single stamp each year (and it is never enough for postage), unlike many other countries ive seen which issue at least two....and often a whole set of 4 or 5 stamps.

Ok, back to the stamps above, for today I picked these issued by Dominica in 1981. The entire set consists of nine stamps actually so if anyone has the three Im missing, PLEASE contact me for an exchange. Actually, with all these rare countries issuing Disney-related stamps, I am always missing a few stamps in each set coz they never seem to be sold as a whole...I don't know why, but it is sort of frustrating :) There is also a s/s coming with this set, so I would need that one too :)

Anyways, these stamps are actually like an excerpt from the Santa's Workshop cartoon. Probably you have watched it time ago...if you haven't well, click on the link below....if you have, you can still click on the link and invoke memories :)

isn't this how most of the children actually imagine what Santa's doing? This even makes you WANT to believe in Santa! Esp. the part of the letters' reading...more or less this is what I thought had happened to the letters I sent to Santa when I was little. Maybe Santa's laughing is a bit bizarre and might give some children a scare, but on the overall, this is every child's dream land ;)
And on the side note, I really prefer these older cartoons compared to those modern ones nowadays.....yeah, call me old-fashioned :)

for some more Christmassy spirit, visit Viridian's blog

Blue Whale, Canada

Few days ago I received this fantastic cover from Glenn...and it came in very handy for this Sunday's theme of Viridian's blog, featuring Stamps of the Great White North...so apart from Canada being eligible for this category, the stamp itself feels very northy, so I simply had to choose it for today....and believe it or not, this cover took EXACTLY two months to reach me...from Canada!! I'll never understand the postal service, but im definitely more than happy it had arrived coz it is such a beautiful stamp and such a nice and clear cancellation! It would have been more than a pity if this had gotten lost somewhere..

On October 4, 2010 Canada Post issued a $10 definitive stamp depicting the world's largest creature, the Blue Whale (Balænoptera musculus). The stamp is the largest in size and highest denomination Canada Post has ever produced.
10 $ of face value certainly is A LOT and makes this stamp mainly interesting for collectors only coz I highly doubt it will be used for regular mail often.

The stamp was produced using a combination of intaglio (for the whale in the foreground) and offset lithography (for the colours in the background). The intaglio process (which was used to produce Canada’s first postage stamp) was recently reinvented using a new, state-of-the-art laser engraving technology.
A special printing technique called microtype was used to write the Latin name for blue whale - a feature that is normally impossible to reproduce by any other means than intaglio.
Additionally, a large cluster of krill (the whale’s food of choice), along with a diver, were introduced using tagging inks. These can only be seen under an ultraviolet lamp.

 here is an image of the stamp under UV:

pretty cool, no? :)

This mammal weighs between 80 and 180 metric tonnes and reaches lengths of more than 30 metres. It can travel at speeds of 33 km/hr, accelerating to 48 km/hr when chased, making it among the fastest of whale species. This fascinating giant of the deep is also unmatched in the projection of its voice, emitting low-frequency sounds that can travel hundreds of miles (and possibly entire oceans) under water. Yet despite its outstanding stature and might, sightings of the elusive blue whale are very rare—another reason why it has fascinated us since the dawn of time. In Canada, the blue whale roams the waters along the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence near eastern Nova Scotia, the south coast of Newfoundland, and in the Davis Strait between Baffin Island and Greenland. In the west it habits the coast of British Columbia.

Maybe not so appealing as dolphins coz whales are a bit scary, but I love them too....and im appalled each time when I read how in some part of the world there are mass killings of these animals...the latest I read was regarding the dolphins' killing in the Faroe Islands/Denmark...disgusted is the least i could say I've been...man's nature is just so twisted...

well, a few more technical details about the stamp:

Date of Issue  4 October 2010
Width            128.0 mm
Height            49.0 mm
Denomination 10.00 CAD
Perforations    13 by 13

For more north-related stamps, please visit Viridian's blog:

Have a great Sunday!

400 years since Rembrandt's birth, joint issue between Netherlands and Germany

here comes a small piece of art for today's Sunday stamps

I picked this cover with the sheet issued in 2006, to commemorate the 400 years since the birth of this great dutch painter and etcher. He was born on 15 July 1606 and died on 4 October 1669.

Im pretty sure you know quite a lot about him, so I wont be holding on to his general life, but will try to explain what's on the stamps here.

the set consists of 5 stamps plus a vignette, containing the information.
all stamps have a face value of 0,39 euros, and this is actually a joint issue between Netherlands and Germany, which has arisen some controversies, esp regarding a 70c stamp of Saskia in the prestige booklet, which the German's found invalid, since he printing - made in the Netherlands - was different from the prinitng made in Germany for the German sheetlets. The Dutch one actually contained the text in German and in some catalogue listings was said to be good for postage only in the Netherlands, which on the overall is rather confusing as to what's what, so i wont go into depth about it here.


Anyways, as for the stamps here, they all show Rembrandt's works. The top left stamp shows us Saskia van Uylenburgh in a pompous dress (Rembrandt's wife). The portrait was done sometime around 1642 and can be found at the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen in Kassel.

The stamp next to it shows a portrait of Titus reading, c.1657-1658 (Rembrant's son) at The Kunsthistorisches Museum (or the Museum of Fine Arts) in Vienna.

The third stamp in that row shows us the painting called "Woman in a doorway", c. 1656-1657, and can be found at the Gemäldegalerie (or the Art Museum) in Berlin.

As for the bottom stamps, the both show etchings, where the one on the left shows us the "Bearded man, in a furred oriental cap and robe", from 1631, which some consider to be a portrait of Rembrand's father. This can be found at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, while the other one shows us the artist's mother seated at a table, c.1629 - 1633, which can again be found at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

for some more artistic inputs, click on the big button below

Czech Film Posters, Czech Republic

Some days ago I received this great cover from Radim.
Even though in the end I was prevented from participating in the 11.11.11 group, Radim had still decided to surprise me and sent me this great cover....with such a neat cancellation coz not only he sent the covers on 11th November but also sent them after 11 am, meaning the cancellations obtained another 11 in the postmark! Awesome, no??

and apart from the great cancellation, Radim used a great set of stamps, issued just this October, portraying Czech Film Posters.

The left stamp shows the poster for the film Markéta Lazarová (1966, Czechoslovakia) directed by František Vláčil.
The poster was designed by Zdeněk Ziegler, born on October 27th, 1932 in Prague. He is the author of three hundred film, exhibition and theatre posters, and had designed a number of sleeves for gramophone records and logos and also the author of a number of postage stamps and member of the Czech Post's Stamp Graphic Design Board
The movie is a 1967 Czechoslovak historical film and is an adaptation of a novel of the same name by Vladislav Vančura. The movie takes place in the Middle Ages, and tells the story of a daughter of a feudal lord who is kidnapped by neighbouring robber knights and becomes a mistress of one of them. Marketa Lazarová was voted the all-time best Czech movie in a prestigious 1998 poll of Czech film critics and publicists.

The other stamp portrays the film "Une femme douce" (1970, France) directed by Robert Bresson, while the author of the poster is Olga Poláčková-Vyleťalová, born on August 8th, 1944 in Hradec Králové and an author of overall seventy-six film posters which have won a number of prestigious international awards. The one portrayed on the stamp won the Cannes International Film Festival 1973 - Grand Prix for the Best Poster.
The movie is a 1969 French drama film and is Bresson's first film in color, and was adapted from Fyodor Dostoevsky's short story "A Gentle Creature (Кроткая)".

technical details:


Date of issue       5. 10. 2011
Face value          10 CZK
Size                    40 x 50 mm
Printing method   multicoloured offset

thanks a lot again Radim!

Volleyball + Football, Argentina

Today's theme at Viridian's is sports and everything related to it....having quite a lot of sports' stamps, it was a but difficult to pick...and after changing my mind several times, i ended up with two sets of stamps Argentina issued in 2002

the first set consists of two stamps, each with a face value of 75c, issued on 27 April 2002 called 20th Century World Cup Football Champions, bearing the flags of championship winners (from 1930-2002). So on the left stamp you can see the flags of France, Germany, England, Argentina (of course), Brazil, Uruguay and Italy. So far, France have won in 1998, Germany in 1954, 1974 and 1990 (this last one, in the summer of 1990, i followed with great attention), England was a winner in 1966, Argentina has two titles, 1978 and 1986, Brazil is the record-holder with 5 titles - 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002, Uruguay was the best in 1930 and 1950 while Italy has won in 1934, 1938 and 1982. Following the 2002, two other championships were held, in 2006, with Italy winning and 2010, with Spain winning the trophy. The right stamp portrays Argentina in particular, and as I had already said, indicating the years it had won the championship, in 1978 and 1986.

the size of both stamps is 43.5 mm, in length and width, while the left one is also perforated on the inside in a round shape.

the second set for today shows the Men's World Volleyball Championship, 2002

there are four stamps in the set, each with a face value of 75c. issued in 28 September.

Width 33.5 mm
Height 43.5 mm
Perforations 13.6 by 13.5

The FIVB World Championship is an international men's and women's indoor volleyball competition. It is the oldest and most important of all the international events organized by the FIVB.
It is again held every four years, and Argentina was the host in 2002, where Brazil had won, beating Russia in the finals with 3-2. So far Argentina doesnt have any trophies, neither in men's nor women's competition.

Most trophies so far were lifted by the Soviet Union, 6 in total. Brazil and Italy follow with three each, Czechoslovakia has two, and Poland, US and East Germany have one. Funny to see three no more existing countries...


to get more of your sports' dose today, take a peek at Viridian's blog

Send a Hello, USA

what a better way to greet you at the start of the new week, if not with these adorable stamps issued by USPS....so, Im sending a hello to all of you around the world and hope you have a fantastic and fruitful week ahead!

I fell for this issue, the moment I received a postcard with the "UP" stamp....I absolutely love that cartoon and i was so excited to have received it on a stamp...when it arrived on a cover, along with the rest of the stamps in the set, i was über-excited!!! And believe it or not, I have this fantastic set on 3 covers, where the one above and the one below, arrived on the very same day :D For the cover above, and the third one (which arrived a bit later), Bryon is to blame! For the cover in the middle, Patrick is to blame

the funny thing is, all covers have the stamps in the same order! I guess thats how they are sold :)

a few words about the stamps included here (how USPS described their issuing)

- Since 1986, the films of Pixar Animation Studios have stretched the boundaries of our imagination with stories about unlikely heroes who explore the bonds of friendship and family. Now some of those heroes are the subjects of colorful new Send a Hello (Forever®) stamps that encourage people to connect with loved ones through the mail. These new stamps capture the delight of finding a letter, greeting card, or package waiting in your mailbox. It puts a shine on the rest of the day-even before you've opened it. Despite all the ways we communicate with friends and family today, there's still nothing as personal as knowing someone took time to choose a card … write a letter … wrap a package … and even choose a special stamp simply to "Send a Hello"

-(dont you just recognize yourself as a postcrosser in the description above? I certainly do, coz one of my favourite moments of the day is when I find something in my mailbox, and see that someone has taken his/her time to choose a nice card for me, to choose the stamps, to write me a a nice message, to find something he/she knows I would like and send it to me to surprise me....the moments of the day when I go around the stores, finding nice cards and then coming home and see what to send to whom...finding a matching stamp or stamp(s) i know the recipient would love....the moments of going to the PO or to the philately and buy bunch of stamps, making sure there something in that pile for everyone's taste and preferences, finding that perfect card for someone and just jump around of excitement, wondering what the expression on their faces would be when they find that card as a total surprise in the mail.....)

Yup, those are definitely some of my favourite times of the day/week/month!

the following characters have been featured on the stamps (from left to right)

* Lightning McQueen and Mater from Cars (2006)
* Remy the rat and Linguini from Ratatouille (2007)
* Buzz Lightyear and two of the green, three-eyed aliens from Toy Story (1995)
* Carl Fredricksen and Dug from Up (2009)
* the robot WALL•E from WALL•E (2008)

 technical details:

 Date of issue: 19 August 2011
Denomination: First-Class Forever
Type of Issue: Commemorative Stamp
Format: Pane
Manufacturing Process: Gravure
Paper Type: Nonphosphored, Type III,
Block Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive
Stamp Size: 31.12 x 31.12 mm


thanks so much to Bryon and Patrick for these!!! I LOVE them!! And thanks to ALL of YOU who had ever sent me a card or a letter or anything and made my day happier and brighter! This post is dedicated to you all!!!

200 years since the birth of Franz Liszt

this September the Macedonian post issued a stamp to commemorate the 200 years since the birth of Franz Liszt (yeah, a composer again ;-))

I must say that i really love this stamp as well as the FDC below, but again, the face value of the stamp does not really make it convenient for every day use :( It is such a pity, eh?

Franz Liszt was born on this day, 22nd October, exactly 200 years ago, in the Doborján village in Hungary. A great pianist, composer, conductor and teacher, one of the most prominent representatives of the New German School. He is said to have invented the concept of the piano recital. Before him, nobody dared to have just a single pianist for an entire concert! But Liszt’s powerful and astounding playing were enough to fill concert halls all over Europe. He changed the position of the piano on the stage as well, so that the sound board faced the audience. This meant the music was louder and the audience could see Liszt’s acrobatic hand-work on the keyboard.

His list of works is endless, so I wont go into it right now....if you are ever in the mood to listen so some virtuous fingers playing the piano, look up for Liszt's works....you wont be disappointed :)

date of issue: 21.09.2011
face value:    50 MKD
perforations: comb
printing technique: offset
Size:            40,2mm x 30,2 mm



edit:  sorry, but i just have to share with you one of my favourite Tom and Jerry cartoons...i think Ive always loved this one coz of the music in it...a music piece by Liszt....enjoy!

Frédéric Chopin, Macedonia

I don't usually make two different posts here in one day, but I just coulnd't seem to choose between these two...and if I had dug into my collection a bit deeper, Im sure I would have found something else to add too :)

Anyways, giving the priority to the older guy, as usually it should be.

Macedonian post issued this stamp last year to commemorate the 200 years since the birth of Chopin (huh, that's quite a long time ago....I just sometimes really lose perception of time and have the feeling that everything has happened just recently and that all the great people had lived in my time, or just a while before that:))
Well, today, 17th October, is 162 years since the death of this great artist, a child-prodigy of Polish/French origin (born in Poland, but his father was French).

He left behind a long list of great works....im sure you have heard at least some of them....if not, well, there is plenty to be found on the internet...I usually enjoy classical stuff while I have a lot of work and can't afford to be defocused by singing along some lyrics....yet, i cant really stand silence....so this kind of music just plays in the background and gets me going...

anyways, not so much rambling about myself...Im here to show the stamp and the FDC

the stamp above has a face value of 60 denars, or that would equal like 1 Euro, which unfortunately makes this stamp totally inconvenient for using it on the regular mail...only maybe letters to Australia/NZ or South America might get lucky...such a pity that some very beautiful stamps in Macedonia are issued in useless values.

Date of issue:         08.06.2010
Size:                      30,2 x40,2  mm
perforations:          comb, 14x14
Printing technique: offset

the stamp comes in a set of two, where the other one commemorates the 200 years since Schumann's birth....ive seen other postal services having issued these two along as well....

Kimi Räikkönen, Finland

well, 17th October is also the day when Kimi was born (not my cat, but Raikkonen! :)) I was just surprised to see that I havent posted yet these two special items in my collection.

this above is a mint version of the mini sheet which I received with huge thanks to Paul, while the FDC below was sent by my dear Essi!

The Finnish postal service issued this on 5 September 2008 to celebrate the fact that Kimi won the F1 championship the year before while driving for Ferrari.
Unfortunately, since then, Kimi didnt manage to show the same success, and eventually pulled out and went to WRC (to my HUGE disappointment). I still hope that one day he'll come back behind the F1 wheel....there are some other great kids there, like Button or Vettel for example, but to me, Kimi is irreplaceable, and despite F1 turning into the boredom it did, I kept watching it for Kimi. I mean, if he wants, he can drive for one of the Cosworth teams, I would still be cheering for him, coz i havent really been a team-fan anyways.

The commemorative issue is a self-adhesive miniature sheet bearing two 1st class non-value indicator stamps.

size of Kimi's stamp:     27.3 mm x 33.0 mm
size of Ferrari's stamp:  74.0 mm x 30.05 mm
perforations:                 12x12

Happy 32nd birthday to Kimi!!!!

Admission to the United Nations, Mongolia

So this week's theme at Sunday Stamps is Mainland Asia...so I guess this fits in the criterion?

I really wasnt sure what to post, and in order to spare you from more trains,  I went for this set of 5 Mongolian stamps issued in 1962 which commemorate Mongolia's admission to UN.
The stamps are diamond shape and their face value is 10, 30, 50, 60 and 70 мөнгө, where the middle bottom stamps represents the UN Headquarters and the Great National Hural of the Mongolian Peoples Republic.

Mongolia became a member of the United Nations on 27 October 1961.

Being rather old and from a country as Mongolia, I consider these as rather rare stamps...to which I have to thank my dear mum :)

For more Asian stamps, click the big button below

Happy Sunday All!

Churches, Mosques and Temples of Russia

it is quite difficult to decide what to choose from the plethora of European stamps I have, but in the end my choice fell on this cover i had received from Russia

the reason I love it is, first, coz of the number of stamps it has and their format, second coz it is so nice and colourful...and the stamps are just so nicely arranged!

here are 8 stamps out of 14 which the Russian post office issued back on 12 July 2001, portraying Russian Churches, Mosques and Temples.
Each stamp in the set has a value of 2.50r and and are 37x37 mm in size. Offset printing process. Comb = 11 1/4. Paper = coated.  The stamps you can see on this cover are as follows:

-top 3 stamps, from left to right show: 1) Nuruula Mosque in Kazan city, built in 1845-1849; its alternative names are Sennaya and Seventh Sobornaya; 2) Evangelical Pentecostal Prayer House in Lesosibirsk, built in 1999; 3) The First Cathedral Mosque in the city of Ufa, built in 1830

- middle two stamps: 1) The Renascense baptist chirch, Bezhitsy in Bryansk, built in 1996; 2) St. Petersburg's Lutheran church of St.Peter, built in 1838;

- bottom three stamps: 1) The Armenian Temple of Surb Khach built in 1792 in Rostov-on-Don + Khachkar (stone cross) from the 13th century in St.Daniel Monastery, Moscow; 2) Church of the Immaculate Conception of our Lady in Moscow, built in 1911; 3) The Choral Sinagogue in Moscow, built in 1891

there are also two 1998 definitives attached at the top right corner..


For more European pieces of art, visit the Viridian's blog

World Expo Shanghai 2010, New Caledonia

i was wondering what to post for the Sunday Stamps tomorrow...and thought that before that I give you another post, featuring this great cover from New Caledonia

Great....and rare as well...I mean, how often does one receive mail from New Caledonia, esp. such nice covers as this one.
Holger from Belgium was the one who decided to surprise me with this small gem! Thanks so much to him!

The cover features a stamp issued on 12 June 2010, for the World Expo Shanghai 2010. I think many countries decided to commemorate the EXPO event. Stamp width = 48.0 mm, height = 27.0 mm.

This one in China was held on both banks of the Huangpu River, from May 1 to October 31, 2010. It was a major World Expo in the tradition of international fairs and expositions, the first since 1992. The theme of the exposition was "Better City – Better Life" and signifies Shanghai's new status in the 21st century as the "next great world city".

It had the largest number of countries participating and was the most expensive Expo in the history of the world's fairs. The Shanghai World Expo was also the largest World's Fair site ever at 5.28 square km.
On October 16, 2010, the expo set a single-day record of having over 1.03 million visitors enter the exhibition that day

well, pretty cool for sure! :)

And I love that awesome cancellation on the left side!

Roadside Attractions, Canada

an amazing and perfect cover sent by Bryon!

this cover features a lovely mini-sheet showing Canadian Roadside Attractions. The Canadian post had decided to portray some roadside attractions that are simply too large and too whacky to go unnoticed.

These landmarks include:

- Davidson, MB, halfway between Regina and Saskatchewan used to be “the” place to stop for coffee before the highway was rerouted. What better way to welcome weary, caffeine-deprived drivers than with a giant, towering coffee pot It is a tribute to the town's hospitality and is 7.3 metres tall which makes its capacity to fill nearly 150,000 cups of coffee ( top left corner stamp - and probably my favourite! I mean, it is COFFEE we are talking about :))

- The Gladstone, Manitoba town mascot, the Happy Rock, is mounted on top of a tourist booth. The over 7-metre high attraction is a recognizable landmark along the Yellowhead Highway and weighs more than 700 kilograms (top right corner)

- an enormous Atlantic Puffin in Longue-Point-de-Mingan, QuebecThe Atlantic Puffin in Longue-Pointe-de-Mingan, Quebec is a tribute to the charismatic seabirds. The 1.8-meter high fibreglass monument was built in 1995 and is located by the seaside where the birds live (bottom right corner)

- The giant steel Wawa Goose that is perched outside Wawa, Ontario, has been around since the 1960s. The current goose is the third steel tribute to the wild geese of Northern Ontario. The 8.5-meter high, two-tonne monument is located along the junction of highways 17 and 101 (bottom left corner)


technical details:

- date of issue 5 July 2010
- Width: 35.0 mm
- Height: 41.0 mm
- Denomination: P
- Layout/Format: self-adhesive booklet

 the stamps are pressure sensitive and printed on Tullis Russell paper using lithography in eight colours plus spot varnish. They are general tagged on four sides
-

Heritage Railway Stations of India, India

I was a bit doubtful when preparing this update, regarding what to put and what to exclude, but in the end I decided that it would be the best if I just placed all I had regarding this issue....in case you have something additional belonging to it, feel free to contact me :)

and these are the first Indian stamps featured here as well....so Im glad to have the chance to present you this stuff.

As the title says, this issue presents the Heritage Railway Stations of India and consists of 4 stamps, as you can see above...the stations represented are as follows:
- top left corner shows Howrah Station (one of the four intercity train stations serving Howrah and Kolkata) - bottom left corner shows the Old Delhi Station ( the first railway station to be built in Delhi)
- top right corner shows the Chennai Central Station (the main railway terminus in the city of Chennai and home of the Southern Railway and the most important rail hub in South India)
- bottom right corner shows the Mumbai CST Station (is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and historic railway station in Mumbai which serves as the headquarters of the Central Railways. It is one of the busiest railway stations in India, and serves both as a terminal for long distance trains terminating in Mumbai as well as the Mumbai Suburban Railway)

I was happy to receive this Special Cover for this issue, commemorating the Frontier Mail from Bombay to Peshawar via Baroda.

The Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway (BB&CI Rly) was a company incorporated in 1855 to undertake the task of constructing a railway line between Bombay and Baroda in India. Baroda (Vadodara) was a part of historic BBCl Railway. The first train came to Baroda on 9th January 1861 and the city was connected with Broach and Surat. In 1863 BB&CI Railway completed the Surat-Baroda-Ahmedabad line. Bombay (Grant Road) was connected with Baroda in 864 via Navsari and Bulsar. By 1879 Baroda was connected with Delhi via Palanpur, Ajmer, Jalpur and Alwar. On 5th November, 1951 the BB&CI Railway was merged with the Saurashtra, Rajputana and Jaipur railways to give rise to the Western Railway.

The frontier mail was flagged off on 1st September 1928, from Colaba Terminus, the main station on the BB&CI Railway. It was the first luxurious and prestigious train in the Indian Subcontinent. The radio facility was provided for the first time in a running train in India and it was also the first fastest train of India. After Independence, it is running between Mumbai and Amritsar. The train has now been renamed "Golden Temple Mail".

And Im honoured to have not one, but TWO fantastic FDC copies...since the stamp's arrangement is different, i can freely consider them as different and equally important for my collection!
One arrived as a lovely surprise from Laura, and the other one arrived from Som.

Indian Railways has stood as an emblem of progress spanning over 150 years. In this period, it catalyzed India's industrialization and has emerged as a lifeline of India's development. Some railway structures are monumental in nature representing significant developments in architecture and technology. On 15.08.1854 a train ran from Howrah to Panduah. This Heritage Run is commemorated by the release of a set of four stamps representing four Heritage Railway Stations in India.
A plan for railway in India was first put forward in 1832. In 1844, the Governor-General of India allowed private entrepreneurs to set up a rail system. The first train became operational on 22nd December 1851 in Roorkee. On 16th April 1853, the first passenger train ran between Bori Bunder, Bombay and Thane, covering 21 miles. The rail network then developed rapidly, radiating from Bombay, Madras, Calcutta and Delhi.
Railways in India were patrons of a style that combined the prestige and relevance of train travel with imaginative innovations of engineering. They were designed with grandeur and dedicated to the customer for eternity. Also, the four Metro Stations - Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai and Delhi were monumental in scale, striking architectural creations of the 19th century, innovatively designed and incorporated local traditions and craftsmanship. They became a focal point of each city. With the coming of the Railways, there came up railway stations, Railway companies vied with each other to build imposing railway station buildings.
In 1853, India's first train should have started from Howrah but the ship bringing the coaches sank in the river Hoogly and the steam locomotive was mis-dispatched to Australia. It opened in 1854 as the first in the East and amongst the first few stations in India, as a temporary tin shed, for just two pairs of trains, a small booking office and one line along a narrow platform. The first train of the East Indian Railway, driven by Joshua Greenbo, ran from Howrah to Hoogly on 15th August 1854, a distance of 24 miles. This led to India's 1st commercial railway goods corridor from Howrah to Raniganj. The present day station became a necessity with increasing number of trains and opening of the Bengal Nagpur Railway from Howrah in 1900.
From humble beginning for just 5 carriages of only one train, Howrah Station now is among the largest railway stations in the world, catering to all major cities in India, handling over a million passengers a day through 23 platforms and over 300 pairs of trains. From within its magnificent archaic structure, huge crowds and the olden day charm of this great monument make this a wonderful destination. It became and still remains a gateway to the entire eastern and northeastern India.
The first imposing heritage station of the Railway's came up with the Victoria Terminus, housing the office of the Great Indian Peninsular Railway Company. This building was started in 1878 and it was completed and thrown open to the public on New Year's day 1888. The ceiling are very high and exude a sense of space and freedom. The magnificent monument was designed by F.W. Stevens. The decorative carved detail was executed by native carvers from models supplied by Mr.Gomez and the students of the Bombay School of Art. The buildings are faced with a light buff coloured Coorla stone with dressings, cornices and moldings in Porbandar and Seoni stones. The total cost of the whole building was about Rs.27 lakhs. All the work was entirely executed by indigenous labour. In quick succession came the large and imposing station buildings at Madras and Howrah. The landmark in Madras Central Station is the Victorian Clock Tower.The Howrah Station has a predominance of arches with a touch of contemporary British architecture and local trappings. Railways came to Delhi with the establishment of the imposing Old Delhi Railway Station constructed in 1867. The building has several Gothic features. The two-story building has deep verandas on both floors and though the original building is in a good condition, many modifications and additions have since been done. Semi-octagonal turrets rise from the corners of the building.

Date of issue: 16 August 2009
Denomination: 5.00 INR (each stamp)
Width             57.0 mm
Height             32.0 mm

Herbs, USA

Quite lousy as usual with this blog....one of the major reasons is that it is always rather difficult for me to choose what to post...whenever I pick something, the next thing that comes to my mind is that I should save that for another occasion (esp. with the commemorative stamps) so in the end I post nothing. Well, I decided to change that attitude and somewhat take the thinking and deciding in a different direction, so here we go..:)

For today I chose this LOVELY cover from Bryon...one of the greatest contributors to my collections and a person who gives me great incentives to keep on posting and leave the hibernation mode :) (Plus I realized Ive never posted anything from the USA here so far...)

Bryon sent me a cover using the set of 5 herbs' stamps that the USPS issued this year. Why they make a great cover? Coz my heart gets a special beat when I see a cover with a whole set of stamps...no stamp lacking...no additional one used...pure perfection!!! I actually grew this passion not so long ago, after going through my collections and these kind of covers just stood out! And I realized I was in love! Well, ok, not literally, but I think it sort of best describes my revelation :)

These herbs' stamps are definitives (who would have thought I would love a definitives' cover so much :))
and the face value of each is 29 cents. They all feature various herbs used for fragrance, flavoring, medicine, and/or decoration. Each stamp depicts a particular species in bloom, as well as a typical leaf and flower or seed capsule. The species shown are (from left to right): Origanum vulgare (oregano), Linum perenne (flax), Digitalis purpurea (foxglove), Lavandula angustifolia (lavender), and Salvia officinalis (sage). Only the common names appear on the stamps

regarding the technical specifications:
 - Issue Date: April 7, 2011
- Issue Type: Definitive
- Manufacturing Process: Gravure
- Paper Type: Prephosphored, Type II
- Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive
- stamp size: 22.10 x 24.94 mm


thanks a LOT Bryon!!!

Nanji Islands, China

for today's entry at Viridan's blog, i picked this set of mint stamps I have from China, portraying the Nanji Islands.

the stamps are just fantastic, so im pretty sure in real it is even more amazing!

Nanji Island is the main island of a group of 15 islands and islets, situated in the south-eastern waters of Pingyang County, Zhejiang Province, in south-east China. This was the first marine/coastal biosphere reserve in China. The 28 km long coastline consists of exposed bedrock and sharp cliffs, bays and islets. The biosphere reserve offers a multitude of diverse marine habitats which host a rich number of shellfish and algae species. Fifteen of the identified 403 species of shellfish have been found only in the Nanji waters. The shellfish and algae are intermittently distributed in the tropical and temperate marine realms, which makes this species-rich site even more important for conservation and scientific research. These species are concentrated in the core areas, which consist of two islets and a portion of Nanji Island and their surrounding waters, with an area of 663 hectares. The total area, including the transition area, is 20,629 hectares. The Nanji Island is divided into the Dasha’ao, the Sanpanwei and the Zhucaibaiyu scenic areas, where on the middle stamp you can see Sanpanwei, while the third stamp shows the Dasha'ao.
the first stamp shows the the famous Longchuan Reef

the stamps were issued on July 10th 2007, and each has a face value of 120 fen.

Size of stamps:  50 * 30 mm
Perforation:       13 * 12.5
Printing process: Photogravure

for other cool entries this Sunday, click on the button below

Trains, Mozambique

It's been a while since ive been able to participate in Viridian's blog...but here we are to stop that tradition.
And well, today's theme is 'anything you want'....so in order not to think toooo much and negotiate with myself what to pick, ill go with my favourite topic of trains :) Sorry :)

And here I have two FANTASTIC souvenir sheets I received thanks to Goran who had arranged them for me!

these s/s were both issued in 1999.

The left one depicts the Railway Station in Frankfurt with the Talent DMU train in front of it. DMU stands for Diesel Multiple Unit, which is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country. These trains have gained tremendous popularity in Europe, where they have proven their worth in passenger service on more lightly used intercity routes that wouldn’t be economical to operate using more conventional locomotive hauled trains.

The right s/s depicts the Anhalter Bahnhof, which is a former railway terminus in Berlin in Germany. In front of it a 2-8-2 German steam locomotive is presented. In a 2-8-2, the wheel arrangement of the two leading wheels is on one axle (usually in a leading truck), the eight powered and coupled driving wheels are on four axles, and the two trailing wheels are on one axle (usually in a trailing truck) This configuration of steam locomotive is most often referred to as a Mikado (frequently shortened to Mike), but it is also referred to as a MacArthur. The 2-8-2 was particularly popular in North America, but was also used in continental Europe and elsewhere. The German 2-8-2s were built in both passenger and freight types where the passenger locomotives were used mainly in a mountainous terrain.

to see what others have come up with today, click on this big button below

wishing you all a very nice weekend!

History of Latvian Railway, Latvia

I know ive really neglected this blog, but you know that im awful in juggling between the two of them...and that in general am an awful time manager..but anyways, I hope to be able to stick to some more regular postings here...and bother you with my trains and railways in general....sorry :)

Elena sent me this fantastic Latvian FDC, said to commemorate the history of the railway in the country.

Unfortunately not much info I could come across on the net regarding this particular issue, but other sources had this to say:

-The history of rail transport in Latvia began with the construction in 1860 of a railway from Abrene (now Pytalovo) to Dinaburg (now Daugavpils), 160 km in length, as part of the Saint Petersburg – Warsaw Railway. More intensive development of railways in Latvia commenced the following year, 1861, when the 232 km long Riga - Dinaburg railway was opened. It connected with the Saint Petersburg – Warsaw Railway, and thus joined the Latvian railways with the Russian rail network. For the rest of the second half of the nineteenth century, the intensive construction of railways continued. Lines constructed during that period included Dinaburg–Radviliškis, Mitau (now Jelgava)–Muravieva, and others. From the 1890s, narrow gauge lines (750 mm) were built to complement the broad gauge lines (1,524 mm). Most of the narrow-gauge railways were later converted to broad gauge, but then dismantled in the second half of the twentieth century.


This stamp was issued on August 5, 2010.
perforation: comb13 1/4 : 13 1/2
printing:      offset
face value:  40 Santimi

Thomas the Tank Engine, UK

Some days ago my mailbox was again pleasantly treated and surprised by Silvan, who had ordered for me two fantastic items! I honestly didnt even know this issue was released until I opened the envelopes! And what do I see inside?? The lovely Thomas the Tank Engine!
In case you havent watched the cartoons, you should spare some time and do so...and dont worry for looking 'childish'...I personally have been downloading these series too, and try to watch an episode or two every now and then when I manage to grab some free time....Thomas is one very cute engine :)

the Royal Mail had issued several items this year, and what I must point out here (or brag about) is that the two items i had received are considered 'special issues', since they were available only on issue date and cant be purchased anymore...at least not from Royal Mail, but maybe you can find them from someone who has bought them and can give them to you.
The above envelope is an FDC with stamps, while the one below contains the mini sheet of four stamps.

Do you actually know how Thomas was born?
It all started with Wilbert Awdry, whose passion for railways had been instilled in him by his clergyman father, Vere, and when Wilbert himself had a family, he shared his railway enthusiasm with his own son, Christopher. It was while two-year-old Christopher was suffering with measles that Wilbert tried to enliven his son's bed-bound quarantine by telling stories and drawing pictures about a group of little engines. He wrote down the stories, and was encouraged by his wife to get his work into print. Eventually in May 1945, The Three Railway Engines - featuring 'Edward's day out', 'Edward and Gordon', 'The Sad Story of Henry' and 'Edward, Gordon and Henry' - was published, and soon more than 45,000 copies had been sold. Between 1945 and 1972, Reverend Awdry wrote 26 volumes in The Railway Series, and in 1983 Christopher began writing stories for the series. A year later, the engines of Sodor were brought to the small screen courtesy of television producer Britt Allcroft.  Filmed in 'live-action model animation', Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends enjoyed almost instant success. Since September 1984, 348 episodes and 14 series have been broadcast, the last two series produced in full computer-generated imagery. With over 200 million books sold globally, and the programmes viewed by more than a billion households worldwide every week, Thomas & Friends continues to entertain and delight the children throughout the world.

technical specifications:


Date of issue: 14 June 2011
Process of printing: lithography
Format: landscape
Phosphor: all over
Number of stamps: 6
Size: 60mm x 21 mm
Perforations: 14.5 x 14.5


number of stamps in the mini sheet: 4
sheet size: 115mm x 89mm
Size: 41mm x 30mm
Perforations: 14.5 x 14


So if you are having a lazy weekend and the weather outside aint really convinent for outdoor activities, make some popocorn or get some snacks and enjoy some time with Thomas and his friends.

And thank sooo much Silvan for always bringing such pleasure to my mailbox!

The 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Mother Teresa (Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu)

well, thanks to Viridian, i seem to be focusing on Macedonian stamps more than usual...but I cant help it when the themes are as such...I could go for many other stamps from around the world...but then, there are Macedonian ones which perfectly fit in, and it seems like a great opportunity to represent my country...if I dont, who else will :) Plus I seem to be making my updates on Sunday only...so I grab the opportunity...

and this week's theme is 'people honoured by a stamp for any reason: historical, politician, writer, artist, educator, Nobel prize winner....well I have a plentiful of stamps to show regarding this....but my choice fell on this FDC issues last year...portraying the woman whom Im sure you've all heard of, Mother Teresa.

whats so special about this FDC? well, for starters it is a limited edition...second, it is a joint issue of the post offices in Macedonia, Albania and Ksovo, and as you can see it features all the 3 stamps issued in the respective countries.
The stamps have a value of 100 lekë (Albania), 1 euro (Kosovo) and 60 denars/equal to 1 euro (Macedonia).
As I said, the stamps and FDC were issued last year, in order to commemorate the 100 years since her birth. The stamp size is 31 x 43mm, offset printing technique, comb perforation.

Now, I dont know if there is anything needed to be said about this woman....I think she is famous enough and you know quite a lot about her....but I dont know how many of you actually know that she was born in Skopje, Macedonia, on 26 August 1910? (or in Üsküb, which is the Turkish name for Skopje, since she was born during the time of the Ottoman Empire in our country). So, thats why in a way we consider this woman so close to us...coz even though she was of Albanian ethnicity and Indian citizenship, she actually started her life right here, in my hometown.
Her name Teresa comes due to the fact that when she took her first religious vows as a nun on 24 May 1931, she chose to be named after Thérèse de Lisieux, the patron saint of missionaries, but because one nun in the convent had already chosen that name, Agnes opted for the Spanish spelling Teresa.
Her life as you know was dedicated to charity missions and helping the people in need....and thats one long long endless list, so I wouldnt go into details, otherwise this post would be never-ending...
But it is worth mentioning that in 1979, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, "for work undertaken in the struggle to overcome poverty and distress, which also constitutes a threat to peace." She refused the conventional ceremonial banquet given to laureates, and asked that the $192,000 funds be given to the poor in India, stating that earthly rewards were important only if they helped her help the world's needy.

For those having doubts how to pronounce her real name, Gonxha Bojaxhiu, .....the 'xh' diphthong is pronounced as the 'j' in 'jar' for example...while the 'j' in 'Bojaxhiu' is pronounced as the 'y' in 'yo-yo' or 'yoghurt'...i hope it is not confusing :)

Some years ago, a memorial house was built in the city centre...but if you are asking me, it is one kitschy piece of architecture...and unfortunately, many people here think the same, but who are we to talk about it :)

Anyways, if there are people who'd be interested in this FDC, im sorry I have to say this, but I cant guarantee anything coz of its limited print-out. But I do usually have Mother Teresa postcards in stock, so if someone's interested, you know where to find me.

so, that was my entry for today's Sunday Stamps...to see other famous people portrayed, please click the big button below

Handicrafts, Macedonia

I guess Im lucky that Viridian has chosen Sunday as a day for featuring stamps coz it seems to be the only day of the week when I can dedicate some time to it.
This week's theme are handicrafts....being that Macedonia is rich in these, and there are also a number of stamps issued featuring handicrafts, I decided to dedicate this post to my country again....and will save the other nations' handicraft stamps for some post in the future.

Ive chosen two sets of stamps for today....the first one is actually a definitive issued in 2007, representing a traditional woven bag from the 20th century from the Skopje region

this is one of the typical designs that can be seen on the Macedonian traditional clothes as well as tapestries, carpets, bed-covers, curtains and other household items used in the Macedonian rural and urban houses. Each Macedonian region has its unique designs but in general they are all rich in colours and ornamental details.
This kind of bag is something which people used to put bread loaves and cheese and maybe peppers inside when they went on the pasture fields and had to stay there all day...or by school children who had to travel many many kilometres in order to get to their school. These kind of bags have often been described in the traditional Macedonian legends and stories and to those familiar with them and the Macedonian people and culture in general, they bring an image of a freshly baked bread, perfectly hot, where the cheese is put inside between two slices and melts...a very simple but delicious meal for many.
Recently I went to the Night of the Museums event...well, sadly it only took place at one museum, but something is better than nothing. And the museum has this permanent exhibit of ethnological items among which these kind of bags are portrayed too....I have to say I loved that part, showing so many different traditional clothes and accessories, coming from different regions in Macedonia.

The stamps has a face value of 12 denars, comb perforation and comes in a sheet of 25 stamps. The offset printing technique has been used. And what I like about it is its size...it is rather small (28x25 mm) and fits very well on postcards among other additional stamps (coz this one is not enough for postage).

The other set of stamps I chose for today was issued in 2009 and consists of two stamps, under the Cultural Heritage subject:

the 10 denars stamp (the one on the left) depicts an anvil....it is something that is still used today by the craftsmen, blacksmiths in particular...even though as a walk of life it may be disappearing, if you walk around the Old Bazaar in Skopje, for example, you will come across old small blacksmiths' workshops. From what Ive heard, a craftsmen chamber has been established in Macedonia, which offers help and support to the craftsmen people.
Here is one video, which unfortunately is in Macedonian, but it is a nice example to see what I was talking about...the video has been taken in the Old Bazaar in the blacksmith street, where years ago it was full of blacksmith's workshops...nowadays, the remaining people who still perform these activities complain how the modern industry simply destroys the crafts and how they only work for little money and that young people nowadays are totally disinterested in these so-called, old-fashioned activities.

http://www.makdenes.org/video/4654.html

the second stamp of a 20 denars face-value represents a horse-shoe. I dont know if this belief is present in other cultures as well, but here in Macedonia it is believed that if one hangs a horse-shoe on the wall in the house, that should bring luck to that family or that they will protect you from the evil spirits and goblins :)
The open part of the horseshoe should look downwards according to its position in the horse....so as the horse runs forwards, so the fortune should go forwards inside the house.

the size of both of these stamps is 40.2x30.2mm, offset printing technique in a sheet of 9 stamps. When used together, both stamps are postage-perfect for postcards.  

well, sorry for the longish post...I hope you werent bored :) For more crafty posts please visit Viridian's blog...just click on the button below:

EXPO '70 (Osaka, Japan) - Ajman

I was thinking for a long while about what to choose for the latest Sunday Stamps post....since it is a free theme, one has his hands open to pick whatever he wants...and yeah, my initial itch was to pick again some of my train stamps...but then I thought that I wouldnt want people to get bored and tired of constantly seeing train stamps...so after some thinking and browsing through my collections, the choice fell on something rather unique and according to some, controversial, when it comes to validity...but first let me present you my today's choice of 9 stamps, coming from Ajman. Ajman??!! Where on Earth is that??!!!
Well, Ajman is indeed a real place on Earth, one of the seven emirates constituting the UAE. Its area is only 260 square km, making it the smallest of the Emirates. Its name means 'small city' in Arabic.

Very few stamps from Ajman are considered postally valid. There have been many stamps issued for Ajman, but a great number of them had limited, if any, postal use. The Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue only recognizes Ajman stamps from 1964 and 1965 as valid. The remaining Ajman issues, primarily from 1967 through 1972, are excluded as their postal use appears to be questionable. The stamps I have here date from 1970, so they fall into that latter category...plus, if my observation is good, they are CTO's....but nevertheless, I think the stamps are really beautiful, plus, how would I have learned about Ajman, and their stamps validity issue, if it wasnt for this...

well, sorry if the scan is too big, but this was like the only way to be able to present all of the stamps without them being too cluttered and yet include them all.
They all portray Japanese paintings, as follows:

- 1 dh. stamp shows the "The Actor Sawamura Sojuro" a painting by the Japanese painter Katsukawa Shunsō;
- 2 dh. stamp portrays an "Intimate Kitchen Scene" by the Japanese painter and printmaker Kitagawa Utamaro, considered one of the greatest artists of woodblock prints;
- 3 dh. stamp shows the "The Beautiful O-Sen of Kasamori" by Suzuki Harunobu, a Japanese woodblock print artist, one of the most famous in the Ukiyo-e style;
- 4 dh. stamp shows another of Utamaro's works, called "Portrait of a Woman";
- 5 dh. stamp brings one more of Utamaro's works called "Melancholy Love";
- 10 dh. stamp is by an unknown artist portraying Japanese Ladies;
- 15 dh. stamp is again by an unknown artist, called "A Picnic Party"

the two stamps at the bottom are considered as airmail stamps:

- 1 rl. stamp shows a painting by Uemura Shoen, the first woman recipient of the Order of Culture, Japan's highest award for cultural achievement.
- 5 rls. stamp shows a painting called "Woman in the Wind" by Kaigetsudô Ando.

This issue also should contain a minisheet of 12 rls. value, presenting a Japanese Bathhouse scene. Unfortunately, I do not have it, but if anyone could send it to me, it would be more than welcome in my collection!

To see what others have picked for today, please visit Viridian's blog....just click on the button below :)

Anniversary of Iraqi Railways, Iraq

Well, im REALLY happy that today's Sunday Stamps topic is Transportation! This of course includes planes, trains, cars, trams....but even though I can say I have stamps of each of these, it would feel extremely illogical that I post something NOT regarding trains....I mean, how can I neglect my favourite topic! Thanks so much to Viridan for choosing this subject. To see what others have come up with, please visit Viridian's blog by clicking on this big 'button' below:

Well, while looking at my train stamps, I was wondering which ones should I choose for today...I really wanted for it to be something special, and eventually the final choice fell on this amazing Iraqi issue...so not only that the stamps are amazing, but they come from such a rare country that Im extremely happy and proud to have them in my possession (the WHOLE set!!) and all that is thanks to dear Joey from Norway!

The stamps were issued in 2010, commemorating the Anniversary of the Iraqi Railways.
We have three stamps issued, face valued of 750, 500 and 250 dinars ( I guess that apart from doing a lousy scan, I put the stamps in a reverse order, but I hope you dont mind it so much). The funny thing about the dinars is that it ALWAYS reminds me of Yugoslavia, coz the dinar was the currency we used back then...so it is kind of funny to find this currency in other countries too...\
The date of issue is 25 January 2010 and the size of the stamps is 50 x 40 mm.....perforation is 13 x 13

and apart from the three great stamps, the issue contains one FABULOUS mini sheet! I feel for this ever since I saw it long time ago, and I still cant believe it that it is actually mine right now!
It is imperforated and its size is 80 x 80 mm, with a face value of 1000 IQD.

Well, a few words about the Iraqi Railways.... The Iraqi Republic Railways Company (IRR), founded in 1905 (Im honestly confused about the anniversary here, coz ive come across several different data). It runs over approximately 1,900 kilometres of standard gauge track and runs from Rabiya in the north southward through Mosul, Bayji and Baghdad to end at Basra, with a number of branch lines.
The first section of railway in what was then the Ottoman Empire province of Mesopotamia was a 123 kilometres length of the Baghdad Railway between that city & Samarra opened in 1914.
(So it seem like the anniversary is something in-between.)
IRR uses Soviet-style SA3 automatic couplers. In order to allow interchange with CFS and Turkish State Railways which both use screw couplers, IRR locomotives and most wagons are equipped with screw couplings and buffers. In Iraqi service the buffers do not make contact and the screw couplings hang down unattached.

Have a great Sunday everyone, and let me know if you've had the chance so far to travel with IRR or if you're gonna do it so in the future :)

Grigor Prlichev, Macedonia

I was almost convinced that I wont be able to find a suitable stamp for today's Sunday Stamps topic on poets and poetry, coz I dont seem to have such stamps in larger amounts...and then I realized that I dont have to look any further than my own country coz I have the perfect stamp for it..and I must admit I am also extremely proud and happy that I can feature a Macedonian stamp and have the chance to introduce you to at least a bit of the Macedonian culture.
To see what others have chosen for today, please visit Viridan's blog

The stamp im featuring today was issued on 10 September 2010 by the Macedonian post office in order to commemorate the "150th Anniversary of awarding a Laurel Wreath to Gligor Prlichev for his poem 'The Sirdar'. The face value of the stamp is 100 denars, which is around 1.7 euros. Which makes this stamp totally useless for sending the majority of mail, but from a collector's point of view, i really love it, and I love such stamps which do not follow the usual shape.

   

Grigor Prlichev was born in Ohrid on 18 January 1829 and died in the same city on 6 February 1893.  He was a poet, a translator, an orator, a chronicler, an educator, a national activist and one of the biggest creative geniuses of Macedonia in the 19th century. The Sirdar is one of his most famous works and among else he had translated the Homer's Iliad.
On 25 March 1860 he was awarded the Laurel Wreath for the Sirdar at the traditional literature contest held in Athens and was named the Second Homer, something that hasnt happened before. The prize hasnt stayed long with him, but that involves political issues and I wouldnt want to go into it right now.
In this poem, he delineates in epic form the difficult position of the Macedonians, and their struggle against the Turks taking as a basic motive the Macedonian folk song about Kuzman Kapitan.

Following is an excerpt of the poem, translated in English. The translation is in courtesy of one of my university professors, Mr. Graham Reid.

From Galichnik to Reka sighs and shrieks of sorrow rise;
What dire disaster hounds
The men and women thus to waken Echo with their cries?
What New-found ill abounds?

Have the hailstorm's sharp stones shattered the field of standing wheat?
Have locusts stripped the fields?
Has the Sultan sent hard-hearted taxmen early for receipt
Of their most bitter yield?

No, the sharp stones have not shattered the field of standing wheat;
Nor locusts stripped the fields;
Nor the Sultan sent hard-hearted taxmen early for receipt
Of their most bitter yield.

if you are interested in reading the whole poem, you can click on the link here.

Have a great Sunday everyone!