Nordic Maritime, Finland

Finland has been rather neglected on this blog, yet it has some awesome issues..so I thought that for today's Sunday Stamps entry, I'll show these two Finnish items...I think that Titanic as a ship theme is rather over-estimated (not that there aren't some great Titanic issues..some of which I proudly own :))

Here I have one FDC and one cover with a mini sheet...both coming from the Finnish "Nordic Maritime" series. The above FDC was issued in 2010 while the cover below comes with a mini-sheet issued in 2012 (yeah, those are coffee stains)
For the set on the FDC, "Top of the World", Finland chose to depict the award-winning Maritime Center Vellamo, the Finnish Wooden Boat Center, and the Tarmo Museum Ship in the Kantasatama Harbor in Kotka.

on the cover, the miniature sheet honors both The Finnish Lifeboat Institution (an organization for voluntary maritime rescue associations in Finland) and The Finnish Border Guard.)

for more sails around the world, check out today's Sunday Stamps

Preserve the Polar Regions and Glaciers, Serbia

this Sunday Stamps' theme is Arctic and Antarctic...and by some sort of inertia I went looking for Polar Glaciers...and then I was, but wait, how can I be sure if this is actually portraying the Arctic or Antarctic...I mean, you have glaciers in Patagonia as well...but well, I decided to interpret this a bit broadly =)

so here I am happy to present this Serbian FDC issued in 2011, on the topic of "Preservation of the Polar Regions and Glaciers".
Sometimes I find it funny that countries like Serbia for example, issue such 'polar's stamps...I mean, it may have somewhat like polar temperatures during winter, and I know that the so-called global warming is a global issue indeed, but still...I am not complaining, on the whole contrary...Serbia has such fantastic stamps that it is a pleasure to own this cover...I just never found the logic behind the decisions of issuing some particular themes...on the other hand, Macedonia is not issuing anything...not even Lunar stamps...go figure...

Anyways, this is what the Serbian Philately Service had to say about this issue.

"The Universal Postal Union in Bern is the initiator of a philatelic campaign, which is dedicated to raising awareness of the endangered state of the polar regions and glaciers in this era of global warming.
A glacier, as a product of glaciation is a moving body of ice. The development of the glaciation process occurs on altitudes with negative balance of insolation and radiation. The glaciation process falls into 'climate processes' and its beginning and ending depend on great climate changes - cooling, that is, warming. Those changes occur gradually and very slowly.
There are two main regions of glaciation process - the polar region and the high mountain regions - as well as two main types of glaciers, the continental and alpine. On Earth, 99% of glacial ice is contained within vast ice sheets in the polar regions (Antarctica, Greenland), but glaciers may be found in mountain ranges of every continent except Australia. Ice from the glaciers is the largest source of fresh water on the planet. It is assumed that if polar glaciers and ice sheet (which contain 2.5% of world's water resources), melted, the sea levels would rise up from 0,5 - 2 metres. During the past fifty years, around 7000 km² of ice sheet have desintegrated.
Since the middle of the 20th century, the global warming is a consequence of higher concentration of greenhouse gasses, which has increased as a result of human activities such as the combustion of fossil fuels and deforestation.
The Kyoto Protocol is a protocol toe the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC or FCC) aimed at reducing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions. The Protocol entered into force on February 16, 2005. Since June 10, 2001, the Republic of Serbia is a member of the UNFCCC.
On September 24, 2007, Serbia ratified the Kyoto Protocol.

For more penguins, polar bears or anything freezing-cold, click on the button below :)

Vintage and Classic Cars of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka

time for another Sunday Stamps episode...this time with the theme of cars...
I was actually surprised to realize how much material I have for today's post, but my decision fell on this FDC eventually, simply cos I realized I have never posted anything Sri Lankan before, so now it was a good opportunity :)

these four commemorative stamps were issued on October 28, 2011, showing Vintage and Classic Motor Cars, with the face value of 5.00 Rs each.
A leaflet with the stamps' information came inside the FDC, so I'll use that as my source today.

And the stamps go as follows:

- top left stamp shows an Austin 12 from 1928, which was Sir Herbert Austin's second model after WWI. It had a 1861 cc four cylinder engine with four-speed manual transmission. It remained in production until 1939, enjoying success throughout and recording peak annual sales in 1927.

- the top right stamp shows a Rolls Royce 20/25 from 1934 - One of the last two designs by the celebrated engineer Sir Henry Royce, before he passed away in 1933, the Rolls Royce 20/25 as introduced in 1929. It had a 3699 cc straight-6 cylinder and four-speed transmission with synchromesh on top two gears. Its gearbox came in one unit together with the engine. It could achieve 120km/h. Production ended in 1936 with 3,827 units made.

- the bottom left stamp shows a Jaguar ss 100 from 1937 - One of the most aesthetically appealing Jaguar cars, the ss100 was introduced in 1936. It was designed by Sir William Lyons. It was a two-seater sports car with a 2663 cc straight-6 engine. Its four speed gearbox had synchromesh on top three gears. The ss100 was capable of 153km/h. A rare car with only 314 units ever built, including the 3485 cc version introduced in 1938. Production ended in 1940.

the last stamp, the bottom right one, shows a Morris Minor from 1949 - Sir Alec Issigonis' revolutionary creation, Morris Minor, was introduced in 1948. Compared to other cars of its time, the Morris Minor excelled as a roomy car with superior handling. In 1961 the Morris Minor became the first British car to sell over one million units. It had a 918 cc four-cylinder side-valve engine. It had four-speed manual transmission with synchromesh on top three gears. It could reach approximately 100km/h


well, I hope you  are more familiar with cars and stuff, cos honestly, all that cylinder/synchromesh/cc kind of stuff is sc-fi for me :)

For more drives around the planet, click on the link below...and enjoy your Sunday :)

Industry, Bulgaria

when I first read the theme for this week Sunday's stamps, I was all, 'but I have no industry-related stamps'! But after a browse through my albums, I realized I was wrong...and that I actually even could choose from a few different issues...but in the end decided to go for this Bulgarian one, which I think is literally an industry issue :)

this is an old set of 5 stamps issued back in 1964...thanks to my mum, I have them in my albums nowadays.
I am not fond of used stamps in general, but they can come in handy when you are struggling with a topic somehow :P
These stamps depict several different types of factories in different Bulgarian towns...and not much info is available on the net, or at least not for the time I had available to search for it...so I'll just be thankful for knowing Cyrillic and can translate these myself, since Bulgarian and Macedonian have a lot of similarities :)

The first stamp on top, shows a Metallurgy Plant in Kremikovci, which, at least today, seems to be Bulgaria's largest metalworking company, whose construction of the facilities began on 5 November 1960 and the first production capacities were put into operation in 1963 to produce cast iron and coke, with production extending to cover other areas in the 1960s and 1970s.

The middle stamp shows a Non-ferrous metals plant in Plovdiv...I had to use a translator for this one, cos boy did I have a laugh at first...in Bulgarian it says цветни метали...and in Macedonian, that would mean 'flower metals' since цвет means flower...anyways, the factory is a leading producer of nonferrous and precious metals in Southeast Europe and the Black Sea Region, working actively for the environmental recognition of metals as efficient market products.

The third stamp ( i do not know where that stain had come from) shows a Cellulose-paper plant in what was back then known as the village of Bukovci, while in 1970 it acquired the status of a town, nowadays known as Mizia.

At the bottom we have two more stamps...the first one shows a Nitrogen-fertilizer plant near Stara Zagora, which is not operational at present...while the second stamp shows an oil-refining plant in the town of Burgas...im just not sure if THIS one is the plant that today is considered to be the largest oil refinery in South-eastern Europe.

Well, hope you liked the post...tried to bring something new in here..and hopefully see you next Sunday!

In the meantime, check out some more industrial posts :)

Ecology - Balkan Mountain, Serbia/Bulgaria

It is time for another Sunday Stamps' entry...with the theme of birds this time...and here I come to show you these two awesome FDCs I got myself few months ago when I visited Belgrade...in a way, you can say I "robbed" the philately store during my visit :D

Anyways, I am happy to have this opportunity to present this joint issue between Serbia and Bulgaria...I really wonder why WE don't have such awesome joint issues...or why we BARELY have any joint issues in the first place?! The joint issues mean closer cooperation between the postal administrations and exchange o valuable experiences in the field of postal circulation. On this occasion, Serbia and Bulgaria have chosen to portray the Balkan Mountain (or Stara Planina as known in Serbia and Macedonia for example) which belongs to the big Balkan mountain range that runs 530km from the Black Sea, on the East, to the Vrška Čuka Peak on the West and is part of the Carpathian-Balkan Mountain range. The smaller, western part of the mountain is located on the territory of East Serbia. Its highest peak is Botev (2376m) in Bulgaria, while on the Serbian side, the highest peak is Midžor (2169m).
The area of the Balkan Mountain was declared a National Park back in 1997 and is also classified as an area of interstate (Green Belt Programme) and international (Important Birds Areas, Important Plants Areas, Prime Butterfly Areas) etc
The ornithofauna of the Balkan Mountain is very rich and until nowadays (speaking about 2009 here), has 206 recorded bird species, of which 104 are protected by the Bern Convention and the Regulation of the Serbian Government on Natural rarities protection)
The motif of these jointly issued stamps is the Balkan mountains landscape with birds: Scolopax rusticola (Eurasian Woodcock) and Monticola saxatilis (Rufous - tailed Rock-thrush)

The Eurasian Woodcock is 33-38 cm in length, including a 6-8cm long bill. Its eyes are located high on the sides of its head, giving it a 360° monocular vision. Eurasian woodcocks nest on the ground, in low cover in woodland. It feeds by probing in the ground for invertebrates with its long bill. This species has a global population of an estimated 15-16 million birds.

The Rufous - tailed Rock-thrush is a songbird which is regularly seen on the Balkan Mountain. It is a medium sized bird of 17-20 cm in length. This species breeds in open dry hilly areas, usually 1500m above the sea level. In Serbia, its population is estimated to be between 1400 and 2000 individuals, and according to this fact, is considered as a declining species in the country.

And here you have the s/s on the other FDC...it is just awesome, don't you think?

for more birdy stuff today, click on the link below...and have a great Sunday!!

Ukrainian Folk Costumes, Ukraine

lets use this lazy Sunday for taking part in the Sunday stamps...and the theme being ethnic or national costumes. I have a few of these, but for today I decided to share with you these three Ukrainian FDCs, with according to me, AWESOME stamps!

These were issued on December 20, 2005 and each stamp has the face value of 70 kopiyoks.
The first FDC has two stamps representing the Land of Zhytomyr. (Zhytomyr is a city in the northwestern part of Ukraine, and considered as the main centre of the Polish minority in Ukraine).
The stamp on the left represents the Melanka and Vasyl Holiday (St. Basil's Day).
Melanka is a Ukrainian folk holiday celebrated on January 13th, which is New Year's Eve according to the Julian calendar. Carolers in costumes and masks go from house to house in the village - from morning till evening, play traditional scenes and sing schedrivky. There are several traditional roles: "old man and old woman", "Melanka and Vasyl", "gypsy", "jew", "gendarme", "drunkard", "doctor" and many "devils".

The stamp on the right represents St. Zosyma's Day. St. Zosyma was one of the founders of the Solovetsky monastery,on the Solovetsky Islands in the White Sea of northern Russia.

The second FDC has two stamps portraying the Land of Rivne (Rivne is a historic city in the western part of Ukraine).
The stamp on the left represents St Yuriy's Day, which is the Russian name for either of the two feasts of Saint George celebrated by the Russian Orthodox Church.
The Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the feast of St George on April 23 (Julian Calendar)and in addition to this, the Russian Church also celebrates the anniversary of the consecration of the Church of St George in Kiev by Yaroslav I the Wise (1051) on November 26 (Julian Calendar).
The stamp on the right represents St Peter's and St Paul's Day.

and on the third FDC, we have two stamps portraying the Volyn province in north-western Ukraine.
The stamp on the left represents The Annunciation, while the right one represents St. Nicholas' Day. That one is celebrated on December 19 in most Orthodox countries and my grandparents do commemorate it each year as a celebration inherited from my grandfather's parents, because his father (my great-grandfather's name was Nikola (the Macedonian version of Nicholas) :)

for more traditional clothings, patterns and such, go to Viridian's blog...and I promise to check all the other posts later, but right now I am just in a terrible need of a short nap =/

  

Wonders of America, USA

Been a long while since I've posted anything here, or since I've joined the Sunday Stamps...number of reasons I won't get into...but here comes a chance to break the silence...on this terribly hot day of like 40°C ..and being in the city, surrounded with concrete, and humidity of like 26%, makes it some really deadly combination...if I were at the lake or the sea right now, I wouldn't have minded these 40°C...but Im not that lucky :) Anyways, as I said, it is Sunday Stamps today, with 'anything you wish' as a theme, so here I find the occasion to post this fantastic cover I received recently (or, ok, to actually brag a bit :P). I had some trouble scanning it properly though, so please excuse me for that...still, I hope you'd be able to enjoy the beauties of it :)
It is an amazing set of 40 stamps issued May 27, 2006, representing all kinds of American wonders (natural and man-made). I'll try to be brief on each stamp...otherwise I'm pretty sure you'll click the 'x' button somewhere in the middle of your reading :) Or you can just skim the post and maybe hold on to something that catches your interest.

So starting from top row, from left to right we have:

- The American alligator, America's largest reptile: 11 feet long and weighing 450 to 600 pounds. The largest one on record however measured 19 feet in length.
- The highest sea cliffs, Molokaʻi: The sea cliffs along the northeastern coast of Moloka`i, one of eight major islands in the state of Hawaii, are the highest in the world
- The tallest cactus: The saguaro cactus, symbol of the American Southwest, can grow taller than a five-story building. One record-breaking specimen in Arizona reached a height of nearly 60 feet
- The largest glacier: Bering Glacier, near Cordova, Alaska, is the nation’s largest glacier. It is about 126 miles long and about 30 miles wide near its terminus.
- The tallest dunes: The Great Sand Dunes rise more than 750 feet above the floor of the San Luis Valley, at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in Colorado
- The largest estuary: the Chesapeake Bay cuts across Maryland and Virginia; it is almost 200 miles long and from 3 to roughly 30 miles wide
- The largest cliff dwelling: The multistory pueblo known today as Cliff Palace, in Colorado, was a large complex containing many rooms. This mysterious archaeological wonder, built centuries ago in the shelter of a canyon wall, was constructed primarily of sandstone, mortar, and wooden beams.
- The deepest lake: At its deepest, the bottom of Crater Lake, in Oregon, is 1,943 feet below the water’s surface.
- The largest land mammal: the American bison typically reach 7 to 11 feet in length and weigh 900 to 2,200 pounds.
- The longest reef: The Florida Keys, a chain of islands approximately 220 miles long, curve south and west of mainland Florida. Stretching along beside them, about six miles seaward, is a long barrier reef (I have some lovely postcards featuring these!)

moving onto the second row:
- The longest hiking trail: The Pacific Crest Trail is the nation’s longest continuous designated hiking trail, running for 2,650 miles from Mexico to Canada, through California, Oregon, and Washington (this is something I would love to give it a hike!)
- The tallest man-made monument: The Gateway Arch, in St. Louis, memorializes the national expansion that took place under President Thomas Jefferson. Completed in 1965, the arch spans 630 feet and rises to the same height.
- The oldest mountains: The Appalachian Mountains stretch along the East Coast in a southwesterly direction from Canada to Alabama. Many geologists estimate that the birth of this mountain chain took place nearly half a billion years ago, when tectonic plates collided
- The largest flower: the American lotus flower may reach 10 inches in diameter; its single round leaf can reach more than 2 feet in diameter
- The largest lake: The largest of the five Great Lakes, Superior shares waters with Canada and covers a surface area of about 31,700 square miles. Lake Superior is approximately 350 miles long; its maximum depth is 1,333 feet
- The fastest land animal: The pronghorn (?!) can reach speeds around 60 miles per hour and can maintain a pace of 45 miles per hour for several minutes. The only faster land animal is the cheetah, reaching speeds of 70 miles per hour for short distances
- The oldest trees: The oldest bristlecone pines, so named for the long, hooked spines on the scales of their cones, are more than 4,500 years old.
- The tallest waterfall: the Yosemite Falls, in the Yosemite National Park in California, is actually in three sections with a total drop of 2,425 feet. An upper waterfall (1,430 feet) and a lower one (320 feet) are separated by small plunges and rapids (675 feet)
- The largest desert: The Great Basin covers an area of roughly 190,000 square miles, mostly in Nevada.
- The longest span: The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, connecting Brooklyn and Staten Island, is named after Giovanni da Verrazano, a European explorer who sailed into the area in 1524. Two towers, each 693 feet tall, stand 4,260 feet apart; the bridge’s total length is 13,700 feet.

third row:
- The windiest place: The summit of Mount Washington, in New Hampshire, holds the official record for the maximum wind gust ever recorded on land-and not associated with a tornado or hurricane. On April 12, 1934, an anemometer recorded a wind gust of 231 mph (that is a cool feature to hold a record of :))
- The largest canyon: The Grand Canyon is 277 miles long. At its widest point, it is more than 15 miles across; at its deepest, it reaches down more than a mile
- The largest frog (yuck!): the American bullfrogs can reach more than six inches in length; males weigh up to one pound and their calls can be heard from a quarter mile away
- The tallest dam: The Oroville Dam, on the Feather River in northern California, stands 770 feet tall and is 6,920 feet long at its crest
- The fastest bird: When diving after prey, the peregrine falcon is the world’s fastest bird, reaching speeds of 200 miles an hour or more
- The largest delta: The Mississippi River delta, where the mouth of the river meets the Gulf of Mexico, covers approximately 11,000 square miles, roughly a quarter of the state of Louisiana
- The tallest geyser: Steamboat, a popular attraction in Yellowstone National Park, is the world’s tallest active geyser. At unscheduled intervals, it sends rockets of water soaring as high as 300 feet or more, though minor eruptions of 10 to 40 feet are more common
- The largest natural bridge: The world’s largest natural bridge, Rainbow Bridge, is in southern Utah; it is 275 feet across and 290 feet tall.
- The largest freshwater fish: The white sturgeon is the largest freshwater fish in North America. One record-setting specimen, from the Snake River in Idaho in the 19th century, reportedly weighed 1,500 pounds. The white sturgeon typically reaches about 12 feet in length.
- The longest mountain chain: The Rocky Mountains stretch more than 2,000 miles through several western states.

still alive? coz we are finally at row 4 :)
- The tallest trees: the Coast redwoods, the tallest trees in the world today, range from central California to southern Oregon. Most of these giants stand between 200 and 300 feet tall, though they can reach more than 350 feet
- The largest rodent: The average adult beaver weighs between 35 and 40 pounds; the largest can weigh more than 60 pounds and be three feet tall when standing on its hind legs.
- The longest river system: From the headwaters of the Missouri River, in the Rocky Mountains, to the great delta where the Mississippi River empties into the Gulf of Mexico, the Mississippi-Missouri river system stretches more than 3,700 miles
- The rainiest spot: Mount Wai`ale`ale, on the island of Kaua`i in Hawaii, has an average annual rainfall of about 400 inches. (the name is somewhat hilarious I must note :P)
- The most active volcano: Kilauea in Hawaii, has had 55 eruptive episodes since 1983; it typically produces more than 10 million cubic feet of lava every day
- The longest cave: More than 365 miles of passages have been explored and mapped in Mammoth Cave, in Kentucky. This is the longest known cave in the world.
- The loudest animal: Blue whales, found in all the world’s oceans, including U.S. waters, are the biggest and loudest animals on Earth. They can emit sounds at a volume greater than 180 decibels in water, but pitched too low for humans to detect without sensitive equipment.
- The hottest spot: In Death Valley, one of the hottest places on Earth, summer temperatures average more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit. A record high of 134 degrees was measured there in July 1913. The valley floor is even hotter than the surrounding air (I guess there are worse places than here where I live).
- The longest covered bridge: This landmark bridge accommodating two-way vehicular traffic between the towns of Cornish, New Hampshire, and Windsor, Vermont, is about 450 feet long.
- The largest plant: The root system of a quaking aspen tree can produce a clone that appears to be an entire grove. A clone in Utah named Pando (Latin for “I spread”) weighs an estimated 6,600 tons, making it one of the most massive living organisms known.

thanks a lot to the Bryon fairy for taking his time to attach each of these 40 beauties..it certainly aint an easy task :)

to see how others have been inspired today, visit the Viridian's blog :)

Lighthouses of the Adriatic Sea and of the Danube, Yugoslavia

I have quite a lot of lighthouses stamps, but wanted to pick something where the odds of someone else posting the same would be really low....lets see if I had succeeded :)

this splendid set of lighthouses was issued in 1991 in the beautiful, but unfortunately, no more existent land of Yugoslavia...still, memories and stamps remain :)
I love the theme...I have a fascination for lighthouses and all the stories they know...there is just something magical about them, and what do they actually experience throughout their lifetime...at calm and rough seas...how many secrets are they actually hiding?
The booklet says: Although today's time is full of modern installations for ships orientation and regulation of their navigation, there are still faithful friends of sailors - nautical and fluvial lighthouses.
These proved helpers of ships and their captains, lead and direct sailors through stormy seas and rivers and enable them a safe and sure way and return to their homes and families.

The set shows lighthouses found along the shores of the Adriatic Sea and the Danube river, and ironically enough, only Macedonia doesnt fall in either category...the rest of the former Yugoslav republics either have the Adriatic Sea or Danube...or both, like Croatia.

the front page of this booklet shows the Prišnjak lighthouse at the Adriatic sea in Croatia, erected in 1886 not far away from the island of Murter (hello Agi!! :))))

and here inside the booklet we have the rest of the lighthouses, where the first ten stamps 'talk' about lighthouses found at the Adriatic Sea, while the last two are at the Danube river. I will briefly represent each of them below.

first comes the 29 m Savudrija lighthouse, the northernmost in Croatia and reputed to be the oldest on the Adriatic Sea, erected in 1818.
Next to it is Sveti Ivan na Pučini (or, St. Ivan at the open sea). It was built in 1853 and it is located on the most distant islet of the small archipelago in front of Rovinj, Croatia.
Third comes the Porer lighthouse,built in 1833, on the Porer island in Croatia.
Next to it is the Stončica lighthouse, built in 1865 at the northeastern cape of the Vis island in Croatia.
The Olipa lighthouse is the 5th stamp in the row, believed to be built in 1842. The lighthouse is on the uninhabited Olipa islet in Croatia.
The last in this row is the Croatian lighthouse of Glavat, built in 1884 on the Glavat island in the Lastovo channel.
the bottom row starts with the Veli Rat lighthouse, built in 1849, on the southwestern cape of the island of Dugi otok, 35 km west of the city of Zadar, Croatia.
Next to it is Vir, built in 1881, at the western coast of the Vir island.
Then comes a lighthouse with a probably complicated name for non-English speakers, called Tajerske sestrice, (or the Tajer sisters) built in 1876 on the Sestrica Vela island (or Sister Vela).
The last of the Adriatic lighthouses is the lighthouse of Ražanj, in Croatia again, built in 1874, at the western cape of the Brač island.
As I said previously, the last two lighthouses are at the Danube river, the first one being Đerdap (a beautiful National Park in Serbia that stretches along the right bank of the Danube river). The other Danube lighthouse is Tamiš, a 359km long river, originating from Țarcu Mountains in Romania, and flowing into the Danube in the northern of Serbia.

well lets see what others had to share for today....click on the button below, and enjoy your Sunday...it is a beautiful sunny one here!

Garden flowers, Poland

well, today is what they call, Women's Day...or Mother's Day...well, both refer to women of course, but when I think about it it gets a bit confusing...at school they give you tasks to draw/paint/write something for your mum for Mother's Day..but then you also need to bring flowers or buy a present for your teacher as well, and you may have teachers which may not be mum's...but if you exempt them from that gift-thing, they will get offended...so you really don't know in the end what you are actually celebrating...and unlike in many other parts of the world, here we do not pay even 1% of the attention to Father's Day compared to the craze today...the bars and restaurants are cramped with women, we have travelling tours organized for Women's Day, women leave work early coz of the holiday, stores are crowded with men and children...but Im sure that MANY people even have no idea that something like Father's Day exist...but that's why on 8 March they all do something for Women's Day...some because they do want to, but some in order their girlfriend/fiancee/wife/mother not to get bothered...and I must say I really hate such things done just for the kicks, but oh well :)

anyways, I've realized that for quite some time I've been posting here on Sundays only, and that I should actually pay the right attention to this blog at all other times as well.
So here it comes as a nice occasion to show these beautiful garden flowers' stamps from Poland...and, I mean, they are appropriate for today's day :)

this beautiful set of 12 stamps was issued back in 1964, all representing different garden flowers (and Im happy to have the whole set though im not quite sure if these could be considered CTO or used)

the order of the stamps is as follows:

20gr - Cyclamen,persian violet (Cyclamen persicum) - has fragrant bluish to dark lavender flowers
30gr - Freesia (Freesia hybrida)- has fragrant funnel-shaped flowers. Some of these are grown as ornamental plants.
40gr - Rose (Rosa hybrida)
50gr - Fernleaf peony (Paeonia tenuifolia)- they can live really long and one hundred year old peonies are not uncommon!
60gr - Regal lily (Lilium regale)- another long-lived plant, a trumpet flowered lily, native to western Sichuan in China which was introduced to England in 1903 by Ernest Henry Wilson.
90gr - Oriental poppy (Papaver orientale) - it is native to the Caucasus, northeastern Turkey, and northern Iran and they throw up a mound of finely cut, hairy foliage in spring.
1,35zl - Tulip (Tulipa gesneriana) - probably one of my favourite flowers...they are just so delicate! And well, you dont have to relate them to the Netherlands only. It is said that like many tulips that came from the Ottoman Empire, it could have originated in Turkey and has now become naturalised to south-west Europe
1,50zl - Daffodil (Narcissus incomparabilis) - frequently linked to the Greek myth of Narcissus, who became so obsessed with his own reflection that as he knelt and gazed into a pool of water, he fell into the water and drowned. In some variations, he died of starvation and thirst. In both versions, the narcissus plant sprang from where he died.
1,55zl - Tuberous begonia (Begonia tuberhybrida)- frost-tender plants that thrive where they receive bright light but little or no direct sun. My mum plants some begonias in spring (among other flowers), when you see all the pots on our terrace, you get this beautiful colourful pattern of flowers :)
2,50zl - Carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus) - probably native to the Mediterranean region but its exact range is unknown due to extensive cultivation for the last 2,000 years
3,10zl - Iris (Iris barbata) - takes its name from the Greek word for a rainbow, referring to the wide variety of flower colors found among the many species.
5,60zl - Camellia (Camellia japonica) - one of the best known species of the genus Camellia. Sometimes called the Rose of winter, it is is the official state flower of Alabama.

Im anything but a flower expert, so for the information regarding the flowers on the stamps I had to rely mainly on what google said to be right :)

And Happy Women's Day to all the women who feel like today it is their day....though Im the kind who'd rather be surprised with a present, a sign of love and affection any day of the year, not only when it is somewhat imposed :)

Moonlanding, Paraguay

I almost skipped today's Sunday Stamps...but having in mind today's subject, I felt I would regret if I don't post these stamps, so I'll try to squeeze in a short post here :)

these Paraguay stamps were issued in 1970 and come in a set of nine (so as usual, I must miss a stamp or two with such awesome issues!) On one of the stamps Im missing, you can also see President Kennedy, next to Wernher von Braun, who is also featured on the first stamp at the top.
Von Braun was German–American rocket scientist, aerospace engineer, space architect, and one of the leading figures in the development of rocket technology in Nazi Germany during World War II and, subsequently, in the United States and they call him the "Father of Rocket Science".
He was the chief architect of the Saturn V launch vehicle, the superbooster that propelled the Apollo spacecraft to the Moon (which is also portrayed on the first stamp).

The following (second row) stamp shows the first astronauts' landing on the Moon on July 20, 1969 (done by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin). And I think it is worth to mention the name of Michael Collins, who was the command module pilot for Apollo 11 and while Armstrong and Aldrin were having a walk on the Moon, Michael was orbiting the Moon.
The stamp next to it also shows the first men on the Moon, taking soil samples and the Apollo 11, while the third stamp in the second row shows the departure of Apollo 11 from the Moon.
The first stamp from the third row shows the landing of the Module, the one in the middle shows the  Lunar Module extraction, while the last  stamp of the ones I have is called Command/Service Module / Lunar Module.

Well, space has always fascinated me, and I wonder if one day we'd all be able to get on a spaceship and have coffee on some other planet...or whatever their specialty may be :)

For more space travels and natural phenomena, click on the button below...and Ill try later to visit everyone, including the pending ones from last Sunday...sorry, but life sometimes interferes

Year of the Tiger, Serbia

morning/afternoon/evening to all! Here comes another "issue" of the Sunday Stamps post. The theme being Lunar Year and Chinese stamps, I was not quite sure what to post...not that I do not have Chinese stamps...have a lot of those, but was somewhat indecisive...and then I realized I have this lovely FDC my dear Ana sent me some time ago, and it fits perfect into today's subject...I know it is the Year of the Snake now, but I must tell you that Im not really a snake lover...ok, im not at ALL a snake lover, I shudder at the thought of a snake, though the stamps Ive seen issued on the subject are really fascinating :) However, ill still go with the tigers this time :)

I must say that the Serbian postal service is issuing really fantastic stamps, and the Lunar Horoscope ones are not an exception....on the other hand, the Macedonian postal service has not yet issued anything related to this subject, EVER =/ Speaking of that, the philately lady should be back to work the following week, at a different post office though....the one that has undergone the fire is still far from offering normal working conditions...but well, I hope id be able to get some new stamps coz ive been really struggling with it..

bit off-topic..recently I watched "The Life of Pi" - a really nice movie...and if you've seen it, you are familiar with Richard Parker, the tiger appearing in the movie (whether he was a real character or part of Pi's imagination, that is for another discussion). Anyways, Richard Parker in soooooo many ways reminded me of my cat Foxy ...I know it may be crazy, but that look in his eyes, the way he was yawning, or stretching out his paws to fight....as if I have a miniature version of him at home....so since then, Ive started calling my cat Richard Parker too...they are both just adorable :)  Off to give him a pet :)  And you can see what others have picked for today...just click on the button below

Insects, China

I was ready to go with some butterflies for today's theme of insects, but somehow, the idea didnt really fulfill me, if i could express myself like that...despite butterflies being insects as well, I wanted something that gives that general association of insects...and I was almost to give up, when my eyes spotted this beautiful set of Chinese stamps...and voilà! :) So ill reserve my butterfly stamps for some butterfly theme :)

this set was issued June 28, 1992, where on the first one you can see The Chinese mantis (Tenodera sinensis) which looks like a long and slender praying mantis, with different shades of brown, and it is typically larger than most other mantises. This species is often erroneously given the taxonomic name of Tenodera aridifolia sinensis, as it is on the stamp featured here.
The second stamp shows the Seven-dots ladybird (Coccinella Septempunctata)which is famous in China, because it preys on pests. There are about 5000 species in the ladybird family and most of them are beneficial insects. They are the natural enemy of aphids on the wheat, earthnut, and cotton.
The third stamp shows the Sympetrum Croceolum that belongs to the dragonfly family. There are about 4000 species in the world and in China they only can be found in the provinces of Fujian, Guangxi, and Jiangxi.
The last, fourth stamp, shows the lacewing fly (Chrysopa septempunctata), that is considered an important, common predator of several insects in China, Japan, Russia, and many parts of Europe. There are about 5000 species of lacewings in the world.

for more cute or not-so-cute insects, click on the button below

250 years since the birth of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,Macedonia

So here comes another Sunday...and time for another visit to the Viridian's blog...where the theme this week is 'anything you wish'. The most tricky one for me I must say :)
Usually, id go for trains in such cases, sparing myself too much thinking...but I wanted to somewhat break that habit and post something different...and while wondering what could that be...something suitable came into the horizon...so here I am with this nice FDC issued by the Macedonian postal service in 2006, commemorating the 250 years since the birth of the child prodigy called Mozart....and why did my choice fall on this one? well, coz Mozart was actually born on January 27, so if he was still alive, today he would have been blowing 257 candles on his cake...boy, that would have been one very special cake....i hope it would have been cheesecake :)))
But unfortunately, this great man didnt manage to see many candles on his cake, since he died at the early age of only 35. But even this way, he has left great works behind him, having composed over 600 works.

well, im sure you all know who Mozart was, and more or less know the general things about him, so I wont bore you with that. ill just tell you that Ive never been to Salzburg, where he was born, but id REALLY love to go there one day...theyve told me that it is even more beautiful than Vienna...so me, who is absolutely in love with Vienna, must verify this on-spot one day :)
I love Mozart's works...I cant tell if i have a favourite, coz often it depends on how i feel, and to be quite honest, im terrible at remembering pieces entitled like "Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K. 550" (though that is a really good one by Mozart) but titles like that just dont work for me.
At least the operas bear somewhat normal titles..
Unfortunately, Tom and Jerry seem not to have been into Mozart that much...there is an episode where Bart Simpson plays the Turkish Rondo, (which is a part of the Piano Sonata No. 11 in A major, K. 331, and is probably one of his most popular piano pieces) but honestly i dont think that im impressed much of it...I still prefer the good old Tom and Jerry making a great concert out of some beautiful classical masterpiece :)

so if you know a cartoon where Mozart's music has been used, please share :)

and on a side note, since we are at the Macedonian postal service here...wanted to share something (not so nice) with you...already did it at my postcards' blog, bur for those who do not read that one, or have missed it:
10 days ago, there was a huge fire at the main post office in Skopje...and unfortunately, that is the post office where the Philatelic Bureau is also situated...or should I say, 'was'...there were no deaths fortunately, but the damage is huge..and the post office is not working at the moment...all the employees there have been reallocated to other post offices...however, I cant find out where the philately lady is and if she is working at all or she is taking a break...I dont know if and how many stamps have suffered the fire but practically, right now, i cant get any nice new stamps....I have to be satisfied with the general (boring) ones that are sold at the post offices..and i feel sort of handicapped this way...she was my only source for all the old and new issues, and always very kind and helpful...i mean, the postal clerks are also really nice people, but they just struggle with providing me nice stamps, and it is not their fault either...so my only source is right now...i dont know where. It is also a pity, coz that building was of unusual architecture, and also, very valuable murals have suffered, which used to be in the hall of the post office..quite a tragedy =/

you can read more about it here in case you are interested (lack of websites covering the event in English...sorry)

wishing you all a great Sunday, and before you get on with your Sunday chores, click on the button below and see what other interesting stories you may find today:

Stamp Day, France

well, after quite some time, here i am with a post for Viridian's Sunday Stamps.

the theme today is Cartoons and Cartoon-like drawings...well, here is a very nice cartoon cover - couldnt get any more cartoonesque I think :)

On 28 February and 1 March 2009, 116 cities in France (in 92 departments) hosted the 10th edition of the "Fête du Timbre" ("Stamp Fair").

and as it has been the case since 1999, the French Post has chosen for this Stamp Day some comic book and children's literature heroes as topic in order to attract more young people towards the collection of stamps.
So here you have the Looney Tunes characters, that im sure most of you are familiar with :)

Im happy to be an owner of this cover with the three stamps that were issued (€ 0.56 each), where you can see Bugs Bunny and Duffy Duck, then on the next stamp are Wile E. Coyotte and the Roadrunner, and on the final stamp you have Tweety and Sylvester.

above the stamp you can also see the souvenir sheet, consisting of one € 1.00 stamp, where apart from the above mentioned characters, you can also see Taz (the Tasmanian Devil), Marvin the Martian and Yosemite Sam.

I loved watching these cartoons when I was little (and not so little). And out of all these, Sylvester is probably my favourite...probably coz of being a cat...and his clumsiness...though Sylvester Jr. was even cuter :) And I just cant stay indifferent to that lisping-talk :)

thanks a lot to Eric for sending me this cover (from whom I also stole some of the information regarding the stamps :))

well, wishing you a good Sunday and great week ahead. For more cartoon-like stuff, click on the button below