Children's Books, Serbia

I don't know about you, but I love children's literature even though it's been decades since I belonged to that age group. But there is something so beautiful in it, something so unspoilt and pure, that you rarely, if ever see in the books for the older generations.

 

The first of this kind that comes to mind is "The Little Prince". I'm pretty sure that if at least not everyone has read it, that everyone has heard about it. A book that was on the mandatory reading list in the fourth grade, that equals to being 10 years old. A book I really hated back then cos I couldnt understand it, it was so odd and incomprehensible to my 10 year-old-brain. A book I read again around 10 years later and fell in love with it. To this day I still dont know why,, even though it is considered as a children's book, it is put on the reading list at such young age - I just really dont think that brain can get fully immersed in its beauty. 

Another delight of a book (that I read in my adult years) is The Secret Garden by Francis Hodgson Burnett - if you haven't read it, I really really recommend it - sometimes it takes me by surprise how much of what is considered to be children's literature, is so suitable for adults as well.

And while I'm at it - Neil Gaiman's Coraline is another lovely example to add here :)

In 2010, the theme for the EUROPA's stamps was Children's Books, and Serbia issued these lovely stamps and FDC. A number of titles are hidden in the drawings - can you name them?

And if there is a children's book you'd recommend, please do so - I'd love to read it!

Before I take you to the other children-related posts for today, here is what Serbian post had to say on the subject of Children's Literature:

-Children's Literature singles out as a special literary layer from the aspect of its function and the reader's age. Its main characteristics is belonging to an age where personality is being shaped. The spirit of this particular form of literature is impregnated by signs that are characteristic for childhood: freedom, illusory understanding of live and environment, joy, game, basicness, simplicity, liveliness, etc. Its world is ennobled by joyous charms and composed of fine threads of children's spirit. The main trait of this literary branch is actually one of the decisive roles in child's life. We are here talking about the implementation of beauty, goodness and strength into their spirit: about the art of awakening the curiosity of young minds, learning how to embrace the world with love, and to release the accumulated emotions. The little reader is a young creature who comprehends the world in a different manner and by laws of a different logic. It contemplates and experiences the world though his dreamer's eyes.

The aroused imagination leads the child towards unreachable heights and develops its sensibility. As a driving force of children's discovering of the world, the imagination represents the most powerful means for introducing them into life.

The fame of dream and reality, impossible and supernatural is receptive to the heart of the little reader. The wild and bold imagination broadens its perspectives, frees its thoughts, forms its emotions, enables the comprehension of reality, conjures up to the unknown and invisible, and makes possible the identification with literary heroes.

The imagination creates a new world over which reign other laws of man and nature. 

Check out the other posts here 

The 100th Anniversary of Alfa Romeo, Italy

Well it would be my first time to do a Sunday Stamps on a Monday, and I almost kinda skipped it since this time I didn't even manage to do a scheduled post but, being that this is the beginning of another A-Z round, I just didn't want to miss the first post, so here I am with my A for this third round....

... and this time A stands for this set of Alfa Romeo stamps, issued by the Italian post on 20th March 2010, commemorating the 100 years since the foundation of the company. I'm pretty sure you all are familiar with this car, while for the details, I'm totally ignorant myself. And this goes with just any car brand, where unless I see the name of the car, I cannot really tell if something is a Honda or a Hyndai or a Ford... I'm just totally helpless!

Anyways, speaking of Alfa-Romeo here, founded by Frenchman Alexandre Darracq on 24 June 1910, in Milan. The brand is known for sporty vehicles and has been involved in car racing since 1911.

The stamp on the left shows the ALFA 24 HP, 4.1-litre four-cylinder passenger car, introduced in 1910, the year ALFA was founded, and produced until 1914 in ALFA's Portello factory near Milan. The model's name comes from its tax horsepower rating, then frequently used as vehicle designation.

The stamp on the right shows the Giulietta is a five-door, small family car officially revealed at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show.  It is current top Alfa sales with about 40,000 cars per year. (I don't think this was the case back in 2010 when this stamp was issued though).


Alfa Romeo's logo (seen on the vignette) incorporates two heraldic devices traditionally associated with its birthplace, the city of Milan: a red cross, from the emblem of Milan, and the biscione, a crowned viper swallowing a Moor—emblem of the House of Visconti, rulers of the city in the 14th century.

So, cheers to another A-Z round and feel free to check out the rest of the great A's :)

Whales of the Southern Ocean, Ross Dependency

I was a bit indecisive about today's post since I had two super duper things on the menu, but in the end I opted for this one, and decided to leave the other for a different letter in the third round since there will be a third ABC round after all... Yay!!

So today W is for their majesty, the Whales!

I do like whales actually and don't find them as intimidating as sharks, though that might be because I haven't encountered one in real life yet :D
This post today shows a number of Whales issued by the Ross Dependency, and I believe  that first I should say a word or two about this issuing entity before I move on to the whales.

Ross Dependency stamps have been issued by New Zealand postal authorities for use on mail from Scott Base since 1957. This post office was closed in 1987 as part of the rationalisation of New Zealand Post, for later, New Zealand Post to resume the issue of stamps inscribed “Ross Dependency” in 1994, “due to local and international demand.
The denominations match those of contemporary New Zealand stamps but these stamps are not generally valid on New Zealand mail. Mail from the Ross Dependency is processed by the “Ross Dependency Agency”, located at a post office in Christchurch where people can post items bearing Ross Dependency stamps. Mail is canceled with the inscription “Ross Dependency Agency, Christchurch.
The general rule is that there is just one issue per year, and this issue here is the one that was chosen in 2010.
It consists of 5 stamps on a mini-sheet, featuring:

- 60c - the Sperm Whale / Physeter macrocephalus - the largest of the toothed whales and the largest toothed predator

- $1.20 - the Minke Whale / Balaenoptera Acutorostrata - It is the smallest member of the rorquals and the second smallest species of baleen whale. Although first ignored by whalers due to its small size and low oil yield, it began to be exploited by various countries beginning in the early 20th century. As other species declined, larger numbers of common minke whales were caught, largely for their meat. It is now one of the primary targets of the whaling industry. (unfortunately =/)

- $1.90 - the Sei Whale / Balaenoptera Borealis - a baleen whale, the third-largest rorqual after the blue whale and the fin whale. It inhabits most oceans and adjoining seas, and prefers deep offshore waters. It avoids polar and tropical waters and semi-enclosed bodies of water. The sei whale migrates annually from cool and subpolar waters in summer to winter in temperate and subtropical waters, with a lifespan of 70 years.

- $2.40 - the Killer Whale / Orcinus Orca - ok, this is like the most famous whale out there thanks to movies and stuff. It is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member. These whales are considered to be highly social. (unlike me :D)

- $2.90 - the Humpback Whale / Megaptera Novaeangliae - a species of baleen whale. One of the larger rorqual species that has a distinctive body shape, with long pectoral fins and a knobbly head. It is known for breaching and other distinctive surface behaviors, making it popular with whale watchers. Males produce a complex song lasting 10 to 20 minutes, which they repeat for hours at a time. Its purpose is not clear, though it may have a role in mating.

So that would be all from the whale world today. For other interesting W-related stamps, you know what to do :)

Sudan

Just a single item in the mailbox today, but the one of the kind which you feel like immediately sharing. Plus I did say I would try to post more frequently and not only on Sundays, so I am seriously working towards achieving that goal on the long run :)

I first opted for a postcard, but turned out postcards were not an easy find in Sudan (not surprised), so I did agree on a cover, cos after all, it is Sudan, not a country where you have the chance to get mail from every day. So while Sudan may still be missing in my postcards' collection, it certainly ain't missing in my stamps' blog, so me is happy :D

I am especially glad since on of the stamps featured is China-related, issued in 2009 in a set of 3 stamps, to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations with China. At first I thought it was a joint issue, but then I couldn't find such stamps being issued in the Chinese side.

The other stamp is also from a set of 3, issue in 2010, celebrating the National Unity (the Potency in Solidarity)

Quite a funny thing. I just learned that Sudan is also known as North Sudan since South Sudan's independence. Ha!

Those familiar with the latest political issues here, will know why the mention......

Indonesian Traditional Food, Indonesia

Hello Sunday Stampers, food-lovers, regular and random visitors :)

As you can see, today's Sunday theme is food - yum yum yummie! I personally love food (I think it is a bit obvious if you know me personally :D) and in general I love trying out new foodstuffs, new tastes and all...as long as it is not meat...I am not a real vegetarian, some kind of quasi-vegetarian, but I am really not into meat (which was clearly shown during my last blood test).
Except for the occasional chicken/turkey, or something made of minced meat....meat is a big no-no for me...mainly cos I just dislike its texture...from the bite itself I get this "I'm gonna feel sick" feeling...I have had these situations when I was little, and my parents would try to trick me into eating lamb by telling me it was chicken, but c'mon, you can smell lamb from miles afar :D

Ok, anyways, as for today, I have this set of 8 stamps from 2010 showing traditional Indonesian food.

I haven't tried Indonesian food before. Not so long ago, there was this event organized here, something like an evening of Indonesian Food, and I was really keen on going, until I realized that you had to pay something like 15 euros for it...which for some may not sound much, but for our standards here it is a bit overboard. I can go to a Thai restaurant for example and eat really well for half the price...so in the end I skipped the Indonesian thing.

This here is the seventh issue of "Indonesian Traditional Food" stamp series, that started in 2004. The 2010 series 7 designs. that are:

- 1/7 Sup Lobster Kelapa Muda from West Sulawesi - a West Sulawesi traditional soup which is rich with marine ingredients which gives the soup its rich flavours  (fresh lobster, squid and shrimp enriched with fresh pumpkin and tasty broth soup and fresh young coconut, where you can taste not only the coconut water, but also the pieces of coconut meat.

- 2/7 Gulai Iga Kemba'ang from Bengkulu - Bengkulu is not only famous for its traditional cakes, but also its specific and strong traditional food. Gulai Iga Kemba'ang is one of them. It is a well known traditional cuisine of Bengkulu -beef ribs smeared with thick coconut milk and special seasoning increase the good and strong taste of this food. The roasted coconut increases the taste of the ribs curry.

- 3/7 Ayam Cincane from East Kalimantan - Ayam Cinace is one of the menus often recommended at big events, such as weddings or welcoming guests of honor. Chicken meat is wrapped by a thick chili seasoning and soy sauce and the delicious flavor of Cincane seasonings (onion, garlic, hazelnut, ginger and galangal). The splash of coconut milk increases the taste of Ayam Cincane.

-  4/7 Sate Udang Pentuk Asam Manis (Jambi) -  Known by its curry dishes, jambi comes with a traditional seafood of sweet sour shrimp satay. It is made of shrimp mixed with flour and starch, similar to shrimp meatballs. The good taste of tender shrimp texture and the rich flavors of sour and sweet sauces made of peanuts sauce, broth, and young mango taste increase the freshness of  the satay sauce.

-  5/7 Lempah Kuning (Bangka Belitung) - Refreshing is the perfect word to describe the taste of Lempah Kuning that is similar to fish soup or tekwan that are popular in the Sumatera region. The soup is made of mackerel fish with turmeric, chili. The texture of mackerel fish soup makes the food more delicious without making its taste fishy. Young pineapple or mango are added to this fish soup to make it more refreshing.


- 6/7 Asam Padeh Baung (Riau) - this dish has the image of a both spicy and sour taste. It is a side dish usually served with white rice while it is still warm.


- 7/7 Lapis Palaro (North Maluku) - this is a specialty dish from Maluku Islands: LAPIS PALARO or A FRIED BEEF IN RICH SAUCE, is made from Maluku's distinctive spices like clove & nutmeg and it represents the real character of the only region on earth which was once called "The Spice Island".

don't know about you but this post made me hungry :D The pasta-leftovers from yesterday should do the job :)

For more delicacies, check out today's edition of Sunday Stamps!

Lighthouses, Ukraine

Wohoo! Today's Sunday Stamps edition is related to one of my all-time favourite subjects and that is lighthouses!! I'm in love with lighthouses! There is something so special about them, something so mystical and magical. And they hide so many stories at the rough seas...
So I can say that I surely have a lot of lighthouse-related stamps which kinda made it a bit difficult to make my choice today, but I think you won't be disappointed with these two amazing sheets of stamps coming from Ukraine.

The first one was issued in 2009 and contains 6 different Ukrainian lighthouses, from left to right you can see:
- the Kyz-Aulskyi lighthouse - located on the point of the Cape, South-East of Yakovenkove and helps guide ship(s) to the entrance of the Kerch Strait. The Lighthouse is in the diamond shaped peninsula of Crimea and is one of the Black Sea Lighthouse(s) in Ukraine. It is 28 metres tall and has a white, red, or green colour scheme (depending on the direction) with a flash of every 6 seconds.

- the Luparevskiy Lighthouse - located on the East coast, the south side of Luparevo. This Lighthouse is the second range for vessels bound upstream (North) in the estuary. The Lighthouse is in the Mykolaiv Area of Ukraine. It is 10 metres tall and has a white red colour scheme of continuous flash.

- the Yaltinskiy Lighthouse - located at the end of the Yalta breakwater, which extends South-Westward parallel to the shoreline. The Lighthouse is one of the best-known Lighthouse(s) in Crimea. The Lighthouse is in the diamond shaped peninsula of Crimea and is one of the Yalta Lighthouse(s) in Ukraine. It is 12 metres tall and has a red light colour scheme of 3 seconds on/4.5 seconds off.

- the Vorontsov Lighthouse is a famous red-and-white, 27.2 metre landmark (with a scheme of 3 flashes every 12 seconds) in the Black Sea port of Odessa, Ukraine. It is named after Prince Mikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov, one of the governors-general of the Odessa region. The Lighthouse is accessible only by boat.

- the Sarych Lighthouse - located at the Southernmost point of the Crimean peninsula as well as Ukraine and South-East of Sevastopol. It is 15 metres tall and has a white light colour scheme of 3 seconds on/3 seconds off.

- the Berdyansk Nizhniy Lighthouse - located at the end of a long, hook-shaped spit South of Berdyansk. The Ukrainian coast features four long sand spits projecting to the South. The Lighthouse is in the area of Sea of Azov, connected to the rest of the Black Sea by a very narrow Kerch Strait. The Lighthouse is accessible by boat. It is 22 metres tall and has a white colour scheme of 4.5 seconds on/3 seconds off.

Each of the stamps from this issue has a face value of 1.50 UAH.

The second sheet was issued in 2010 and again consists of 6 stamps (with a slight face value difference - there are 3 stamps of 1.50 UAH and 3 stamps of 2 UAH). And another difference is that I couldn't find nearly as much information as for the previous one.
Anyways, the lighthouses featured are as follows:

- the Sanzhyisky lighthouse - located North-East of the mouth of the Dnister and South-West of Odessa. The Sanzhiiskyi is one of the South Coast Lighthouse in Ukraine. Its height is 19 metres with a green colour scheme of two flashes every 15 seconds.

- the Tendrivskiy lighthouse

- the Tarkhankut lighthouse - located in Crimea at the Tarkhankut Cape 5 km southwest of the resort village of Olenivka. Its height is about 40 metres. The construction of the Tarkhankut lighthouse and its twin tower on the Khersones peninsula started in 1816 to ensure safe sailing in the area.

- the Pavlovskiy Front lighthouse, located in Crimea, station established 1863. Active; focal plane 65 m; continuous red light. 17 m octagonal stone tower, painted white with a red vertical stripe on the range line. This light replaced the original lighthouse, which had a focal plane of 22 m. Located about 500 m from the waterfront in Arsyncevo, about 6 km south of Kerch city.

- the Illichivskyi lighthouse -located in a small town called formerly Illichivsk, nowadays Chornomorsk, located south of Odessa on the Black Sea.

- the Khersoneskyi lighthouse - station established 1816. Active; focal plane 34 m; white light, 3 s on, 3 s off, 3 s on, 3 s off, 3 s on, 6 s off, 3 s on, 3 s off, 6 s on, 3 s off, 6 s on, 18 s off. 36 m round stone tower with lantern and gallery, painted white. This historic lighthouse stands on the southwest corner of the Crimean peninsula. The original lighthouse was a conical stone tower. It was replaced in 1929 by a lighthouse built from the same plans as the Tarkhankut Light. Almost completely destroyed during World War II, it was replaced by a wood tripod tower until a copy of the 1929 lighthouse could be built. The tower is greatly endangered by rising sea level, and a stone berm and semicircular sea wall have been built to protect it. The unusual flash pattern, the Morse code "SW" for Sevastopol', is a traditional welcome-home for Russian sailors. Located at the tip of the peninsula about 15 km west of Sevastopol'.

So that would be my contribution for today. Can hardly wait (and be jealous of!) other people's collections of lighthouse stamps :) You can see them at today's Sunday Stamps episode.

Butterflies, Spain

My initial thought of 'i have so many butterflies' stamps' in the end proved terribly wrong but luckily I did find a few things for today's edition of Sunday's Post and eventually the choice fell on this Spanish FDC issued on 1st of April 2010.

I love butterflies! They are just so delicate and beautiful and sometimes with such vibrant and amazing colours....and it when I was a child it was such a challenge to be able to catch one for a few seconds and let it crawl over your hands while you admire its beauty

On this Spanish FDC you can see two different kinds of butterflies, namely the Euphydryas aurinia /The marsh fritillary which is widespread in the Palaearctic region from Ireland in the West to Yakutia in the East, and to North-west China and Mongolia in the South.(the top one on the big image on the FDC and the one on the right stamp), and the Zerynthia rumina / the Spanish Festoon which is a widespread species in Spain and frequents most habitats. (the one at the bottom on the big image and the one on the left stamp).

Btw, I love the Spanish word 'mariposa' compared to the German one for example, 'Schmetterling' - there is just nothing gentle about it :D.

Wanna see more beauties like this? Well just check out today's episode of Sunday Stamps :)

Eurovision Song Contest, Norway

well, since the day kinda calls for it, let's commemorate it with something Norwegian over here as well..
for those being 'what the heck is she talking about'....well just somehow 'celebrating' my one-year-lasting of learning Norwegian...probably seems like nonsense to be giving it this kind of attention, but those who know the spot Norway has in my heart, will understand it :)

I've already rambled more than enough about it at my Geiranger post here, so I won't be bothering you with an additional episode of the "Ana is learning Norwegian" series, just showcase this beautiful Norwegian FDC!

Issued in 2010 on May 18th, to commemorate the Eurovision Song Contest, that in 2010 was held in Oslo, since the previous year Alexander Rybak won, an the fun fact here is that he is considered the highest-scoring winner, with a total of 387 points!

Now, I am not a Eurovision fan (used to be when I was a kid, and just occasionally watched it with friends later...but in the last ten years I am totally totally out of it).
However I sometimes stumble across some of those Eurovision songs and I do like some...and that's what happened with Alexander Rybak...I immediately liked it! (and yeah, Rybak is super cute too, so maybe that kinda influenced my judgement on the song too, who knows :P)

You can see Rybak on the third stamp...and on the other three you can also see other Norwegian contestants that had been winners (or have become memorable cos of something else....though personally I am clueless about them all, even though they had been winners during the years I followed Eurovision).
On the first stamp are Bobbysocks (won in 1985); second stamp - Secret Garden (won in 1995), fourth stamp shows Jahn Teigen - has represented Norway four times and had become famous for scoring zero, yes ZERO points when he took part in 1978...poor guy!


in the end, lets see what's all that Rybak fuss about :)) come on, he is just adorable!

European Capitals on Stamps!

Good morning all! It is a nice Sunday morning and it is time for Sunday Stamps!
I feel like Im gonna have a lazy day in general, and spend it mainly on cards, stamps and blogging on the same topics...yeah, I've been allowing myself a lot of lazy days lately, but come on, it's summer, so why not :P

Theme of today...faraway (exotic, romantic) places....hmmm, at first I thought this should only be about some places far far away, and I had the association of  'rare' countries in my head as well, don't know why....but then I saw Viridian's post, and I realized I could probably show these beauties, and I've been wanting to for a long while. After all, a faraway place is a rather relative thing, depending where on Earth you actually are...and same goes for romantic/exotic...it is an individual perception (and you'll see a clear example of this somewhere below).

So ladies and gentleman, fasten your seat-belts, and get ready for a short European tour through these awesome sheets of stamps issued by the French postal service! Each year, they portray a European capital. So far they've covered around ten I think...I do not have all the issues yet, but I hope to acquire them over time :)

And first comes Budapest, Hungary's capital, issued in 2011!

Beautiful city, that I had the chance to visit back in 2001, but I'd like to visit it again one day since I don't think I was able to absorb enough of it back then, neither enjoy the small cosy moments of just sitting at a cafe and doing nothing but relaxing and observing people.
On the sheet you can see the Parliament (which I believe is like on almost every Budapest postcard), the Great Synagogue, the famous Chain Bridge (one of the many bridges over the Danube), the Royal Palace (which I actually do not remember seeing), the Széchenyi thermal bath (haven't seen it either), the Matthias Church, the Heroes' Square, and that round thing in the middle that at first glance looked like a coin to me, actually represents St. Stephen's Basilica (or as it is in French, Basilique Saint-Étienne).





In 2010, it was Paris. And here comes the clash of romantic vs non-romantic for me. Yeah, I know Paris is considered as one of the most romantic and beautiful cities and all...but how do I put this...Paris has been one of the greatest disappointments in my life, and to me it is just way too overrated! Sorry guys, nothing personal and no offence, but Paris doesn't give me thrills no chills...and that's why at the beginning I said that 'a romantic place' is also a rather relative and subjective thing :)

However, out of all the stamps issued for the European Capital series, I do believe the one portraying Paris is the most beautiful one. Well, ok, it is issued by the French postal service after all, maybe they were biased :P
My favourite part of the sheet is the cafe atmosphere shown at the very left, plus I love the detail of part of the building being shown.
Other than that, you have the Triumphal Arc (we have one here as well I must say), Notre-Damme, the Eiffel Tower (how does it feel to climb on the Eiffel and all you see below is fog fog fog? terrible! =/), the Basilica of the Sacré Cœur, Palais Garnier (a famous Opera House in Paris), a Champs-Élysées street plate...and at the very top, something that is called "Under the roofs of Paris".

If out of nowhere someone French stops talking to me/unfriends me or so, I'll blame it on this post :)





The latest issue from the series (issued this year, that is) is the beautiful beautiful Vienna! ❤

Visited it the same year as Paris, but was left with two very different impressions (so I dont know, maybe someone could tell me here something about my personality, something I am unconscious of, based on the places I like and dislike :))

Vienna is portrayed with the Secession Building (or also known as the Secession Pavilion), the Belvedere Palace, the Karlskirche, and the Hofburg Palace.
What I can't possibly understand here is how come they excluded the Schönbrunn Palace...

Well, Vienna is a place I fell in love with at first sight...a place where I felt at home, due to its lovely atmosphere and the overall high percentage of Serbian/Croatian languages I could hear spoken in the streets...for someone having grown up in Yugoslavia, yeah, that makes you feel like home...and it was simply my all time favourite place that I've been to...that is, until I visited Prague last year...




and yes, here comes Prague, issued in 2008! ❤❤❤

Another city that is probably spoken about and praised too much..but here, things clicked from the starters...I'll never forget the early morning when the bus arrived to Prague...and I just looked outside the window...and was in love! It is one of those places that captivated me IMMEDIATELY! I didn't even have to walk around...the very first view from the bus was just enough...spending a few days there just cemented our relationship...and it was then when Prague took over the pedestal from Vienna and has been there ever since...I wonder if there will be a place that will dethrone Prague..and I really wonder which place that's gonna be :)

Starting with the Charles's Bridge..then the Powder Tower, St. Nicholas's church in the Lesser Town, the famous Astronomical Clock, which is beautiful, but to me the performance is just plain boring and not worth the fuss (same goes with the one in Münich)...then you can see here the Church of Our Lady before Týn, the Castle, the nice and charming Golden Street....and a candelabra at the Hradčany, or the Castle District.
Ahhh, Prague......




Next comes the capital featured on the 2013 stamps...and another place due to which people may mysteriously stop talking to me...Madrid.

Well ok, I like it more than Paris..but however, this is another place I have not been impressed with...and couldn't find that bond...the city is nice and all and there are some great places to see, but personally just wasn't my type...I don't know if the fact we didn't bond was also due to the fact that during the time I was there, there were protests and I didn't really feel at ease...but however, I left Madrid rather disappointed...probably the best thing about it were the churros! Oh boy, those churros....a heavenly delight! I tried churros in Mexico too, but they didn't even come close to the ones in Madrid. I didn't try churros anywhere else in Spain, and Madrid has the Chocolateria San Gines, recommended on all travelling websites about 'places to see and do in Madrid'..so I guess if I ever wanna go back to Madrid, it would be to indulge into those churros again...and oh yeah, go to Madird Atocha, since I didn't get to do that last time (that is the Railway Station in Madrid :))
A quick go-through the places shown: Plaza Mayor, the Almudena Cathedral, the Plaza de Cibeles and the Royal Palace...where we wasted two hours waiting in a row, on what was supposed to be a free entry in the afternoon, just to find out that the 'free' entry was not valid for countries outside the EU...or unless you are from a Latin-American country...yeah, just to add to the annoying Madrid experience :))
Btw, I believe those 'artistic' pictures come from the Prado Museum..





And last comes the only place out of these that I haven't had the chance to visit, but that I'd really love to one day...there is something just so inviting about Lisbon!

Since I cannot give my personal insight here, I'll just name the places shown (and I'm familiar with most of them thanks to the postcards I have :))

So you have the Jerónimos Monastery, the Santa Justa elevator, the National Tile Musuem, the Belém Tower, the Bairro Alto District, St. George's Castle and the Monument to the Discoveries (Padrão dos Descobrimentos).


Well, a bit of a longish post, though I tried not to get into details about each of the place shown on the stamps.

And I have to give a thank-you note here to Eric, thanks to whom I have these beauties in my collection!

If you wanna check out some more faraway/exotic/romantic places, click on the button below...and have a great Sunday!

One Century of Aviation in Serbia (1910-2010), Serbia

Time for Sunday Stamps again, with the subject of airplanes, and my contribution are these two Serbian FDC's issued on 09 December 2010, to commemorate One Century of the Aviation in Serbia, as well as a guy named Ivan Sarić (You will read more below)

The idea of flying has haunted man for thousands of years. At the beginning it was just a dream, arisen from a mere human's thought to soar like a bird in the sky.
The pioneers of aeronautics became heroes of their time but also prominent persons of today.

On the stamps above you can see:
- a Breguet 14 (a French biplane bomber and reconnaissance aircraft of World War I)
- a Spartan Cruiser ( a 1930s British three-engined transport monoplane for 6 to 10 passengers built by Spartan Aircraft Limited at East Cowes, Isle of Wight.)
- The Rogožarski IK-3 - a 1930s Yugoslav low-wing monoplane single seat interceptor fighter with retractable landing gear, and was designed by Ljubomir Ilić and Kosta Sivčev as a successor to their IK-1/IK-2 fighter
- McDonnell Douglas DC-9 - a twin-engine, single-aisle jet airliner that was first manufactured in 1965 with its maiden flight later that year. The DC-9 was designed for frequent, short flights

The first among the first was Ivan Sarić (1876 - 1966) whom you can see on both FDCs (and on the latter on the stamp as well), sportsman, enthusiast and constructor from Subotica (town in northern Serbia). Since his first meeting with the aviation, his sports spirit completely devoted to the idea of conquering the last unresearched area on Earth. With a great elan and modest technological knowledge, he builds an airplane, based on his own construction plans. Intuitively, and with great luck and courage, already in the summer of 1910, he accomplished the first successful flights on the racetrack of Subotica. Gradually, he learns the techniques of piloting. On 16th October 1919, he had his first public performance in front of 7000 spectators.
With this accomplishment, made over 100 years ago now, Ivan Sarić has given Serbia the chance to celebrate the Centenary of Aviation, a jubilee of national importance, which just a little number of states in the world can be proud of.
On these laid foundations, a small country elevated aeronautics to an enviable level of development. During the decades that followed, the aviation proved itself to be one of the bearers of state's prosperity.

for more world-flights, click on the big button below

A cover from....

Another Sunday has knocked on the door...and time for Sunday Stamps.
The topic for today is anything you wish...and you may be thinking, oh no, not trains again!!

Well, true...trains are like a saviour for my indecisiveness....but not today...so you can sigh with relief =)

Today I wanted to show this cover that arrived in my mailbox yesterday...and it is a pity to remain unshown, so I think it fits perfectly in the 'anything you wish' idea =)

Thanks a bunch to my friend Chris for this awesome surprise! Yep, it arrived as a surprise..never ever expected it, and as you know, the surprise factor is what adds so much to the thrill in receiving mail...esp. when it comes from a land far far away...like for example, Tristan da Cunha!!

yep, I can really call it a land far far away, cos it is indeed the land that is the most remote one in the world, where the closest piece of land to it lies within 2816 km, and that is South Africa! Can you imagine, living in a country that is an island, where the next nearest land is almost 3000 km away?? well, as much as I love getting isolated sometimes, as a European, I prefer being able to travel to different countries that are just hours away driving...and no one can argue this but, there are just so many fantastic destinations to travel to in Europe =)

anyways, back to the cover...there are two stamps attached...the one on the left is from a 4 stamps series issued in 2011, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the evacuation in 1961, when the entire population had to be evacuated due to the eruption of Queen Mary's Peak. Most families returned in 1963. And just as a side note, according to the 2010 census, the population was 264...no additional zeros or so, just 264...
the other stamp was issued in 2010 in a set of 12 stamps depicting Nature Conservation, with this stamp showing a cute little seal, representing the counting of the seals.

so, it feels really really special and such a treasure to receive such a cover from an island so remote, with such small population. Where mail is collected for some time, and then dispatched all at once...cos to get to and from the island you can only go by ship/boat...no plane!
Btw, I love the cancellation saying 'South Atlantic'.
If anyone is interested, you can check out my postcard blog for some Tristan da Cunha postcards.

see what others have chosen as a topic today...just click on the button below

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

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

Celebrating 150 years of South African Railways - 1860 to 2010, South Africa

Today is a special day for Viridian's blog, coz we are celebrating the 100th post of the Sunday Stamps! That means, 100 Sundays of sharing stamps, stories, ideas...deserves to be marked somehow!
I actually almost opted out from today's posting, coz as indecisive as I am (and being an open theme), I really had no idea what to post, yet for it to be something special....well, I know that after participating so many times, it would have really been a pity to miss today, so in the end I picked a beautiful set of train stamps issued on June 25, 2010, commemorating the 150 years of South African Railways.
Plus, it's actually been a while since I've posted something related to trains, so, here we are :)

so here we have a longish post, talking about this set of 10 beautiful colourful stamps on which you can see the evolution of the South African Railways, starting from 1860, when the first railway was opened in South Africa, called the Natal Railway Company

1. So on the first stamp you can see the Natal 0-4-0, which was the first locomotive to arrive in 1860 and operate the Point railway.
After the Natal Railway was rebuilt to Cape gauge in 1875, this locomotive was sold to a local farmer for use as a stationary boiler. After subsequently falling out of service, it was buried in a riverbank for more than 70 years. Some research indicated its last locality and it was excavated in 1944, cosmetically restored and is proudly displayed today in the new Durban station forecourt.

2. Next to it is the Class NGG 16 Beyer-Garratt 2-6-2+2-6-2.
As a result of success in using articulated Beyer-Garratt steam locomotives on the SAR’s extensive 600mm narrow gauge lines, an order was placed for an upgraded Garratt design in 1937 with overseas suppliers. In all, 34 of these locomotives were ordered. Many of these engines are now in preservation service and some have been exported to the UK, their country of origin, where the best-known examples now serve on the 2ft (610mm) gauge Welsh Highland Railway. Locally, several are in service with the Sandstone Heritage Trust railway.

3. The third stamp shows the Class 24 2-8-4, which is a medium-duty locomotive designed for use on lightly laid branch-line tracks, as was typically the case in the South West African (Namibian) railway system, prior to dieselisation in 1960. The best known and longest operating locomotives have been a feature of the scenic George to Knysna tourist branch line. This train (known as the Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe) continued to operate until the line was closed due to flood damage in August 2006. Several locomotives still remain in local service to Mossel Bay with the Transnet George railway museum and two other preservation groups, but the majority have now been scrapped.

4. On the fourth stamp you have Class 25C 4-8-4.
These were designed to operate through the arid Karoo on the main line between Cape Town and Johannesburg. To conserve scarce water supplies on the Northern Cape routes, they were fitted with special steam condensing equipment. Used steam from the cylinders was collected and fed to the ultra large water tender, which was equipped with five large condensing fans. . Only one locomotive, No. 3511, remains intact for museum purposes and is currently stored out of service at the Kimberley locomotive depot.

5. Class GMA/M Beyer-Garratt 4-8-2+2-8-4 The Class GMA/M may be considered the ultimate of the articulated Beyer-Garratt steam designs to have been placed in service on the SAR. The difference between the GMA and GMAM classification was the coal-carrying capacity of the bunker at the rear. The front water tank served as ballast or for emergency use, hence these engines always operated with an auxiliary water tanker to increase operating range. Most of these locomotives saw final regular SAR duty until 1985, with the majority now scrapped. Several survive as static exhibits or preservation usage.

6. Class 35 Co-Co Diesel-Electric Locomotive
These were introduced in 1972 as replacement for aging steam locomotives on the SAR branch lines. The GE version depicted on the stamp is rated at 1160 KW continuous power output and weighs in at 81 tonnes. The units are powered by a V8 diesel engine driving a dc generator, which in turn supplies power to six axle hung traction motors. The majority of Class 35s are still in service.

7. Class 9E Co-Co 50KV ac Electric Locomotive
In the mid-1970s, 25 kV ac traction was introduced as a more efficient power distribution system, along with more effective air-braking installations, for lengthy freight trains.
In view of increased traffic levels on this export railway (trains now comprise 342 wagon, 35000 ton loads) insufficient 9E availability has necessitated supplementing motive power with additional Class 34 diesels, as depicted on the stamp design.

8. Class 26 4-8-4
This class was classified as non-condensing and was fitted with regular coal/water tenders. In 1980, SAR selected one of these locomotives, No. 3450, for a radical rebuild programme to improve power output and efficiency. By this time, SAR had already decided to phase out steam power completely and No. 3450 subsequently operated regular revenue-earning duties on the De Aar to Kimberley main line until the early 1990s. To identify the locomotive, it was painted red, together with its tender, earning the popular nickname ‘Red Devil’. After being relegated to tour train services during the late 1990s and early 2000s, it operated its last tour trip in 2004. It is now stored out of service at Cape Town’s main station as part of the Transnet museum collection.

9. Class 19E Bo- Bo Dual Voltage Electric Locomotive Placed in service at the end of 2009, the Class 19Es are able to switch voltage supply automatically between the dc and ac transmission network at Ermelo station, hence may operate straight through without stopping and changing locomotives, saving much train marshalling and time.

10. Gautrain Electrostar Bo-Bov
The first provincial railway in Gauteng was due to be partly commissioned by mid-2010. The maximum operating speed of the train sets is 160 km/hr, the fastest regular train service in the country today. Passenger capacity (with standing room) ranges from 77 to 165 persons per car, depending on the specific coach application.


For more special stamps click on the button below

and wishing Viridian many many more occasions like this! :)

100th Anniversary of the Birth of Jacques Cousteau, Macedonia

Good Sunday to you all! Nope, you are not at the wrong place...it is just me, trying to figure out my blog's issues and its refusal to let people comment sometimes...i dont know if it had to do anything with the template or something, but for now, ill stick to this until i have more time to explore the problem in more detail....coz what I also can't manage is how to get the 'reply' button below each comment...I actually think that ever since Ive started experimenting with that, is when the posting-comments problems arose....if anyone can help me out, please let me know, coz the problem is really driving me crazy and im so envious when i see the option on other people's blogs :)

ok, enough rent...lets see what today's Sunday Stamps has to offer....something related to commemorations...hmm, well. i decided to go with something Macedonian this time, since for sure we issue a lot of commemorative stamps...and when trying to pick which one id post for today....it was the blue colour which was a decider in the end :))

So here we see a nice blue  FDC issued in 2010, commemorating the centennial of Jean Jacque Costeau's birth.

im pretty sure most of you had heard about him, but for those who havent and as a small reminder for those who have....Born in 1910, Jean Jaques Costeau was a French naval officer, explorer, conservationist, filmmaker, innovator, scientist, photographer, author and researcher who studied the sea and all forms of life in water. He co-developed the Aqua-Lung and pioneered marine conservation.
His legacy includes more than 120 television documentaries, more than 50 books, and an environmental protection foundation with 300,000 members.
His work also created a new kind of scientific communication, criticised at the time by some academics. The so-called "divulgationism", a simple way of sharing scientific concepts, was soon employed in other disciplines and became one of the most important characteristics of modern television broadcasting.
He died in 1997, at the age of 87.

btw, i just wish those fish and whales and dolphins on the FDC were actually real pictures, not drawings...

lets see what others have chosen to commemorate today....click below :)  And enjoy your coffee/tea while reading this....im having a nice green smoothie...always a great way to start the day :)

Adopt a Shelter Pet, USA

the moment I read Viridian's theme for this Sunday, I knew what I was going to post! And here it is! Or better say, here they are :)
the theme this week is related to cats, dogs and other pets....and for that, i have this amazing set of 10 FDCs issued by the USPS on April 30 2010, hoping to raise awareness of the need to adopt shelter pets. And I absolutely support that! You dont need to pay money to get a cat or a dog...it doesnt have to be some pure-bred puppy or a Siamese cat...a shelter animal is capable to love you just equally, or even more coz you;ve rescued them from the miserable conditions they live in or even death...I dont know how it is in other places, but here, the cats and dogs' shelter is one of the most notorious places where they treat animals far from nice, and most often they euthanize them eventually if no one picks them up...or they dont even wait for someone to pick them up...it is really really sad, so if anyone wants a pet to keep him/her company, please check for a shelter pet first...you will really find yourself a great buddy..
Both my cats are stray cats and I wouldnt for the world change them for some other 'famous' breed with a pedigree

The pets depicted on the stamps were photographed by Sally Andersen-Bruce near her home in New Milford, Connecticut. All had been homeless at one time; all but one had been adopted when they were photographed.

the set consists of 5 cat and 5 dog stamps...for some i have info, for some I dont...this one here shows a cute yellow/orange cat, or also known as a Classic red tabby cat...this one is just like my younger cat Foxy...I wonder if it is a mischevious as him :)

look at its face...it is just telling you 'im so lonely, please take me home with you!'

the cat on this tamp is called Willow. It is a gray Maltese cat who was left in a box at the door of a shelter. That's how often stray cats are left...

this one would entertain you all day long...it just has this 'throw me the ball, throw me the ball' look in the eyes :)

a pretty sad face...yet hopeful you're gonna pick it..the kind of cats that wouldnt do acrobatics to catch your attention, but just longs for a home with you...

this is Buddy, a golden retriever who was purchased from a pet shop, then given up due to health problems. Well, if they had given him up coz they simply couldnt afford to pay for the medical expenses, i guess it is ok, coz that way someone who could actually take care of him would take him. But if they gave him up just coz he wasnt perfect, now that;s gonna make me mad. Just some days ago, believe it or not, there was this story here how these parents had given up their child and placed it for adoption, just coz it had some health problems (related to the heart if I recall correctly). I just dont know what to say...

   dont you think this is the type of cat who'd curl around your feet in winter and will keep you warm?

this adorable fellow is Trevor, a yellow Labrador retriever found abandoned at a new home construction site

Peaches, a gray, white and tan shorthaired cat who was born under a porch and had to be trapped to be rescued.

and this happy adorable face is Teddy, a wire haired Jack Russell Terrier who was given up when she had puppies.

so if one day you feel like adding an extra furry member to your family...dont buy, adopt one!

and thanks a million to the good fairy for sending me this ;-))))

nowadays, many animals can be seen as pets...so I wonder what the others have come up with :)

                                                                      CLICK!

Rock in Portugal, Portugal

It was not easy to choose today what to post for Viridian's theme of 'art, music, dance'...I mean, it offers you really endless opportunities, and you just dont know what to pick among all those great stamps (esp. the ones I have related to art...but I decided to leave art for some other more-in-the-artistic-mood time). My choice today fell on this Portuguese cover, with a set of 6 stamps dedicated to Portuguese rock...come on, how many of you are actually familiar with the Portuguese music and the Portuguese rock artists? :) (the question does not refer to Portuguese readers...that wont be a fair competition :)))

Anyways, this is a good way for a foreigner to google a bit about the Portuguese artists depicted on these stamps and give a try to some of their music .
The first stamp (top left) shows the cover of the "Ar de Rock",  released in 1980. It is the debut album of Rui Veloso, a Portuguese rock and blues singer and musician, born in 1957. Ok, i dont know what's the definition of rock to Portuguese, but on the overall, this album seems to be too mellow and more like blues/swing/samba/rumba, than rock :) Maybe the "Donzela Diesel" song feels more rocky...funny, the songs in general sound like the Eurovision type of music.
The next stamp shows the cover of the "Herois do Mar" album, released by Herois do Mar, a former Portuguese band formed in 1981 and disbanded in 1990. Cool synth-pop kind of album. Reminds me of the early DM days :)
The third stamp shows the "Psicopatria" cover by the band GNR. Boy, this one gave me trouble in figuring it out. It is a Portuguese band founded in 1981. Liked the album! Might be my favourite among all these :). The sound is just the kind of rock my ears love listening to!

At the bottom, we start with the cover of the "À Flor da Pele" album, released in 1981 by the band UHF, formed in 1978. Sounds rockish...Geraldine is a cool song! There is one called "Modelo Fotográfico", and for some reason at first i thought it may have some resemblance to the Kraftwerk's "Das Model"...dont know why..but anyways, they are absolutely different.
In the middle is the cover of the album called "88". released, of course in 1988, by the Portuguese band Xutos e Pontapés, formed in 1978 and in 2004 the band was awarded a state decoration by Portuguese President Jorge Sampaio, for 25 years of career achievements in the music industry. It is not a bad album actually. The Doçuras song is very nice, calm and relaxing. "Prisao em Si" is very nice too.
On the last stamp you can see the cover of the "Woflheart", which is the first full-length album by the band Moonspell, where most of the tracks are actually in English. And there is a drastic difference btw this one and the very first album...this one reminds me of the first Anathema albums when they were into the death/doom metal....though I prefer their latter, ambient/art rock albums.
Out of this, Lua d'Inverno is a beautiful instrumental! Trebaruna is good too. But the others...well, just too harsh for my taste :)
And maybe these stamps should be called "Music in Portugal" instead of  'rock' coz maybe just half of this sounds like real kind of rock music :)

It was nice to have something totally different on my playlist...too bad I dont understand Portuguese though :)

For some more cultural stuff, visit Viridian's blog...and of course, have a lovely Sunday :)

Portuguese Cheese, Portugal

Been a long while since Ive participated in Viridian's Sunday stamps, but here I am back again...with something mouthwatering..at least for me :)
I totally love cheese, both white and yellow ones. It is not like the healthiest food on Earth but it can be very delicious! Too bad there are not really Macedonian cheese stamps, coz the Macedonian cheese is just luscious! Yum yum yumm!

I received this AWESOME from Sam, who unfortunately has disappeared. I hope he is ok, and if anyone has any news, please share.
The cover contains all the 5 stamps issues in this set, as well as the souvenir sheet.

Both the s/s and the €0,32 stamp on the top left depict cheese produced in the Serra de Estrela mountain range in Portugal.
It is made of pure, raw sheep’s milk, of the Bordaleira race, Serra da Estrela variety, curdled with cardoon, aged between 30 to 45 days (for the soft cheese).
Cylindrical shape, about 6 cm high and 15 in diameter and weighing between 300 and 1 500 g.
Ivory coloured paste, soft, creamy, “blind” or with a few small holes, exquisite flavour, slightly acidulated. The legally defined area of production, which better opinions considered to be excessive, covers the municipalities of Carregal do Sal, Celorico da Beira, Fornos de Algodres, Gouveia, Mangualde, Manteigas, Nelas, Oliveira do Hospital, Penalva do Castelo and Seia, and a few administrative parishes in the municipalities of Aguiar da Beira, Arganil, Covilhã, Guarda, Tábua, Tondela, Trancoso and Viseu, in the centre-north of Portugal.
This one seems sooo creamy, it is driving me insane!

The €0,32 stamp at the right bottom part depicts the Rabaçal Cheese.
This one is made from sheep’s and goat’s milk, in the ideal proportion of 75% of the first to 25% of the second, raw, curdled with animal rennet, it is aged for at least three weeks. Cylindrical shape, about 5 cm high and 12 cm in diameter, it weighs between 300 and 500 g. Whitish-unpolished paste, semi-hard, with little or no holes, it has a particular flavour. The production area is mostly concentrated in the old village of Rabaçal (Penela municipality, Coimbra district) and a few neighbouring villages. The certificate that instituted the POD includes the municipalities of Alvaiázere, Ansião, Condeixa-a-Nova, Penela, Pombal and Soure, in the centre of Portugal.

The €0,47 stamp depicts the Azeitão cheese.
It is made from the milk of the Bordaleira sheep race, sub-race Saloia (in present times from other imported races as well), raw, curdled with cardoon, three weeks normal aging time. Shaped as small cylinders – 5 cm high, 8 cm in diameter –, weighing in average between 250 to 300 g (smaller ones are now appearing on the market). Pale-yellow or whitish paste, soft, creamy, with a stronger milky taste than the Serra da Estrela cheese (from which it descends). The production area established by law stretches to the municipalities of Palmela, Sesimbra and Setúbal, in the Lisbon region.

The €0,68 stamp depicts the Cabra Transmontano cheese.
It is made from raw goat’s milk of the Serrana race, curdled with animal rennet, aged during two months at least. Cylindrical shape, 4 to 6 cm high and 12 to 15 cm in diameter, weighing between 600 and 900 g. Hard whitish “blind” paste that has the characteristic flavour of goat’s cheese and a light peppery touch. Produced in the municipalities of Âlfandega da Fé, Carrazeda de Ansiães, Freixo de Espada à Cinta, Macedo de Cavaleiros, Mirandela, Mogadouro, Torre de Moncorvo and Vila Flor (Bragança district), as well as Murça and Valpaços (Vila Real district), located in the north-east of Portugal.

And the last, €0,80 stamp, depicts the São Jorge Cheese.
It is made of raw cow’s milk curdled with animal rennet. Shaped as a sort of wheel-type big cylinder between 10 to 15 cm high, its diameter varies between 25 and 35 cm and its weight between 8 to 12 kg. Hard, straw-yellow paste with many tiny irregular holes, brittle, with an individual flavour and slightly spicy touch. Minimum aging three month. The production area is that of the whole Island of São Jorge, Azores


technical details regarding the stamps:
- Date of Issue: 21 June 2010
- Width:            40.0 mm
   Height:           30.6 mm
  Size of the s/s: 13cm x 10cm
- Perforations:   13 by 13
- Process:         Llithography

My favourite for now would definitely be the Serra de Estrela one. Whats yours?

hope you have a yummie Sunday! for more delicacies, take a peek at Viridian;s kitchen :)

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!