Classics Reproductions, USA

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

 

At Sunday Stamps you can see more monochromatic beauties.

The 100th Anniversary of Leipzig Zoo, DDR

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

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

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

 

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Urban Architecture, Macedonia

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

Do you have cherry blossoms in your place of living? 

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

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

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

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

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

The 100th anniversary of aviation, Malaysia

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

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

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

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

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

Flowers, Bosnia and Herzegovina

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

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

      

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

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

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

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

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

       

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

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

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

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

...   

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 

Starfish, Cyprus

You are gone for a few months (that almost turned into a year) , you come back, and bang! Blogger has taken a whole new look on the inside!  Not some drastic changes, but just enough to make me lose focus on why I came here in the first place 😏

Somehow Sunday Stamps have always been like a great reason to come back, cos it gives me something in particular to look for instead of having to come up with it myself..

And today's theme is Deep blue sea... which turned out to be more difficult than I had initially thought, and all those stamps I had in mind, turned out I had already posted them before, but I said to myself it would be really a shame to be discourages by such a "tiny" detail :)))

So after quite some browsing, I spotted this issue and I was like, yep this is it! 

 

A nice set of Cyprus stamps from 2007 showing 4 different starfish, and all of them can be found in the Mediterranean Sea. 

The two stamps in the top row show the - 1. Antedon mediterranea or more commonly known as the Mediterranean feather star. 2. Centrostephanus longispinus, or more commonly known as the hatpin urchin.

The bottom row show the 1. Astropecten jonstoni, that doesnt seem to have a more common name in use, and 2. Ophioderma longicauda or more commonly known as Smooth Brittle Star. 

I dont recall having seen a starfish in real life. Maybe when I was little during our holidays at the Adriatic Sea, but I have no such memory. How about you? Ever encountered one? And what was it like?

Hope you are all safe and healthy folks, it is a crazy world out there as we all know it. 

And before you go, check out the other entries for today's Deep Blue Sea challenge :)

Brides in traditional costumes, India

I almost did a wrong theme today, that is, I almost did a future post two weeks ahead and was trying to find something suitable for anniversaries.

Then I went over to Sunday Stamps to check if and what others have posted, in order not to overlap ... and I was seeing fireworks... got me a bit confused... ok, there may be fireworks when commemorating some anniversary, but still, something didn't click right... and of course it wasnt right when I have misread the topic... at least I figured it out in time 😎

 

So, to make this topic right, I have this FDC from India, with these four stamps issued almost 40 years ago, on 30.12. 1980, showing different bridal traditional costumes, from different Indian regions, namely, Kashmir and Bengal in the top row, and Rajasthan and Tamilnadu in the bottom row.

I love these kind of traditional wedding dresses and not the typical bride in white kind of thing. It is amazing to see all the differences not jut in the different Indian regions, but also throughout the world, and it makes me wonder arent all these clothes and accessories sometimes too heavy too wear... imagine it in a hot weather outside.

As a side note, I hate weddings as a celebration in real life, I mean really hate them and am thankful that people have figured that out so often they dont invite me to one, which spares me the agony of going to one, as well as trying to find an excuse of why I cannot go :)  But I can deal with them when they are on stamps :)
How about you? How do you feel about weddings?


For more celebratory stamps, head over to today's edition of Sunday Stamps 

Visit Bosnia and Herzegovina

Well, hello there! After missing last week's food theme (even though you are talking to a real foodie here), here I am back again this week with stamps featuring things made of wood...

Not an easy, but a challenging theme, for which I decided to present these two FDCs featuring EUROPA stamps from Bosnia and Herzegovina from 2012, when EUROPA's subject was "Visit..." and of course, places in the country shown that are worth visiting" 

There are plenty of reasons of why you should visit Bosnia and Herzegovina, so whether you are into nature or history or food or cityscapes, there is definitely something for everyone.

Do you have a favourite type of trip? I am up for anything, as long as it is a chance to travel, esp. to a place I've never been before...

I guess it was a tough choice of what to choose for these stamps... and I won't argue whether it was the right one or not, but I so much love the design of these, that they would be like enough to tickle my curiosity and make me wanna go and see it myself

The first FDC features the two single stamps, while the second one the miniature sheet.

While it may not be obvious at first, on the left stamp you can see probably the most prominent spot in the Old Town of Sarajevo, that is the Sebilj,  a pseudo-Ottoman-style wooden fountain (sebil) built first by Mehmed Pasha Kukavica in 1753. According to the sources, it had unfortunately burnt down in a fire in 1852, and years later was relocated at this spot according to a scheme of the Austrian-Hungarian Architect Alexnander Wittek, who worked in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Austrian-Hungarian Empire.
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And here is me in front of the Sebilj, on a rare occasion of empty stairs, so one can take a decent picture without a crowd of people around... and you can make a relation to the actual stamp above...

 

And while we are at it, the other stamp in the set shows the beautiful waterfall of Kravica, so I'll just use the opportunity to add an additional personal touch to this post, that is, of course, me with the waterfalls behind (my vanity is at a high level today 😇)

Too add more wooden items to the theme, you have the small wooden boat and the wooden wine barrel, as well as the wooden window frames...


If you are curious about some other things made of wood that are featured on stamps, pop over to Sunday Stamps 

Flowers, Canada

Hello guys

Since few days ago, we have entered some summer heat, even though it is just like middle of May, but temperatures have gone above 35 ℃ ☀ which is too much for this time of the year.
In general, I seriously detest the summer in this city and am certainly not willing to have to deal with it this early 😖

Well at least warm weather is compatible with today's Sunday Stamps theme of flowers... and since I couldnt decide between these two Canadian covers, I decided to post them both and spare myself the trouble of choosing :) (Thanks to Bryon for the trouble 😈)

Just let me tell you in advance that I am terrible when it comes to knowledge about flowers as well as taking care of them... if you have left some flowers under my responsibility, they certainly will end up suffering (you can ask my current boss about this.. boy was he angry 😄😄)

Btw, 2020  is also the International year of Plant Health, so here is one commemorative post to it!
 🌷🌸🌺🌻🌼

This first one is actually a Valentine Day's issue from 2019, on February 14th,  showing some beautiful fragrant Cape jasmine gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides).

It is said that giving gardenias was known as a way of saying ‘I think you’re lovely’ during shy Victorian times while these days, the white petals are considered a symbol of purity, making gardenias a popular choice for weddings. 

It is native to the tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Asia, Madagascar and Pacific Islands and just now I learned that these belong to the coffee family.

The other cover comes with some lovely Lotus flowers issued on 1st of March 2018.

It is an aquatic perennial and it grows from root-like rhizomes that form in the bottom of shallow ponds and marshes, producing leaves and flowers that rise above the water. The species featured on these stamps are the pink and white sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) and the creamy yellow American lotus (Nelumbo lutea).
It is the national flower of India and Vietnam, and is a symbol of divine beauty that carries deep religious significance for Buddhists and Hindus. It is native to tropical and temperate regions of Asia and Australia.
 Rare and threatened, the American lotus needs warmth and sunshine to survive. Its northern grow limits are the shores of Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair in southern Ontario, with other populations found in wetlands across the eastern United States and as far south as Honduras.



Lotus flowers always remind me of one fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen called Thumbelina, and when she drifts along the water, full of lotus flowers...

Check out some more beautiful floral items over at Sunday Stamps!

And enjoy your Sunday!

Fairy Tales, Hungary

I was a bit surprised to see how scarce mothers / children are in my stamps collection. My initial choice was a cat FDC, since the mother cat and the kitty were featured ON the FDC, but not on the actual stamp... and then during my second browsing of my albums, I noticed these, and I knew that would be my choice for today since they all feature children (or dwarfs 😎)

What saddened me is that I actually miss most of the stamps that are part of these two issues, so I guess I will have to work on that now.

Both issues feature fairy tales, with the top two being issued on 15th December 1959, while the bottom two, on 1st December the following year.
Both issues come in a set of 8 stamps, and have the same designers too. Well, ok, the 1959 stamps were designed by Gábor Éva, while the 1960 ones, both by Gábor Éva and Zombory Éva.

I dont think that Gábor Éva has anything to do with the actress of the same name, but just a nice coincidence.

Embarrassed to say I only recognize Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs... the other three seem soooo familiar but I just cant connect them to a name, so if anyone recognizes any of the other three, please mention it in the comments 💙💚💛

I used to read a loooot of fairy tales when I was little, whether it was the Grimm Brothers or Hans Christian Andersen or this fantastic collection of books with a green cover with tales from all over the world - I think that fairy tales are suitable even for grown ups, just that you read them with a different frame of mind compared to when you were a child

And I've learned that today is Mother's Day in some countries, so happy Mother's day to those celebrating.
In Macedonia it is on the 8th of March, and it is a day of buying expensive gifts for teachers and working women leaving early from work and going to a corporate lunch, paid by their company of course - so yeah, that's what Mother's day has mainly turned into here... I wonder what's the situation in other countries?

Hope you had a nice weekend and have a nice week ahead... and dont forget to check the other entries for today 


Edit: Dear Katalin saw my cry for help and helped me out!
So the 40f stamp from 1959 shows "Mattie the Goose-boy", a Hungarian epic-poem by Mihály Fazekas while the 40f stamp from 1960 shows "The miller, his son and the donkey" by La Fontaine (Now I may, just may have read this last one)

Thank you thank you Katalin!!!

Canadian Pride - Flag of Canada, Canada

After almost a year, here is a new post for the Sunday Stamps edition, which seems to have gone back to themes after the alphabetic posts :)

Today's theme is Water - and even though the primary topic of this issue is the Canadian flag, there is pretty much water on the sheet, to make it eligible for today :)

In this set, issued 14th of January, 2013, the designer Karen Smith said that they tried to represent as many different regions of Canada as possible as well as different seasons. There are images from the prairies, inland, and the coast, as well as summer, fall and winter, where the Canadian flag is shown in abstract, unusual ways.


The set of five stamps features essentially Canadian scenes with the flag uniquely displayed. In one, three Muskoka chairs lounge on a dock facing a lake in early fall, evoking Canadian cottages from coast to coast. The chairs reappear on the souvenir sheet, this time with the puffy, whimsical clouds of summer dotting the sky. The fall colours are recalled by the golden hue of a very Canadian hay bale that waits in a prairie field at harvest time. On the East Coast, just outside Halifax, a spinnaker fills with a summer breeze representing the Canadian sails and flags that fill the waterways each season. This same spinnaker is shown again on the OFDC, this time with an iconic East Coast lighthouse in the background.
During Canada Day celebrations in Winnipeg more than 3,000 patriotic Canadians gather on the lawn of the provincial legislature to form a living flag, challenging a record held by Victoria, British Columbia.
Finally, a lone fishing hut brings a splash of colour on a clear day to a frozen Lake Scugog, Ontario.

So, dear Canadians, do you find pride in your flag? Or your maple syrup? Or is it something else? Feel free to share your thoughts, im curious to know :)

Seeing those chairs... not really fitting into the social distancing concept nowadays, eh?

For more calming water stamps, visit today's Sunday Stamps edition

Olympic Games in Tokyo, Czechoslovakia

Might be a too obvious O, but not much else came to my mind... and I do like this set of stamps issued by the back then Czechoslovakia, on 26 October 1963, commemorating the Summer Olympic Games that took place in Tokyo the following year from 10-26th October - strange to have summer Olympics in October, regardless in which hemisphere of the world they are held.

The 1964 Summer Games were the first Olympics held in Asia, and the first time South Africa was barred from taking part due to its apartheid system in sports.(South Africa was, however, allowed to compete at the 1964 Summer Paralympics, also held in Tokyo, where it made its Paralympic Games debut.) These games were also the first to be telecast internationally without the need for tapes to be flown overseas, as they had been for the 1960 Olympics four years earlier.

A number of the sport disciplines are represented, starting from cannoeing, volleyball, wrestling, basketball, boxing, and my favorite out of these - gymnastics.

The top three nations who have left home with medals are USA (90 medals in total, out of which 36 gold), then USSR - six more than USA on the overall but also 6 less gold medals, and Japan, with a total of 29 medals, out of which 16 were gold. That is quite a striking difference in numbers between the first two, and then Japan being third.



Check out the other O's at today's Sunday Stamps edition.

Manul, Tajikistan

Another Sunday is about to come and go, and before it does, it is time for another Sunday Stamps episode - this one right on time :)


It is time for the letter M, and one lovely chubby creature called Manul .featured on this amazing stamp sheet from Tajikistan, issued on 28th June 1996.

The manul, also known as the Pallas's cat, is a small wild cat with a broad but fragmented distribution in the grasslands and montane steppes of Central Asia. It is negatively affected by habitat degradation, prey base decline and hunting, and has therefore been classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List since 2002.

It cat was first described in 1776 by the German naturalist Peter Simon Pallas, hence the name.

Also the Pallas' glass lizard, Pallas' viper, Pallas's long-tongued bat, Pallas's tube-nosed bat, Pallas's squirrel, Pallas's leaf warbler, Pallas's cormorant, Pallas's fish-eagle, Pallas's gull, Pallas's sandgrouse, Pallas's rosefinch, and Pallas's grasshopper warbler were first described by him, as can be seen in their names.

I don't think the manul is meowing as regular cats. but for another m-related to this, the Macedonian word for a cat is machka (мачка), so there we go :)

Check out the rest of the M's here

Meow!! .

Lighthouses, Portugal

Well, I will do a bit of cheating on this week's Sunday Stamps and post on a Monday but I was away on a trip yesterday and in most cases would just miss the show, but being that L is for one of my favourite topics, I just had to show of part of my L-related collection. It is not very hard to guess it is lighthouses we are talking about, right?
Not the most creative word, but it is lighthouses we are talking about, already magnificent on their own!

A set of amazing 10 stamps (ignore the last two for the time being), showcasing Portuguese lighthouses, issued on 19th June 2008. I have some of these featured on postcards, but still a long way to go to get them all.
I haven't been to Portugal yet, and I am seriously having my eyes set on it for the near future, so I might just as well do a lighthouse tour while there :D

So in, not all their glory, here you can see:

- the Leça Lighthouse, located in Leça da Palmeira. It is in the shape of a white conical tower, with reinforced concrete, with narrow black strips and attached buildings. 46 metres high.

- Penedo de Saudade - located São Pedro de Moel, Leiria district. It is a quadrangular tower of stonework, with an annexed building covered in reddish-brown colored tiles and red lanterns. It is 32 meters high.

- Montedor - located in Viana de Castello - It is the northernmost lighthouse in the country and began operation on March 20, 1910. 28 metres high.

- the Esposende Lighthouse - set in front of the Forte de São João Baptista de Esposende. The 15 metre tall lighthouse dates back to 1922 and what is unusual about it is that it is made of metal.

- Santa Maria - situated to the south of the centre of Cascais, Lisbon District, Portugal. It is a quadrangular masonry tower covered with white tiles, with blue horizontal stripes and a red lantern. 20 metres high.

- Cabo Espichel - situated on the western coast of the civil parish of Castelo, in the Setúbal district of Portugal. The lighthouse was built in 1790 and is 32 metres high.

- Cabo Sardão -  Proposed in 1883, and of difficult access, only came into operation for the first time in 1915. The lighthouse is located at Ponta do Cavaleiro in Cabo Sardão. It has a white square tower 17 meters high in masonry. It has an annex building and a red cylindrical flashlight with light that reaches 43 kilometres.

- Bugio Lighthouse - situated on an island in the estuary of the River Tagus on the Fort of São Lourenço do Bugio, about ten kilometres west of Lisbon. It emits a green flash of one second every 5 seconds and marks the entrance to the port of Lisbon.

- Cabo de Roca - located 165 metres above the Atlantic Ocean, on Portugal's (and continental Europe's) most westerly extent (Cabo da Roca).  It is a third-order lighthouse, which originally began operating in 1772. It was the first new purpose-built lighthouse to be constructed in the country: the older lighthouses in existence at that time, were constructed on existing platforms or from pre-existing beacons. 22 metres high.

- Cabo de São Vicente - 28 metres high, located along the coastal peninsula of Sagres Point.
The traditional land's end of Europe, the extreme southwesternmost point on the continent, it was an essential landfall for sailors returning from Africa and the Americas. One of the most powerful lighthouses in Europe with its two 1,000 W lamps  - can be seen as far as 60 km away.


And back to the lighthouses I initially asked you to ignore since the one on the left was issued by the Azores, and the right one by the Madeira postal entity. And funny, they are double the face value than the rest.

- The Arnel lighthouse -   located at the tip of the Arnel, in the extreme northeast of the island of São Miguel, started operating on November 26, 1876, and was the first lighthouse located in the Autonomous Region of the Azores.

- Ponta de Pargo - an active lighthouse located in Ponta do Pargo, Madeira, Portugal. The lighthouse was built in 1922 on top of Ponta Vigia, a rocky cliff escarpment and has a focal height of 312 metres. 14 metres high.


So that would be a small part of the world of Portuguese lighthouses. I know it was a longish read and wont blame you if you hadn't read it all, but I would like to keep it for my future reference!

And unless you haven't done your task already, click here to head over to Sunday Stamps for some more L's!

Environmental Protection, Germany

After some absence, again, here I am back for one not so common letter, but I realized this FDC is something I've been wanting to post for a long while, and it is a very dear one to me, so here is the perfect occasion.

Issued on April 10th, 2008 by Deutsche Post, commemorating the International Polar Year, and raising the awareness for the environmental issues, it was Knut, the polar bear who was featured on this stamp.
I dont know how many of you are familiar with Knut, but I found out about him thanks to Postcrossing and fell in love with this creature right-away. Firstly, cos I simply adore animals, esp. fluffy ones. Second, the story about Knut was something that had touched the hearts of many... and unfortunately his death, even more.

Knut was an orphaned polar bear born in captivity at the Berlin Zoological Garden. Rejected by his mother at birth, he was raised by zookeepers. He was the first polar bear cub to survive past infancy at the Berlin Zoo in more than 30 years. At one time the subject of international controversy, he became a tourist attraction and commercial success.

After the German tabloid newspaper Bild ran a quote from an animal rights activist that decried keeping the cub in captivity, fans worldwide rallied in support of his being hand-raised by humans. Children protested outside the zoo, and e-mails and letters expressing sympathy for the cub's life were sent from around the world.
 Knut became the center of a mass media phenomenon dubbed "Knutmania" that spanned the globe and spawned toys, media specials, DVDs, and books. Because of this, the cub was largely responsible for a significant increase in revenue, estimated at about €5 million, at the Berlin Zoo in 2007.

Attendance figures for the year increased by an estimated 30 percent, making it the most profitable year in its 163-year history.
On 19 March 2011, Knut unexpectedly died at the age of four. His death was caused by drowning after he collapsed into his enclosure's pool while suffering from Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis.

Now, I am in general against keeping animals in captivity and at ZOOs esp. in poor ZOO conditions like the one here in Skopje. And on one hand I feel sorry Knut had to be kept in captivity, but with all this recognition he had received, I believe he got the utmost care.

I remember the day he died, it was all over the media, and it was really sad. Strange how people can get attached to animals they dont know but which have become famous for one reason or another (currently I actually have two cats dear to my heart, which have received international acclaim, one is Bob, the other is Nala). While Bob has been around for quite a while, Nala appeared not so long ago, but I loved her instantly. There is just something special about the way these two felines had entered these two guys' lives. Funny, it is always guys in the stories. And probably a reason more why these stories become so popular... you know, guys showing their soft side, taking care of stray cats.

So that would be my letter K for today. Hopefully, I avoided scolding too since I fulfilled my duty :D

Check out more K's here 

Appearance of the Halley's Comet, Mexico

After having missed the previous two entries, here we are back with the letter H. And the main reason for my absence is actually lack of inspiration. Has it ever happened to you? Flipping through your stamps albums, like trying to find something related to the corresponding letter, but you realize that it is like staring into blank space, cos you just go through all those pages, but you actually see nothing, your brain is like totally disconnected from what you are doing...

Well, today almost ended up the same, but then somehow m brain registered this stamp in my album, and voilà!
It is just a single stamp, not something typical for my posts, but it is surely better than nothing, plus this makes it a first Mexican related post ever on this blog :)

Issued on 25th April 1986, to celebrate the appearance of the Halley's Comet that year. I still remember the euphoria this event had caused back then. And for a kid like me, it was also something unheard of. I mean, something appearing every 75 years, and like being so punctual every single time... how is that even possible!! These kind of phenomena still amaze me to this very day.
In the background of the stamp,you can see an image of Edmond Halley, after whom it is now named since in 1705 he first determined the comet's periodicity .

It is said that its next appearance would be in mid-2061, with some precise date of 28th of July. Now if I get to live until then, this would be like the most unique birthday present :D

If someone is more interested about Halley, take a look at this video. I believe that a video is sometimes better than some dry facts and figures.

For more of today's H-entries, check out today's Sunday Stamps edition.

Early Mail Ships, Tristan da Cunha

Boy, this Sunday Funday flew so fast! It is almost 8 pm, and I can say that I've been anything but productive today... so at least lets get an update done :)


I recall I wanted to post these stamps for one of the M-days (as Mail Ships), but in the end i posted something else, so here they come today, in all their glory, 9 early mail ships! (I must point out that I'm missing three of the stamps in the set (the most expensive ones, of course), so if anyone has these, or you know someone who might have, please let me know, cos Id really like to complete this set :))

Issued on 8th December 2015 by Tristan da Cunha, which you collectors probably know by now, is the most remote inhabited island in the world lying some 2,430km from St. Helena and over 2,800km from Africa. With my good orienteering skills, the last row of stamps was, of course, scanned in a reverse order....

Mail from and to the island became very important as it was their only opportunity to communicate with the outside world. Quite often this could take years as they were dependent on passing ships, like whalers, to carry the mail.
Eventually after numerous requests British war ships called annually but even this waned.
This definitive stamp issue depicts ships that carried mail to and from the island between 1904 and 1953. Of course most of the ships calling at Tristan would carry out this task and as such not all of the ships from this period are included.

The stamps, briefly, depict the following:


- 1p
HMS Odin -  Called at Tristan 23 January 1904. This was the last of the war ship visits for the next 15 years.


- 2p
RMS Asturias - Called at Tristan 15 February 1927 and was the first ship to call for over a year. Supplies and mail were brought ashore using a water tight raft towed to the shore. Mail was taken off and reached London 14 March 1927.

- 5p
SS Empress of France  - Called at Tristan 28 February 1928 and was the first ship to visit for 11 months. 54 letters and 3 packages were landed. The ship was on its way from Buenos Aires to Cape Town. It landed stores and gifts from USA, Canada and Great Britain.


- 10p
HMS Carlisle -Visited Tristan in 1932 and 1937. She landed 7 January 1932 with the New Bishop of St Helena, the first such visit since 1856, and the Tristan Representative Mr Percy Snell. The opportunity was taken to try and establish whether a radio transmitter could be installed to assist future possible sea plane visits.

-25p
Barque Ponape - Visited Tristan around June or July 1934 and the mail she took was off loaded at Singapore bearing the date 24 September 1934.

- 35p
RMS Atlantis - Visited Tristan 19 February 1934, landing 12 tons of provisions including mail. Some of the mail was struck with an oval ship cachet which has become highly collectable.

- 45p
Sailing Ship Cap Pilar - Called at Tristan 31 January 1937. This was a refurbished barquetine. She carried mail to the island on its world cruise and was allowed to fly the Royal Mail Pennant by special permission, the last sailing ship to do so. It unloaded 9 bags of letters and 10 bags of parcels.

- 60p
RMS Franconia - Visited Tristan 21 February 1939 on a cruise from New York. 4000 souvenir postcards were produced on board and sold to passengers, an image of this postcard is featured on the First Day Cover envelope. Mail was dropped off and taken on board, but no passengers could land on the island as a case of chickenpox had broken out on the ship.

- £1 HMS Queen of Bermuda Called at Tristan 24 August 1940. Built in 1933 by Vickers Armstrong Barrow she has been referred to as one of the most beautiful cruise ships of all time.

Can you imagine, living in such a place, where mail is delivered and collected like, twice a year? What kind of a postcrossing world would that be? Hmmm....

For more e-stamps, click here

Have a nice evening! :)