Independence Day, Philippines

After the long silence here as well, and after putting my postcards blog back to life, it would be also fair to show some attention to this guy here before the year comes to an end... and I wanted to share a strange story here with you...


Few months ago I received this envelope from the Philippines with this really nice set of stamps issued in 2017 for their Independence Day.

the backside suggested that it is something for the official Postcrossing site. Even though I prefer written and stamped cards instead of ones sent in envelopes, sometimes people do this for really noble reasons and include something extra besides the usual postcard - the sender as you can see wants to swap covers too, which is why I thought he had decided to put the postcard in the envelope and grant me this really nice cover.

However, once I opened the envelope I was left with some confusion.

First of all the postcard was nowhere to be found (and the basic rule of Postcrossing is that one has to send you a postcard and you shouldnt register anything other than a postcard, not even a folded card).

The absence of postcard wasn't what was strange here, but it was the actual contents as you can see below...

Two envelopes from which the stamps had been removed and which according to the address is something the sender had received and sent them to me as covers supposedly.

I have never complained to the Postcrossing team before on something I had received but this time I really thought the situation called for it... not cos I want to nag them on what I had received but I just dont want to be the bad guy later and have complaints that I haven't registered something I had received.
They said they would look into it and message the sender and see what happens.
Few weeks later, I got their reply, which said that according to the sender, this is not what the person had sent me, but that they had actually sent me two nice covers since I was a collector and have claimed to have included a postcard as well. Being that no one here can prove what had actually happened (even though I can prove from my side 1000% what I had found in my mailbox), the final verdict was that someone had obviously tampered this envelope along the way. ?!?!

I honestly find that hard to believe, cos the envelope really seemed fine, and how would one know that there are envelopes inside so that they cut out the stamps - isn't it more sensible to simply take both envelopes without bothering with the stamp cutting and all? But then, who am I to claim  what had really happened and there is no point in that... at the end of the day, something that was supposed to be really nice, turned out into something really disappointing....

Have you experienced something like this before? Or what is the strangest mail story that has happened to you?
Feel free to share your story in the comments... if you are still visiting this blog after all my absence :)))

Franklin the Turtle, Canada

I should seriously get back to the scheduled posts, cos Sundays end up being days I am away from the laptop and unable to join on time the Sunday Stamps game. (just a note to self for next Sunday at least...)

Well, we have reached the letter F on our journey, and for today I have this adorable cover issued by Canada Post on 11th May 2012, portraying a really cute character called Franklin the Turtle, a little reptile who encourages the children to 'come out of their shells' (I am not familiar with these books or TV series but I'm pretty sure some of you are).
The books were written by Paulette Bourgeois and illustrated by Brenda Clark, based on which later a TV series was produced. 
The main character is of course Franklin the Turtle, while on the stamps you can also see his best friend the Bear, his friends the Beaver and the Snail and (probably) his little sister Hariett.

Now in case just as me you were confused by reading Franklin Benjamin on the stamps and wondering what the hell this guy had anything to do with this character... well, it turns out that Franklin is known as Benjamin to its French-Canadian readers... you really couldn't have made it any more confusing guys :D :D :D But at least, mystery has been solved :))

Well lets go over to Sunday Stamps now and see if there are some other confusing/ambiguous stories of this kind :P

Endangered Species, United Nations (NY)

A Sunday Stamps post done on a Monday... but at least I didn't totally miss it like last time.

I wanted to do something Entertaining today, but then the choice fell on this set of Endangered Species issued by the UN postal department in New York.

Issued on 7th of September 2011, four different endangered birds are represented.

- the Leucopsar rothschildi or more commonly known as the Bali myna, which is is critically endangered and fewer than 100 adults are assumed to currently exist in the wild.
It is restricted to the island of Bali (and its offshore islands) in Indonesia, where it is the island's only endemic vertebrate species.

- The Gymnogyps californianus (California condor ) -  a New World vulture, the largest North American land bird. This condor became extinct in the wild in 1987 (all remaining wild individuals were captured), but the species has since been reintroduced to northern Arizona and southern Utah,  the coastal mountains of central and southern California, and northern Baja California. Although other fossil members are known, it is the only surviving member of the genus Gymnogyps. The species is listed by the IUCN as critically endangered.

- The red-crowned crane (Grus japonensis), also called the Manchurian crane or Japanese crane   -  a large East Asian crane among the rarest cranes in the world. In some parts of its range, it is known as a symbol of luck, longevity, and fidelity.

-  The black-fronted piping guan (Pipile jacutinga)  - a bird in the chachalaca, guan and curassow family Cracidae. This species occurs in Atlantic Forests in south-eastern Brazil and adjacent Argentina and Paraguay. It has become quite rare in recent decades due to hunting and habitat destruction.

Often this type of Endangered species stamps focus on one country (the issuing one of course). I like it how here birds from different parts of the world have been covered. I just wonder if Man will ever come to his senses and stop hunting animals for pure pleasure and profit....

Hopefully I will manage to check out all the other posts tonight or tomorrow - all can be seen here. 

The 10th Anniversary of the "Baltic Chain", Estonia

The days between Sunday Stamps seem to pass really quickly, so here we are at the second episode of the third season of the A-Z game.

I seem to have quite a lot of B-related stamps, so it was a tough choice, but the final decision fell on this joint issue among Estonia-Lithuanua-Latvia, from 1999, commemorating the 10th Anniversary of the Baltic Chain.  On the cover her is the Estonian mini-sheet.

The Baltic Chain (or the Baltic Way) was an uninterrupted 675.5 kilometre human chain uniting the Baltic capitals of Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius, in which two million indigenous people of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, then still occupied by the Soviet Union, joined hands to demand freedom and independence.
It was organised by the joint efforts of the three Baltic countries’ Popular Fronts on the 50th anniversary of the Nazi-Soviet pact of 23 August 1939, which served as a basis for the Soviet Union to occupy the Baltic countries in 1940. The aim of the Baltic Chain was to draw the world’s attention to continuing Soviet occupation of the Baltic countries and emphasised the non-violent nature of the Baltic nations’ struggle for freedom.

675.5 kilmetres... that is so hard to grasp, leaves me in awe at the thought of it and how it had looked in reality.


For more B-related posts, simply click here.

Canadian Recording Artists, Canada

The regular visitors to this blog may have expected to see some Railway stamps today but this train lover has decided for something completely different (partly because it was one of the very few already scanned stuff)

Actually, the main reason I went for this one today is to draw the attention to one of the accepted ways of stamps' cancellation in some countries, which outrages me! I think it is fairly visible that this cover has been crossed with a pen instead the regular way. I don't know who first allowed this and why is it still not sanctioned, but for philatelists this is tragic on many levels.
I received this cover some years ago, but now of course, thanks to the cancellation, I can just guess it was sometime after 30 June 2011, or after the stamps were issued.

Canada presents us with some important Canadians which are not very popular outside its borders, or at least, on this side of the pond. If you ask me to name some famous Canadian Artists, the first one that always comes to mind is Bryan Adams.... alongside with Alanis Morissette, Celine Dion, Leonard Cohen.... but none of these featured here, so lets get a bit familiar with them now, shall we?



- Ginette Reno, (28 April 1946) - a Canadian author, composer, singer, and actress. She has received nominations for the Genie and Gemini Awards and is a multi-recipient of the Juno Award. She is a gold and platinum selling Canadian musician. She has also starred in some movies, which of course, I haven't watched.
I have just listened to her on YouTube, and wow, what an amazing voice! Not the kind of music on my everyday playlist, but for sure it's good!

- Bruce Douglas Cockburn (May 27, 1945) - a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist. His song styles range from folk to jazz-influenced rock and his lyrics cover a broad range of topics that reveal a passion for human rights, environmental issues, politics, and Christianity. He has written more than 300 songs on 33 albums over a career spanning 40 years, of which 22 have received a Canadian gold or platinum certification as of 2018, and he has sold over one million albums in Canada alone.

- Robbie Robertson, (July 5, 1943), - a Canadian musician, songwriter, film composer, producer, actor, and author, best known for his work as lead guitarist and primary songwriter for The Band, and for his career as a solo recording artist. His work with The Band was instrumental in creating the Americana music genre.
He is also known for his collaborations with director Martin Scorsese, which began with the rockumentary film The Last Waltz (1978), and continued through a number of dramatic films, including Raging Bull (1980) and Casino (1995). He has worked on many other soundtracks for film and television - well I am well known as a movie lover who totally cannot remember movie titles, actors, directors, songwriters... no wonder I had no idea about him as being part of some of the movies I have watched

-the last stamp is reserved for two sisters, Kate McGarrigle (February 6, 1946 – January 18, 2010) and Anna McGarrigle (born December 4, 1944) - a duo of Canadian singer-songwriters from Quebec, who performed until Kate's death on January 18, 2010.
Their songs have been covered by a variety of artists including Nana Mouskouri, Linda Ronstadt, Billy Bragg, Cyndi Lauper, Pet Shop Boys and others. which had led to the McGarrigles getting their first recording contract in 1974. They created ten albums from 1975 through 2008.

so that would be my contribution for today's R letter, some recording artists (where you also have Reno and Robbie Robertson :))

For more R-related stamps, visit today's edition of Sunday Stamps! 

ps. Thank you Bryon for this cover - turned out into a nice music lesson of the day :)

Trains in Sabah, Malaysia

A great cover from Malaysia, a whole-set-of-stamps (if we don't take into account the souvenir sheet), the kind I ultimately like the most.

On 28th December 2015, POS Malaysia issued a set of 3 stamps and one souvenir sheet featuring different trains across Sabah, one of the states of Malaysia.

The history of the trains in Sabah had begun with the British North Borneo Chartered Company in 1896, known as the North Borneo Railway. It was originally intended primarily for the transport of tobacco from the interior to the coast for export. The first line built was a 32km track, from Bukau river north to Beaufort and south to the port of Weston. that had eventually been extended several times.

The Railway Network had been almost entirely destroyed during the Second World War after which a number of ambitious projects had been put into force in order to restore and improve the network and its services.

Trains in Sabah nowadays use diesel locomotives such as the Diesel Multiple Units (DMU), the Railbus, and the Hitachi Diesel Hydraulic Locomotive, all of which are featured on the stamps above.

Xilinguole Grasslands, Inner Mongolia, China

At first, the thought of finding a suitable match of a stamp and the letter X may seem a bit intimidating and discouraging and you think to yourself, "I will probably opt out of this week's edition".
And then the small electric bulb hits your head and the word "China" crosses your mind! Bingo! It reminds you that there are all these Chinese places and names that when transcribed into English, the magical letter X is right there at the beginning!
So first thing solved, now the question is, do I actually have such a stamp? After a short while, the answer appears on this envelope below, so yes I do! And seems I will be taking part in this Sunday Stamps edition after all! Truth to be told, the rule is that letter X could appear anywhere in the name, but you know, the perfectionist in me just wasn't content with posting something Mexican or related to boxing or so...

So anyways, the important stamp to look at here is the green one in the middle.

It was issued on 24th July, 1998 as a souvenir sheet and portrays the Xilinguole Grassland, one of the world's largest grasslands, located in the central area of North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region. Covering a total area of 10,786 square kilometers, the Xilinguole National Nature Reserve was established in 1985 and is the first grassland nature reserve in China. UNESCO placed it on its list of International Biosphere Reserves in 1987.

Its name means "river on hilly lands" in Mongolian.

For more entries on the intriguing letter X, visit today's Sunday Stamps edition!

Disney Villains, USA

a lovely mail-day today! this one in particular has been sent in order to 'celebrate' my getting back to blogging (and I thought it had its revengeful motives behind it) so yeah, in order to congratulate to myself as well for my 'hard work', here it is :)))

A fantastic set issued by the USPS on July 15th, this year (almost my birthday), celebrating the rich legacy of the Walt Disney Studio’s Ink and Paint Department by dedicating a sheet of 20 Forever stamps featuring 10 classic Disney Villains.

Beginning in 1923, as part of Walt Disney Animation Studios, Disney’s Ink and Paint Department helped create classic animated films. Its artists brought life to countless memorable characters, including many iconic Disney Villains

First row, from left: the Queen (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs), Honest John (Pinocchio), Lady Tremaine (Cinderella), the Queen of Hearts (Alice in Wonderland) and Captain Hook (Peter Pan);

 Second row, from left: Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty), Cruella De Vil (One Hundred and One Dalmatians), Ursula (The Little Mermaid), Gaston (Beauty and the Beast) and Scar (The Lion King).

I love all these films, some more some less, and even though I cant tell if I have a favourite villain, but as for films, out of these 10, probably 101 Dalmatians is my favourite one - probably cos it features so many puppies :)) But going back to my childhood, I actually first had read the novel and then watched the Disney Movie, so probably my heart was already full of impressions that the movie didn't manage to ruin (which frankly often happens with movies based on books..)

Alice in Wonderland is probably the most quoted one, while the Lion King seems to be the source of the most mentioned songs, or at least that's my impression.

on the following link you can take a look at the USPS ceremony where these stamps were presented... I think I'd go bankrupt if I attended an event like this....just look at those cancellations for instance!

Disney Stamps Presented

One thing though... we're having an issue of villains here.. don't know how to take this and if I should be reading between the lines or... cos of my devious behaviour and all....hmm, got me thinking.....will stock on missiles, just in case...

Thank you Bryon :D

Narrow Gauge Steam Locomotives, Croatia

On October 3rd, the Croatian post issued these two locomotives' stamps - seems that each year, the do dedicate an issue to trains and railways, which I absolutely support :)

The history of railway systems is marked by huge and complicated development of hauling locomotives, starting from steam locomotives to the electrically, diesel and diesel-electrically driven locomotives. At the same time the sequence of development from steam locomotives to today's technically and technologically sophisticated hauling locomotives was enormous and can be traced in many segments. This is the reason why the review of the original series of steam locomotives - especially those which were used in industry or in freight and passenger traffic on narrow gauge railway tracks is almost inconsistent when compared with the possibilities and exploitation features of today’s locomotives.

Steam locomotive model  207 (top stamp) - locomotives of this kind were built for hauling in industrial plants and mines for the 600 millimetre gauge. The locomotive model no 207 is a tender locomotive functioning on the saturated steam system. It was built in 1949 at the Đuro Đaković Factory in Slavonski Brod. From 1951 it was used in the mine Rudovci and then in the Tile and Brick Factory Ilovac in Karlovac. It was withdrawn from traffic on 1 December 1966. In 1993 the locomotive was donated to the Croatian Railway Museum by the Technical Museum of Zagreb. The power of the locomotive was 26 kW (35 KSi), its length was 5.312 mm, its weight 8.87 t, and the highest allowed speed 20 km/h.




Steam Locomotive of the series JDŽ/HDŽ/JŽ 83-106(SHS/BH Stb IV a5 1138) (bottom stamp) -  locomotives of this series were built for hauling of light freight and passenger trains on narrow gauge tail tracks of 760 mm in Bosnia and Hercegovina. They were constructed by Austrian engineers by reinforcing one kind of steam locomotive which was already hauling trains on local lines in Austrian Alps. In the period between 1903 and 1929 the locomotives from this series were built in Austrian factories Krauss in Linz and Jungenthal in Sieg and in the period between 1948 and 1949 ten locomotives from the series were produced also in the Đuro Đaković Factory in Slavonski Brod for the needs of Yugoslav Railways. At first the locomotives were built using compound system on saturated steam and later the system of superheated steam. Their special features were round steam distributors, Heusinger steering, handbrake and vacuum brake Hardy, water filter and chimney Kobel. The locomotives of this series were known in public under the name „Ćiro“ and they hauled trains on the narrow gauge railway network in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
After Second World War on the narrow-gauge railway Split-Sinj (the so called rera of Sinj) several of these locomotives were used as replacement for the locomotives of the series JDŽ/HDŽ 186. In Croatia one locomotive remained preserved from the mentioned series and is featured on this stamp). The locomotive was built in 1916 in the Krauss Factory in Linz, Austria; from 1918 it was used in Bosnia and Herzegovina and later also in Croatia. It was withdrawn from traffic on 18. February 1975. The locomotive is exhibited at the train station Ploče, and makes part of the fundus of the Croatian Railway Museum. The power of the locomotives from this series was 254 kW (345 KSi), the length with tender 13,700 mm, the weight of the empty locomotive 32.5 t, the weight of the locomotive in function 36 t and the highest allowed speed 35 km/h.

I have to thank myself for these two :D

Soda Fountain Favorites, USA

wasn't really planning on posting something here today...but then the postman came this morning (took me by surprise I must say since I really dont take part in any exchanges or so..even my official account has been set to inactive..). Anyways, as I said, the postman came, dropped a few things, and sabotaged my plan of being lazy :D

Few weeks ago the USPS issued this set of stamps that got me drooling all over at the very first glance! These could be like one of the most mouth-watering and most scrumptious stamps I've ever seen, like ever!! (might be cos I also have a soft spot for everything coffee/ice-cream related).

I tried to refrain from putting these as a cover photo on the blog so that I don't give myself out, but seems that I am too transparent sometimes, so some people are like mind-readers and know what I have laid my eyes on :))))

The stamps were issued on 30 June and this is what the USPS have to say about the set:

- The U.S. Postal Service celebrates soda fountain favorites the cold, sweet treats beloved by people of all ages. The act of savoring cool, fizzy confections is a national pastime that dates back generations. (not the healthiest one, I must add....)

 Each of the 20 self-adhesive Soda Fountain Favorites stamps showcases one of these five illustrations: a doublescoop ice cream cone, an egg cream, a banana split, a root beer float, and a hot fudge sundae.

By the late 1800s, Americans had long since begun drinking carbonated beverages for their pleasant taste, rather than their supposed health benefits. Soda jerks, the skilled operators of the nation's bustling soda fountains, offered a wide variety of syrups to flavor their product. The ice cream soda's precise origin is not clear, but by the turn of the 20th century it had become a fountain staple. The rise of refrigeration helped establishments produce, serve, and store frozen confections, whose popularity surged. By the 1960s, the number of soda fountains had dramatically decreased, but today soda fountain culture lives on in homes, restaurants, and ice cream parlors across America.


Soda fountains are not really popular here in Macedonia, but the carbonated unhealthy beverages certainly are. I used to drink a lot of these back in high-school for example (and for some reason I always prefer Sprite to Coke...). I stopped drinking them long time ago after I realized that they don't really quench my thirst, but on the whole contrary make me actually both thirsty and hungry and mess up with my digestion. I occasionally may take a sip of Coke or Bitter Lemon (like twice a year), and that's it...however, I cannot say I am that disciplined when it comes to the ice-cream and other sweet stuff :)

Thanks a lot to Bryon for this delicious surprise (feels like a payback for all the chocolate-smudged cards...:P)

Have a sweet weekend ahead everyone!

Year of the Monkey, Canada

I've mentioned before that I was born in the Year of the Monkey, so for that occasion, here comes another issue from this year, this time from Canada.

Some countries seem to have something really particular about their designs where just from one glance, you can kinda guess which country it was issued by - Canada is one of those.

Thanks a million to Bryon for another cover with stamps ahead of their time since again we have a 2015 cancellation :D I wonder when exactly did the clerk cancelling these, noticed the mistake =)

Lighthouses of India, India

One of the few beautiful covers I received yesterday from India...

this set of two lighthouse stamps was issued by India Post on 23 December 2012, featuring the Alleppey (face value of Rs 20) and the Mahabalipuram lighthouse (face value of Rs 5).

The Alleppey (or the Alappuzha) Lighthouse is situated in the coastal town of Alappuzha, Kerala. It was built in 1862 and is a major tourist attraction. It has been opened to the public since 2007 and visitors are allowed between 15:00h and 16:30h on weekdays. The admission fee is 10 rupees.


The Mahabalipuram lighthouse is located in Tamil Nadu, and has been opened to tourists since 2011. The first light was commissioned in 1887, while it became fully functional in 1904. It has a circular masonry tower made of natural stone. India's oldest lighthouse, built around 640 AD by Pallava king Mahendra Pallava stands next to this modern structure.

Thanks a whole lot to Jinesh for this one!

Because it is women's day =)

You may know that I am really not into such holidays, when there is so much fuss about it that one day of the year, like Valentine's Day for example....so much attention is being paid to it that if you don't really commemorate it with your loved one or give him/her a gift, it is as if you don't care or whatever...same here...I believe that you should show love and care to people throughout the year, not just on this day...and I also dislike it cos on such days I am kinda EXPECTED to do something, while personally I prefer surprises and buying for example flowers for my mum when she least expects it....but my mum even though she knows how I feel about such holidays, one year got really offended cos I didn't wish her Happy Mother's/Women's day...it is a kinda lost battle...

Well, today many companies give special treatment to the female employees, like taking them to restaurants, buying them gifts, letting them leave work early...even though some of those companies for the rest of the 364/365 days of the year they may treat them like crap and exploit them and all...so it is really hypocritical...

Anyways, I just thought I'd share this cover with you (which inside had one of the most amazing things ever...I wonder if the sender recalls what it was :)).
Even though these stamps were not issued to something that is related to women, I still thought I'd share it, first of all cos of the flowers....and one always kinda thinks of flowers when it comes to this day...quite a stereotype...
This set of flowers was issued on 3 April 2013, to commemorate the 500th Anniversary of the naming of Florida - so see, nothing really related to women, unless you want to consider Florida as a female, since it ends in 'A'  :)

These stamps celebrate the state’s floral abundance.
During the Easter season of 1513, Spanish explorers first visited the state we now know as Florida. They named the land “La Florida” for Pascua Florida (“Feast of the Flowers”), Spain’s Easter celebration, and for the verdant display of vegetation that they could see from their ship.
The four se-tenant stamps contain a cascade of blossoms that evokes the feeling of a tropical garden. Each stamp shows a particular variety of flower: red and pink hibiscus; yellow cannas; morning glories in white, red, and shades of purple; and white and purple passionflowers.

Now on this cover there are also four other stamps which commemorate four great figures from the early days of football, each with the postage value of 37cents: Walter Camp (1859-1925), Ernie Nevers (1903-1976), Red Grange (1903-1991), and Bronko Nagurski (1908-1990). All four players are enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. The photographs that appear on these stamps have been colorized for the stamp art.

You may wonder what the hell they would have to do with women's day, esp. football players?? Well, nothing really, but then again, men and women just do go together now, don't day ;-)

Or to put it in other words (and a lesson on the importance of the use of commas):

- A woman, without her man, is nothing.
or
- A woman, without her, man is nothing.



=)

Heroines of Indian Cinema, India

For today's theme on women for Sunday Stamps, I decided to showcase these not so famous ones from India...and for this I chose this cover with a set of commemorative stamps showing legendary heroines of the Indian Cinema...I must admit that the number of Indian/Hindi films is really scarce and this part of the world cinema has been somewhat neglected from my side - I should really do something to change this (and I am not talking here about those Indian soap-operas they used to show here on TV, I am talking about about real great movies here).

First we have Devika Rani, born in 1908 - an actress in Indian films who was active during the 1930s and 1940s. She was widely acknowledged as the first lady of Indian cinema and had a successful film career that spanned 10 years whose persona and roles in films were often considered socially unconventional. Her awards include the Padmashri (1958), Dadasaheb Phalke Award (1970) and the Soviet Land Nehru Award (1990). She died in 1994.


The middle stamp shows Leela Naidu - born in 1940, died in 2009 (and she had died on my birthday! =/)
She starred in a small number of Hindi and English films, including Yeh Raaste Hain Pyaar Ke (1963), based on the real-life Nanavati case, and The Householder, Merchant Ivory Productions' first film. She was Femina Miss India in 1954, and was featured in the Vogue along with Maharani Gayatri Devi in the list of 'World's Ten Most Beautiful Women', a list she was continuously listed from the 1950s to the 1960s in prominent fashion magazines worldwide. She is remembered for her stunning classical beauty and subtle acting style.


The third stamp in the first row shows Kommareddy Savitri (1934 - 1981) - she was an Indian film actress, director and producer. She appeared in Telugu as well as Tamil, Kannada and Hindi language films. In 1960, she received the Rashtrapati Award for her performance in the Telugu film Chivaraku Migiledi.


The bottom row starts with Kanan Devi (1916 - 1992) - an Indian actress and singer. She was among the early singing stars of Indian cinema, and is credited popularly as the first star of Bengali cinema. Her singing style, usually in rapid tempo, was used instrumentally in some of the biggest hits of New Theatres, Kolkata.


The middle stamp shows Meena Kumari (1932 - 1972 - oh, now she had died young....but there seems to be a reason for that) - she was an Indian film actress and poet. She is regarded as one of the most prominent actresses to have appeared on the screens of Hindi Cinema.
During a career spanning 30 years from her childhood to her death, she starred in more than ninety films, many of which have achieved classic and cult status today. She is regarded as one of the geatest Hindi movie actresses of all time.
Kumari gained a reputation for playing grief-stricken and tragic roles, and her performances have been praised and reminisced throughout the years. Like one of her best-known roles, Chhoti Bahu, in Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962), Kumari became addicted to alcohol. Her life and prosperous career were marred by heavy drinking, troubled relationships, an ensuing deteriorating health, and her death from liver cirrhosis in 1972. Kumari is often cited by media and literary sources as "The Tragedy Queen", both for her frequent portrayal of sorrowful and dramatic roles in her films and her real-life story.


The last stamp shows Nutan Behl (1936 - 1991) - an Indian actress who had appeared n more than 70 Hindi films in a career spanning over four decades. Regarded as one of the finest female actors in the history of Hindi cinema, Nutan was noted for playing unconventional parts, and her performances often received praise and accolades.
She holds the record of five wins of the Best Actress Award at Filmfare, which was held only by her for over 30 years until it was matched by her niece Kajol in 2011; on the overall she is the most-awarded actress in the female acting categories at Filmfare, with six awards alongside Jaya Bachchan. In 1974, she was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India.

n.B: Filmfare is one of the oldest film events in India an is presented annually by The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Hindi language film industry of India.

this set was issued on 13 February 2011.

Thanks a bunch to dear Sauj for sending it to me!

For more women beauties and accomplishments check today's edition of Sunday Stamps.

International Polar Year 2007-2008, USA

Recently I posted this Alaska card with the Northern Lights, which reminded me I had this great cover, from the same sender, who is always firing missiles from ambush...

...and one sunny summer day, my mailbox was hit with this stunning cover with this International Polar Year sheet issued by the USPS on February 21, 2007, in Fairbanks, Alaska (kinda logical).

Continuing the tradition of international cooperation that began with the first International Polar Year (IPY) in 1882-1883, scientists from around the world initiated a new era in polar research by participating in IPY 2007-2008. Working across many disciplines, the scientists had conducted field observations, research, and analysis to build upon current knowledge and increase our understanding of the roles that both polar regions play in global processes.

The photograph of the Aurora Borealis, or "northern lights," was made by Fred Hirschmann of Wasilla, Alaska.
The photograph of the Aurora Australis, a phenomenon of the southern polar region, was made by Per-Andre Hoffmann of Stuttgart, Germany.

note: The $1.68, International Polar Year 2007-2008 souvenir sheet may not be split and the stamps may not be sold individually.
Well, I agree on that decision - this issue looks much better when used as a whole sheet instead individual stamps :)

and a huge thank you to Mr. B.D ;-)

St. Valentine's Day

Since the day kinda calls for it, let's post something related to St. Valentine's today...not because I am actually fond of it...on the whole contrary I hate it how commercialized this holiday has become and the whole fuss created around it (in general I absolutely dislike such days)..and then on the other hand, it is a Catholic holiday but people over here are like celebrating it too cos it makes them feel important (and Christmas is still celebrated on January 7th.....)
But despite my overall despise related to this day, the stamps issued to commemorate it are nice and I think they are worth posting....there is another Christian saint related to this day, St. Trifun, the protector of the viticulture and the horticulture and today is the day when the first vines are being pruned...but of course, no stamps related to it, so I have to stick to St. Valentines for that, despite my feelings towards it (Maybe I am being hypocritical here, I don't know =))

Anyways, I wanted to present you two different issues here...one coming from Finland (the FDC above), issued for St. Valentines on February 3rd 1998 (the sheet was designed by Marleena Ansio). To me it is just adorable! I love it!! And there are some words/phrases in Finnish, that I absolutely don't understand =)

The other issue comes from France, and it comes on a cover, sent by Eric. It was issued on January 23, 2015 and designed by  Jean-Charles de Castelbajac (and therefore here we have the Castelbajac heart). It should be noted that Castelbajac is actually a fashion designer, designer, author and costume designer  and from what I have read, a very famous one, but me has never heard of him until now :)

The set consists of two different stamps (on this FDC you can see one of them), where you can see two stylized faces in profile, touching their respective nose, reminding an Eskimo kiss, hence the French pun "exquis mots".

On the necks of the two characters, the sketched hands recall the wings of the "dove of peace" by Picasso.
Castelbajac has created these stamps using the flagship colors that symbolize his work and universe : blue, yellow and red.

If you take a look at the bottom left corner, you will see Castelbajac's signature, his initials JCC with a crown on top...pretty neat :)

I don't know how eligible my post is for today's Sunday Stamps since it is all about the colour red, but I'll give it a try...I hope I won't be kicked out =)

For more red stuff, click on the link below!

Sunday Stamps 

Sochi 2014 and other Olympic Games

Well, first of all, Happy Holidays to everyone! Hope the year ahead brings you love, joy, happy moments and, of course, lots of great mail :)
Been a while since I participated in the Sunday Stamps, but the entire year of 2013 was slow in general when it came to postcards, letters, blogs' updates...I am not into making New Year resolutions, but I do want to make 2014 a much better one mail-wise...
Today's Sunday Stamps' topic is about Sochi 2014, and other Olympic Games...and having this lovely envelope with the first day cancellations issued by the Russian post, I just couldn't resist participating...and I hope this will be a good start for taking part in as many Sunday Stamps' posts as possible =)

The event shall take place from 6 to 23 February 2014, in the Russian town of Sochi with some events held in the resort town of Krasnaya Polyan. On the envelope you can see the 3 Olympic mascots (the Amur Leopard, the European Hare and the Polar Bear).
I used to be much more into watching this kind of events when I was younger, but now, I barely watch TV and just follow sports online mainly...when Rafael Nadal is on court =)
Macedonia is going to have 3 representatives in this event, one in Apline skiing (men), and two in Cross-country skiing (men and women).
Not having any high hopes, knowing the conditions and the support Macedonian sports men and women get here, but I do wish they do have some great achievements which may open some doors for them in the future =)

Well, the main theme for today IS Sochi indeed, but it does open room for some other Olympic stamps so I decided to include two more (despite that as a general rule I do not include more than one country per post, unless it is some joint issue)

this second envelope is from Hong Kong with one fantastic mini sheet issued on July 27, 2012 to commemorate the 30th Olympic Games, released on day one of the London Games. These stamps form an exuberant circle that is bursting with sporting action.

the last one is a Serbian FDC, commemorating the XXI Olympic Winter Games that were held from February 12-28, 2010 in Vancouver, Canada.
Boy, it seemed as if this event in Vancouver took place just last year, but four years have passed indeed since then! Time simply flies so fast =/

well, I hope you liked my choice for today =)
See what others have picked, by clicking on the big button below

Wonders of America, USA

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stamp Day, France

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 :)