Space Stamps, USSR

well, Sunday Stamps is a good opportunity to make a come back here as well after "raising the postcards' blog from the dead" first. And ever since I read the topic for today, the notion of USSR got stuck in my head, dont know why...after seeing the entries today I realized how narrow my thinking was, but simply, the thought of Russia or another former communist country, made me think of USSR and USSR only...and even with particular stamps in mind. In the end I thought I should maybe take a look at my Russian stamps too, but in the end I decided to go with my gut feeling and make myself happy and content...going with something else would have left this feeling of 'something missing' inside me and that's no good now, is it?

well, some of you know how hyped I get with EVERYTHING space related, so that's why I was also so anxious today to show a number of USSR stamps that are space related...plus I have never shown USSR stamps here before, so here is the first and I hope not the last time :)

I'll start with these two stamps issued in 1962...at first glance they may seem the same but actually there is a difference in colour at the right side...one is more on the violet tone, while the other one is something between bluish/greenish. These two depict the first manned flight to space, launched on April 12 1961 - and the stamps were issued one year later, to commemorate the one year anniversary.
Тhis set comes in the perforated version -an imperforated one can be obtained as well.

another set where the two stamps only differ in colour a bit. Issued in 1962 as well, representing Vostok 2, a Soviet space mission which carried cosmonaut Gherman Titov into orbit for a full day (or 25 hours to be more precise) on August 6, 1961 to study the effects of a more prolonged period of weightlessness on the human body. Perforated version.

Still in 1962, this time an imperforated version of a set of three stamps. These represent Vostok 3 and Vostok 4. Vostok 3 was a spaceflight of the Soviet space program intended to determine the ability of the human body to function in conditions of weightlessness and test the endurance of the Vostok 3KA spacecraft over longer flights. Cosmonaut Andrian Nikolayev/Андриян Николаев (featured on the top right stamp) orbited the Earth 64 times over nearly four days in space, August 11–15, 1962. Vostok 4 was launched a day after Vostok 3, and this was the first time that more than one manned spacecraft were in orbit at the same time. Pavel Popovich (Па́вел Попо́вич)was on Vostok 4 (featured on the top left stamp)

Here is the lovely Sputnik, which was the first artificial Earth satellite, launched on October 4, 1957. The stamp commemorates its fifth anniversary.

and two more stamps from 1962, issued to commemorate all the Vostok Spaceflights, and in Russian you can read "Glory to the Conquerors of Space".

now, here is something from 1963..a fantastic se-tenant stamp if you are asking me! There is another single stamp in the set, but unfortunately I do not have that one. This is another issue to commemorate both Vostok flights going in the space together, Vostok 5 and Vostok 6.  A thing worth noting here is that Vostok 6 was the first human spaceflight mission to carry a woman into space, that is cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova.

two stamps from a set of three issued in 1964 - yeah, i miss the third one and what really bothers me is that I'm missing the stamp Gagarin is featured on...sniff ;-( but one cant have it all...
anyway, this set was issued to commemorate the Cosmonautic day and here you can see the Sputniks on the first stamp and the Space station Mars 1 on the second one.

a great stamp from 1965, representing the first space walk, done by Alexey Leonov (Алексе́й Лео́нов) on March 18, 1965.

and just one more set for today, again from 1965, again three stamps issued to commemorate the Cosmonautic day, and here you have from left to right: a Soviet space achievements monument, then a Sputnik sculpture in Moscow and at the end K. E. Tsiolkovsky's monument (Константи́н Циолко́вский), who was a Russian and Soviet rocket scientist and pioneer of the astronautic theory.

well, that would be all...I know it got a bit lengthy but since they were all topic-related, I couldnt just pick one.
A big hug goes to my mum who has collected these over the years while she was really into it ❤

and now it's time to check out what others have come up with for this communist-countries day :)

have a lovely Sunday!

Cultural Heritage, Macedonia

Hello Sunday Stampers! For today's episode we have the theme of folk-art...and if at first it all seemed easy peasy, in the end I realized I was stuck with what folk-art actually is...I mean, I know what the definition is and all, but where is the line drawn between folk-art and folklore...or folk-art and museum artifacts lets say...or do they overlap sometimes? what is what actually? As ignorant and ridiculous it may sound, I must admit I got stuck!
So with the potential to have totally gone wrong with my choices today, I still hope you will at least like the stamps =)

I have these three different issues, all representing Macedonian Cultural Heritage.

First we have four stamps issued in 2000, representing antique jewelry, in particular, from left to right, at the top, the 10 denar stamp shows a Bracelet from the 20th century from the region of Bitola (a Macedonian town), while the 5 denar stamp next to it shows a Pin with an Icon from the 19th century from the Ohrid region.
Below, the 30 denar stamp shows the Butterfly Brooch from the 19-20th century from the Bitola region, while the 20 denar stamp next to it shows 18th century Earrings from the Ohrid region.
Out of all these, the most famous one is the filigree butterfly...you can see it in all sizes sold around, sold either as a piece of jewelry or as an ornament to keep at home.

In the Christian religion, the metamorphosis a butterfly undergoes is symbolic of the spiritual evolution all Christians go through. In ancient mythology, the butterfly stands for wisdom and everlasting knowledge, while as a part of the jewelry dates back to the end of the 19 th century. It has been made according to the traditional Macedonian brooch and represents the most exquisite filigree work by the Ohrid Handicraftsmen School from the end of the 19 th and the beginning of the 20 th century. It has been made in a hard technique of filigree work, spinning round several thin handmade silver stripes into one remarkable whole. This kind of manufacture could be afforded only by the masters, wealthy tradesmen and other rich people from that period.


The FDC below shows two more pieces of jewelry...golden earrings with doves dating back from the II century B.C from the village of Marvinci, and а lion-head earring, dating from IV century B.C from the region of Demir Hisar.

And something a bit different...and FDC showing some textile, often used as a pattern for carpets or rugs as shown here. You can often see these in the houses in the rural areas especially.

well, that would be my contribution for today...again, sorry if I went somewhat astray with the topic :)

for more folk-art, click here:

Cats

Gosh, I can not believe how silly I am sometimes...all day long ive been just doing stuff around and with this notion in my head that I dont really have some nice pet stamps to show for today...what an idiot! At quarter to midnight, while browsing thru some stuff in my stamps' folders, I was proven so wrong! Cos I have actually a BUNCH of stamps related to pets! aaarghh! And you know that feeling when you hurriedly are trying to find where they are, then trying to scan them...and you feel like you arms and hands are shivering cos you have no idea if you're gonna be in time (i really do not know at what time does that linky tool expire, and beyond which point i am no longer able to post a link?! Anyways, I hope im gonna make it, cos I really wanted to show you these adorable kitties...and from what Ive checked, no one else has posted them today, so a reason more to be all anxious to make it!

here, I have this booklet with four cats issued by the Finnish post on May 4, 2006. What I do not like about them is that they are self-adhesive (im a bit old-fashioned when it comes to stamps), but they certainly look nice in this booklet..I love the paw prints! :)


the other ones come from Germany... i have both the mint stamps and the FDC...these were issued on 3 June 2004, and portray both cats and kittens...and if im not mistaken, these stamps are issued for those young people interested in philately...well, if i was a kid, these would surely grab my attention :)

I am both a cat and a dog person...just adore them...esp  I have fondness for stray dogs and often wish i could adopt them all...anyways, for today I decided to stick with cats...cos with the lack of time im having for this post, i really couldnt afford to spend more time on thinking what to post :)

for some more adorable creatures, click below

A cover from....

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nordic Maritime, Finland

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

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

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

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

Preserve the Polar Regions and Glaciers, Serbia

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

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

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

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

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