Sea Guernsey 3, Guernsey

Sunday Stamps calls for sunsets and sunrises....and I think this is the best I could have come up
with...you can spot them on few of the stamps featured below...I believe =)

this is an FDC coming from Guernsey, issued for the SEPAC 2011, for the final Sea Guernsey series (this is Sea Guernsey 3..(the two previous series were issued in 2005 and 2009 I think).

For this final Sea Guernsey series, there is some beautiful scenery which can be found on the island's rich and varied coastline; each depicting a real place which can be enjoyed by those living in, or visiting, Guernsey.



 For many, St Peter Port is the most attractive destination in the Channel Islands, particularly when arriving by sea. Those fortunate enough to arrive on the island by yacht or power boat may use Victoria Marina (36p) which lies within the harbour at St Peter Port.

With the sky lit up beautifully, L'Ancresse Bay (45p) is one of the biggest - and some would say most stunning - bays on Guernsey. Located on the north of the island, the water is perfect for windsurfing, surfing, sailing, sea kayaking and even fishing.

Bearing the SEPAC inscription is the image of Bordeaux Harbour (52p), a small fishing port which is a popular haunt with fishermen and divers found in the north east of Guernsey. In the foreground is the cobble-like slipway, which enables boats to move to and from the water.

Guernsey's south coast features many breathtaking bays, such as the one depicted on the 58p stamp, which has been captured at sunset. One of the best known bays is Moulin Huet, a rugged, stunning bay which was a favourite of the French Impressionist Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

Close to St Peter Port is the attractive Salerie Harbour (65p), which is named after the practice of salting fish and has retained much of its charm. As the image depicts, framing the harbour is a number of Heritage listed period houses that typify the area.

Beautifully captured, Petit Port (70p) is certainly one of the most spectacular of the south coast beaches. It enjoys plenty of sunshine and features deep, pure sand. Close to the Jerbourg Monument, Petit Port lies at the bottom of cliffs and can only be reached by a climb down of over 270 steps.

(information taken from the Guernsey Stamps' website)

Date of Issue 28 September 2011 (heh, my ex-bf's birthday...funny how such small details can trigger memories...)

for more beautiful sunrises and sunsets check out the link below

Sunday Stamps

and have a great Sunday! :)

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 

Eurovision Song Contest, Norway

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

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

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

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

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


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

Graphic Humour, Spain

Just recently I selfishly acquired this from a friend...well, he didnt object in me taking it, but I keep thinking that maybe I was just a bit too greedy....but then again, if I left it with him he would have just used it for postage most probably so I just want to think that I kinda saved it :D

If you take a good look you will actually see that the issue is presented as a souvenir sheet that is made up of one stamp, plus 11 cartoons in a comic strip format with no postage value (kinda weird on the other hand, to create a stamp sheet like this and then kinda make it useless...cos if you just use the stamp and leave the rest it kinda ends up being destroyed and looks terrible....so I guess this was meant for collectors only...I mean, the face value of the stamp is not really something you could use on every day mail now, is it?). It features a dedication penned by the graphic humorist: “For the entire philatelic work force, with affection (2014).”

Antonio Fraguas de Pablo, known as Forges, was born in Madrid in 1942. Beginning as a technician at the national television station TVE when he was very young, in 1973 he decided to devote himself professionally to graphic humour. During this initial period, he published his first drawings in the daily newspaper Pueblo (in 1964) and in Informaciones, and began to collaborate with the humour magazines Hermano Lobo, Por Favor and El Jueves. In 1982 he began working at the newspaper Diario 16 drawing editorial jokes. Years later, he began appearing in El Mundo, the paper that he helped to found. In 1995 he started publishing a daily comic strip in El País that he still signs today. Exhibiting a sense of humour that is caustic, realistic and loaded with current references, Forges depicts a critical vision of current events in his drawings, with thought-provoking characters and situations from everyday life. He uses popular language, with invented words, such as strozá, gensanta, bocata and esborcio, that simulate vocabulary picked up directly from the streets. Among his most well-known characters, which undoubtedly reflect the ad hoc nature of society, are: Mariano and his wife Concha, the island castaways that combat loneliness with imagination, Los Blasillos (the Blasillo family) in rural Spain, the deranged football fans and the enfuriated office worker. Phrases such as “Don’t forget...” repeated day after day for different reasons, emphasise events that occupy the front pages of the news.

it was issued on October 9, 2014

anyways, the theme for today's Sunday Stamps is illustrations, and this kinda (at least according to me), fit into the definition...so I thought it would be nice to share it with you, cos personally, I really love this one!
Now, it is in Spanish, so I hope you can get the idea about what it is all about...now with my limited knowledge of Spanish, I would refrain from translating these...plus, translating humour is like destined to result in a failure...

for more illustrations of this and other kinds, make sure to visit today's Sunday Stamps! 

Bicycles on Stamps

It's been more than a while since I've participated in the Sunday Stamps...almost a year actually...yeah, I know, shame on me =/ but as you know i've barely participated in anything postcards/stamps related during the past year...

anyways, enough excuses...some time ago I read that one of the foreseen Sunday Stamps' theme would be cycles, and I immediately knew I would have to take part in this one...those who know me, know my passion/love/fascination when it comes to bicycles (places like Amsterdam or Copenhagen for example are like my ideal place for living just because of that cycling culture they have..)

Ok, the whole theme for today refers to all cycles (bi-, tri-, motor), but I'll stick to the bi- ones...


I hope the host wouldn't mind I'm posting the same issue....
This is a set of Russian stamps issued on 11 December 2008 representing the history of the bicycle (and these come from the collection of the Polytechnic Museum in Moscow, which is one of the oldest Science Museums in the world.

There are four different stamps here (no, it is not eight as it may seem at first glance - each bike/stamp is presented twice)

- the bike at the top-left and bottom right corner - Bicycle ZiCh-1 - a three speed derailleur touring bike that was revered in the Soviet Union for its quality, finish and capability. It appeared in 1946 and was possibly only produced until 1948. It was a brand of bicycles produced in Novosibirsk by Aviation Factory no 153. This factory was named after Valery Chkalov, an iconic Russian test pilot and Soviet hero of the 1930s)

- the middle stamp, both at top and bottom, shows a Road female bicycle V-22. Features: Representatively reflects class of road bicycles with an open frame. The most widespread model of female bicycle in the country in 1950-1960. Produced by Kharkov bicycle factory n.a. G.I.Petrovskiy.

- the stamp at the top right and bottom left corner - a collapsible bicycle of the military sample of "Leytner". Russia. 1917. Manufacturer: A. Leytner’s Factory of bicycles and cars "Russia". Features: the bicycle was produced upon the order of the Russian army. The collapsible mechanism gives the chance to fit it up quickly in the car in any conditions. The small weight (16 kg) offered an opportunity for transferring it on the back - I dont know if this is a typo, but in which world 16kg is actually considered 'small weight'?????

- the last stamp, the one in the middle both on the left and the right side - Racing track bicycle GM-30, 1938. It has wooden rims and frame from thin-walled steel pipes. The back plug is deprived of free wheeling.




and I have another issue I wanted to show for today, this one coming from France...

Issued 17 June 2011, showing bicycles from the origins to the present day. Here you have 6 different bicycles on stamps, plus a few extra drawings on the sheet.

With my non-existent knowledge of French, thank God to Eric and his blog, so I could copy the info on these bike-stamps

 The first model (without any pedals or handlebars), the dandy horse, was created in 1817 by German Karl Drais.
It was only in 1861 that the first pedal bicycles were created, the "michaudines" designed by French Pierre Michaux. The front wheel of the velocipede then became larger than the rear wheel to reach its climax with the penny-farthing, quickly condemned for its lack of security...
By 1880, an English company revolutionized the velocipede with the first bicycle including a chain. It will then become more reliable and another invention in 1888, the bicycle tire, will allow it to become more and more popular worldwide, partly due to the creation of the Tour de France in 1903.
The last stamp features a city bike, a recent version of the velocipede including the latest innovations, perfect for commutings. (velocipede - an early form of bicycle propelled by working pedals on cranks fitted to the front axle.) Funny fact - the Macedonian word for bicycle is 'velosiped' :)

For more wheels, visit the Sunday Stamps and enjoy the ride :)

(I'll come back to comment on your cycling beauties a bit later - I just realized I am already late for a friend's gathering - all for the love of bicycles..and stamps :))

Capital Cities of Europe, France

I don't know if you know Eric from France...though if you are a stamp collector you probably do or have at least come across his great stamps' blog

Anyways, Eric among else collects covers with EUROPA stamps, so each year I try to send him one and he sends me back the current French issue "Capital Cities of Europe".
 This year however I sent him the cover just in December (I know, I was terrible last year when it come to mail), but at least I caught the last train...and thanks to that and to Eric now I have added this beautiful "Capital Cities of Europe" issue depicting Riga!
If you want to, you can check some of the other issues from this series in this post.

Speaking of Riga, it is a capital I haven't visited yet, but that's been on my agenda for a while now....whenever I look at the postcards I have from Riga, I sigh at how beautiful it is!

This issue depicts four buildings in Riga, namely, The Nativity of Christ Cathedral (top left corner), St. Peter's Church (top right corner), The House of the Blackheads (bottom left corner) and the National Opera (bottom right corner).


- The House of the Blackheads - The original building was erected during the first third of the 14th century for the Brotherhood of Blackheads, a guild for unmarried German merchants in Riga. Major works were done in the years 1580 and 1886, adding most of the ornamentations. The structure was bombed to a ruin by the Germans June 28, 1941 and the remains demolished by the Soviets in 1948. The current reconstruction was erected from 1995 to 1999.

- The Latvian National Opera House is home to both the Latvian National Opera and the Latvian National Ballet. It was constructed in 1863 by the St. Petersburg architect Ludwig Bohnstedt, for the then German-speaking City Theatre, and has been refurbished several times.

- St. Peter's Church is a Lutheran church in Riga, dedicate to St. Peter (well, of course it is), first mentioned in records dating to 1209. It has three periods of construction and two of reconstruction

- The Nativity of Christ Cathedral was built in a Neo-Byzantine style between 1876 and 1883, during the period when the country was part of the Russian Empire. It is the largest Orthodox cathedral in the Baltic provinces built with the blessing of the Russian Tsar Alexander.
During the First World War German troops occupied Riga and turned its largest Russian Orthodox cathedral into a Lutheran church. In independent Latvia, the Nativity of Christ Cathedral once again became an Orthodox cathedral in 1921.

n.b -  The Freedom Monument, representing a woman raising three gold stars, is featured in the margin of the sheet to the right. Inaugurated in 1935, this memorial was erected in honor of soldiers killed during the Latvian War of Independence (1918-1920).

I have read that the 2016 issue is going to depict Amsterdam! Wohooo! Can hardly wait for that one :D
Thanks a bunch to Eric for this issue and, hopefully Amsterdam will be the next one on the list!! :D

issued: 03 April 2015
mini sheet size: 143 x 135mm

Winter Wonderland, Alderney

Boy boy, we're almost to make an anniversary of silence here...I know I've terrible at updates recently, but this came as a shock to me as well :)

Well, New Year, new beginnings, new (un) realistic resolutions....let's see what 2016 brings us :)

And this blog, for the beginning of the year brings us a somewhat convenient post...even though outside is far from the wonderland on the images, the winterish theme is what should count, right?

I don't know if the proper word here is wonderland or dreamland but the images are so fairytalish! There is even both a train and a lighthouse stamp! A real win-win :)

This is the description that came along with the FDC....

The Santa Special 

It was Christmas Eve and Alderney had woken up to a magical stillness and hush. As the Islanders pulled open their curtains, a blank canvas awaited them to be filled with festive fun. Victoria Street was a scene from a Dickens' novel, its cobbles sugar-iced in snow and its street lamps casting pools of golden light against the colour-washed houses. Down at the harbour, the still waters looked like a skating pond, snow formed into drifts beside the quays and the colours of the fishing boats faded away like old photographs. On the horizon, dark clouds brooded, lead-grey and ominous. By nightfall, the stillness of the day had been replaced with gusting winds and lashing sleet. Doors were closed and fires banked up. Hot toddies were poured to smooth the last-minute wrapping of presents and stockings were fastened to mantlepieces by excited children. As the weather worsened, the mournful sound of the foghorn at Mannez Lighthouse caught the wind and the tower's beam of light reached out to the turbulent sea. Overhead, Father Christmas sailed above the weather in his sleigh and searched for the beautiful Island he knew lay beneath. A gap in the snow clouds opened and he gazed at Alderney as if looking upon the face of a well-loved friend. As the sleigh descended onto the long stretch of Braye common, Father Christmas heard a loud crack on the starboard side and the vessel lurched to the right before coming to rest in a large snowdrift. "Ho! What's this, my lovelies?" he called to his reindeer. Stepping off the sleigh, Father Christmas could see the problem immediately: one of the runners had split in two. Weighed down with hundreds of presents there was no way he would be able to mend it on his own. He looked around to see if help was at hand. Orange squares blinked out of the darkness and strings of festive lights adorned porches and garden fences but not a soul was about. The old man's spirits were beginning to fall when to the west he noticed a bright light drawing closer and into view chugged Elizabeth, the Island's pretty diesel engine, with the two London Underground carriages she pulled. They had finished their Christmas Eve train ride for local families and were heading back to the shelter of their shed at Mannez Quarry. Father Christmas had an idea so he set to work. In no time at all, the sleigh was empty and the railway carriages had been transformed into vibrant grottos stacked high with presents and treats. He fastened his reindeer to the front of the little green engine and then up, up and away they flew! The strange craft soured into the night sky and as they rose above the pretty town of St Anne, the winds dropped and the sound of carols drifted up from the church at its centre, it's stained glass windows blazing with jewel-like hues. "Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas Alderney!" cried Father Christmas. And the sleigh bells rang out. On Christmas morning, their stockings unwrapped, the Island's children gathered for a snowball fight. They may have noticed the extra large snowdrift half way along the common, but it would be the New Year before the mysterious sleigh was revealed. Another Alderney Legend would be born.


Date of Issue : 27 October 2011
Values:            31p, 36p, 47p, 48p, 52p, 61p, 65p
Stamp size:      29.584mm deep x 38.55mm wide
Perforation:     13.5 x 14.25


Enjoy your winter days =)