Postcards for the weekend 5: Cats & Dogs

FI-1276051, Sender: Merja from Finland
Sent: 10 Dec 2011, Traveled 8,927 km in 23 days

Growing up at my grandparents who owned a small farm, I was surrounded by animals. Cats and dogs, most specially the cats are allowed inside the house. I'm not particularly fond of cats though. There's a horrible biting accident when I was 3 years old. Regardless, cats are still adorable creatures in my book. I have a scan of this postcard in my hard drive but the original card was left at home, back in the Philippines. If my memory serves me right, this cat is the pet of the Merja, the sender of the card. I love how it seems to be staring straight right back at the camera.

RU-647117, Sender: Olga from Russia
Sent: 25 Nov 2011, Traveled 5,560 km in 13 days

Given the proper circumstances, I'll have a pet dog. I want a large one with short hairs and standing ears. I haven't really decided on the color but caramel like the one on the right. 

From this weekend's theme, I learned that there are 3 types of domesticated animals: commensals, prey animals for food, and targeted animals for draft & nonfood resource. So I'm sure my cats & dogs here are both commensals. I'm excited to blog hop and see if we have postcards of domesticated animals falling to the next 2 categories. Happy sharing!

~maria

Stamps: Orange and/or yellow

For the Sunday Stamps of orange and/or yellow theme this week, I collected from the stamps from the envelopes of letters sent by my Finnish pen pal.

I rarely receive stamps with uneven perforation outlining the design and these two sunflower stamps are among them. The stamp on the lower left is an artwok of the realist Helena Schjerfbeck. It's 1 of 4 stamps issued to commemorate her 150th birthday. 

All stamps were from 2012.

Postcards for the weekend 4: Autumn in the old suitcase

RU-2118338, Sender: Alya from St. Petersburg, Russia
Sent 25 Oct 2013, Traveled 8, 648 km in 39 days

Anyone here who can survive without coffee? Raise your hand please.

I'm more of a tea person but lately I needed the stronger kick from caffeine. Three days this week, I've been consuming coffee. Still it seems that I'm still always sleepy! Is it probably because the pull of bed is stronger now that the temperature has been going down?

We don't really have fall season here in SE Asia. But then, we still enjoy cooler weather around this time of the year. I'm very curious of the feelings invoked to see the nature around you turn from green to hues of red, orange, and yellow.

Friendship Gift Postcard, Sender: Uncle Robert from Canada

Am I right to imagine that it's more beautiful around sunrise/sunset when the sun casts a cooler orange glow on everything? Please let me know your emotional experiences with the changing colors of your environment whenever the fall/autumn season approaches.

Before I end this post, I'd like to thank the patience of bloggers who come to join my Postcards for the weekend link up. First I was late, then there's the linky list closing earlier than it should. I'll work my best to get things sorted out. :)

Happy weekend everyone and see you all again next week with your chosen cards for our theme, "domesticated animals". I hope you're enjoying this party so far despite my shortcomings.

~maria

Stamps: Ukraine Flora - Trees

The theme for Sunday Stamps this week is fruits and nuts.

Here are a few Ukraine stamps, counterclockwise:

50K - Horse Chestnut, issued on 3 Feb 2012

40K - Walnut, issued 14 January 2012

5K - European rowan, issued 3 Feb 2012

3K - Small leaved lime, issued 24 Jan 2012

~maria

Postcards for the weekend 3: Flowers

FI-1797307, Sender: Nina
Sent 2 Jul 2013, Traveled 8,827 km in 10 days

It all seems fitting for me to share a lotus while writing this post from my hotel that's on the Chao Phraya river bank. Thai people are mostly Buddhists. As most of us know well, lotus is one of the main symbols of Buddhism. A pink lotus is associated with the Great Buddha's history and legend. It also represents from being a bud into a full bloom flower, one's journey towards nirvana or ultimate state of enlightenment.

DE-2553328, Sender: Sylvia
Sent 12 Oct 2013, Traveled 10,319 km in 10 days

Please don't judge me based on what I'm going to say next -- I'm on both sides of the spectrum now: on the reverse of that calmness from the lotus, I'm imagining I could go for a scenic hike on flowery fields this weekend. But alas, I have to work!

Our theme next week is "fall colors". For the guidelines of the linky, please click here. See you all again next week. I wish you all a relaxing weekend.

Cheers,

~maria

Stamps: Places of Worship

The theme this week at Sunday Stamps is worshipful places.

Here are two stamps issued in 2009 by Lithuania. On the left is Church of Deguciai and on the right is Church of Inturke. These two designs are part of the set of definitive series with the title "Wooden Sacral Architecture of Lithuania and Wooden Church Belfries ".

~maria

Postcards for the weekend 2: Bright Colors

Friendship Gift Postcard, Sender: Ming

 

Just the second week of hosting my linky party and I'm extremely sorry for everyone who checked in earlier and the linky wasn't up yet. Today has been really occupied. I'm moving soon into a new city and the demands of preparations are taking more time & energy than I thought! 

Our theme this weekend is "bright colors". Here are brightly painted umbrellas from the north of Thailand. I've never been there myself and even the sender, Ming - as mentioned at the back of the postcard. I will be in Thailand next week but again, only into Bangkok. Hopefully someday, I'll get a chance to go to Chiang Mai and see this umbrella painting industry for real. I heard that the weather there in the north is amazing relative to the hot & humid conditions in the capital.

I'm so excited to see who are the participants to our party this week. Last week, our theme was "monochrome". We had three participants: Joy shared a George Minne artwork, John had a cat & a bookstore in one and a ferry in another postcard, and Caijsa posted real photos turned into postcards from Latvia & Czech Republic. Eva from Mail Adventures gave me a list of topics for future themes. Thanks Joy, John, Caijsa, and Eva for your participation!

Our theme next week is "flowers". For the guidelines of the linky, please check here. See you all again next week! Have a great weekend!

Cheers,

~maria

Stamps: 50th Anniversary of Thai Tourism Authority

I'm going to Thailand again one week from now. How I wish my trip isn't about being stuck in heavy traffic jams in Bangkok. How I wish my destination is about kayaking in one of Thailand's beautiful islands, instead.

This stamp is one of four designs issued back in 2010 for the above event. The other designs from this set can be viewed here.

Visit See it on a Postcard for other commemorative stamps at the Sunday Stamps linky.

~maria

*Postcards for the weekend* linky launch

Friendship Gift Postcard, Sent from Finland

Finallly! After years of contemplating, I finally got the courage to organize my own linky party here in Blogger's world. As you might be aware, this linky party is called "Postcards for the weekend". My hope is that deltiologists who blog about their hobby can link up and share their postcards under an assigned theme each weekend. I would be very grateful if you can suggest future themes by leaving a comment on this post (and on future posts if the idea happen to pop up later). As for this weekend, if you notice on the upper left of this page -- the theme is monochrome.

A new linky will be up every weekend at 12:01 AM Saturdays and close at 11:59 PM Sundays Singapore time. Please have your entries linked up during this period by giving your name, short description of your post (ex. Maria, Linky Launch). I'm very excited to learn from which places of the globe our party reaches.

It would be awesome if we visit the pages of the other linky participants. It would be more awesome if we show our appreciation by leaving a line or two for a comment on each other's chosen postcard for the theme. Just as simple as that; no complicated rules to follow ;-)

That's all deltiology blogging folks! I hope to see you around in this party.

Cheers & happy weekend,

~maria

For Beth of The Best Hearts Are Crunchy

DE-2880049, 5 Feb 2014 from near Hanover, Germany
Traveled 10,116 km in 11 days

Beth, the lovely host of Postcard Friendship Friday linky party is one of the selected bloggers whom I connected with and made a friendship bond over several years.

My thoughts are with her; hoping her impending surgery will not have any complication and that she would recuperate fast. To send your best wishes for Beth, her page can be reached here.

Happy Postcard Friendship Friday! 

~maria