Sunday Stamps - (G) Grey Reef Shark from Australia

For the letter G - Grey Reef Shark

2018 - Australia - Reef Safari

Photographer: Jurgen Freund

The stamp was issued on 1 August 2018, along with four other designs. According to Australia Post: The inquisitive Grey Reef Shark is most often seen in shallow water near the drop-offs of coral reefs. The Grey Reef Shark is bronze to grey in colour on top and a paler shade on its under-side, with a black outline on its tail fin. The species looks similar to the Galapagos Shark, save for the colouration of the tail.

For more information about this issue, please visit this page.

For more stamps with the letter "G" - visit See It On A Postcard

Postcards for the weekend 60: Reflections

CZ-1246132, Sent from Prague
Sent 10 Sep 2017, Traveled 9,856 km in 30 days

On this postcard, we have the Czech Republic's Konopiste Castle, reflected on the lake. I'm pretty sure this photo was taken during the autumn season, judging by the warm colors of the trees by the lake. 

CZ-1135433, Sent from Dobrnice Village
Sent 27 Feb 2017, Traveled 9,795 km in 17 days

Our second postcard is also from the same country as the first postcard. I love how the clouds are reflected on the water in the lower image. In 1995, this area of Cesky Raj was declared as the first ever nature reserve in the Czech Republic. 

AU-304867, Sent from Melbourne
Sent 2 Sep 2013, Traveled 6,325 km in 13 days

From the opposite side of Europe, we have this last postcard for this weekend's theme of reflections from Australia. Here we have the different buildings and bright lights reflected by the water. Melbourne is the state capital of Victoria, Australia.

Happy weekend everyone,

~ maria

Postcards for the weekend 47: Bridges

CN-2086490, Sent from Hangzhou
Sent 17 Nov 2016, Traveled 3,621 km in 90 days

Nedi, the sender of this postcard wrote: This picture is the seventeen-hole bridge. It's one of the famous scenes at the Summer Palace in Beijing. 

I love this scene captured during the golden hour.

DE-5986656, sent from Leipzig
Sent 15 Feb 2017, Traveled 9,998 km in 12 days

Here's a winter view of Blick vom Johannapark, at the Leipzig city center. I must admit, finding bridges within city parks & gardens always thrills me. There's that adrenalin rush of getting from one side to the other, regardless how relatively small of an accomplishment it might seem.

Friendship Gift Postcard, hand-delivered

Now, this last postcard means so much to me. It was hand-delivered to me by a colleague when she came back to the office from her Australia trip. At the back was written, "Sometimes people need to fall apart, to realize how much you need to get back together. You just need to believe that everything happens for a reason and God has bigger plans for you! Hang in there!!" This postcard was pinned to my office cubicle where I can see it every day while facing my laptop screen. That year, 2014, was tumultuous, to say the least -- this postcard was one of my links to sanity.

I'm sure you folks have noticed the delay in my weekend posts. It's been a real challenge for me these couple of weeks with responsibilities at work. At the moment, I'm finally on my last week of a 3-week series of trips from Kuala Lumpur, Hanoi, and now here in Jakarta (moving to Malang on Wednesday!). After that, I'm back to Singapore for 1 week and then I''m off to the foot of the Alps, for a 2-week break. I'm hesitant about this, but I really need a time off from electronics & gadgets so I decided that for 5 & 12 August, I won't be hosting the linky. However, if someone would want to substitute for me on those 2 weekends, please let me know in the comment and I will pass the HTML codes for the link-up platform.

Hope you're all having a free & easy weekend,

~maria

Postcards for the weekend 41: Flags, with a flag(s)

FI-1422572, Sent from Vihti, Finland
Sent: 10 May 2012, Traveled 8,964 km in 25 days

Finland is the latest addition to the list of countries I've visited so far. I went there during the third weekend of April to meet my pen friend from Kuopio. It was a lovely meeting and I learned that Finland is celebrating its 100 Years of Independence this year. This card arrived with a matching stamp for the flag on the postcard. 

Friendship Gift Postcard, Sent from Boras, Sweden
Sent: 5 March 2017, Traveled 9,926 km

The trip to Finland was a side trip that I made as a part of my business trip to Gothenburg, Sweden. Less than a month prior to my trip, I received this card from Monica of Beyond the Lone Islands. Thanks to Monica's message at the back, I was able to properly select the clothes needed for the cold & wet northern European weather. It was so much colder in Gothenburg as compared to the April weather I remember from my first visit in 2015. And oh, my side visit to Helsinki gave me my first ever hail storm and wet snow fall experience! I finally saw snow! Some of you might remember that I was ranting about it in one of my posts after missing it from my Japan trip back in November 2016.

Thanks to these two cards, I learned that all Nordic countries except Greenland have adopted the Nordic Cross flag. 

Postcrossing Private Swap, Sent from Victoria, Australia, 
Sent on 13 September 2011, Traveled 6,185 km in 9 days

This postcard has appeared here in my blog 5 years ago. I noticed it in my scanned postcards folder while looking for postcards for our theme and decided to narrow down my search to flags with cross/crosses on it. There's a long article in wiki about this flag and it's quite an interesting read for those who are interested in their national and political history. 

Friendship Gift Postcard, Sent from Oxfordshire, UK
Sent: 13 Nov 2013, Traveled 10,777 km

As I'm sure most or all of us know, the Union Jack emblem exist on the National Flag of Australia, the country being a member of the Commonwealth. On the London, the capital of England and the United Kingdom card above, we have the widespread Union Jack, the flag of UK as a bright and beautiful backdrop. The Union Jack is a union of three historical crosses: Saint Andrew's, Saint Patrick's, and Saint George's.

The similarities of the Nordic country flags to that of the Union Jack has made me very curious. My research has landed me into a well-written article in Quora. Apparently, the Nordic cross gave rise to the flags of the British Isles, among which are the historical crosses that currently comprise the Union Jack. 

I learned so much while researching about the postcards I've chosen for the theme this weekend! Yay!

~maria

Sunday Stamps: Southern hemisphere

The four themes for this month of February for Sunday Stamps hosted by Sanna @ See It On A Postcard challenge my geographical recall ... pretty exciting! The first theme is southern hemisphere. According to wiki, the entire mainland of Australia is in the southern hemisphere. 

One of the iconic Australian animals is the platypus (Ornithorhynchus atatinus). On the 2016 issue above, it's shown against a background of its native foliage. 

Integral to the Australian identity, too is surfing. The 2013 stamp is one of four domestic base-rate (60 cents) commemorative issued for the 50th Anniversary of Surfing Australia.

Again, according to wiki, Chinese Australians are one of the largest groups of overseas Chinese people and largest in Oceania as of 2011. For Chinese people around the world, the Lunar New Year begins on 28 January for 2017. Australia Post issued two Christmas Island Year of the Fire Rooster stamps this year. The $1 stamp is above and the other one, $3 stamp can be seen here. 

Head over to Sanna's page for more stamps from the southern hemisphere.

~maria

Stamps: Wild animals

I'm quite pleased to share these wild animal stamps where two are illustrated and the other two are actual photos.

The two stamps on top were part of the series Australian Bush Babies. The kangaroo was issued in 1 July 2011. I can't find the exact issue date for the dingo, though. The illustrations were designed by Elise Martinson. Other stamps from the series can be found on her page. I find these illustrations well-detailed and it seems like they're out from the pages of a nice children's book with a beautiful story about animals in the wild.

On the bottom left, the bear stamp was issued 21 February 2008 as part of Wildlife in Norway III series. The label Bjorn on the stamp is an old Norse term for bear. On the bottom right, we have a lynx with its young. It's issued in 2012 as part of Native Animals series from Germany.

For a collection of stamps featuring wild animals, please check See It On A Postcard.

~maria

A Red Rose

AU-317018, Sender: Tristia
Sent: 27 Oct 2013 from Wollongong, Australia
Received: 7 Nov 2013, Traveled 6,285 km in 11 days

I feel special receiving this maxicard today. Tristia, the sender, wrote: I have been keeping it for someone who collects flower postcards. I'm lucky she didn't send it before to someone else! This is my second maxicard flower postcard. And two beautiful coincidences:

1)  The first maxicard flower postcard I have is also from Australia. I posted that one in this entry, Thou has brought me many flowers. Third postcard in that row of five.

2) The petals of the red rose is charmingly forming one heart inside the other. Perfect for Guest Heart Thursday! How lovely!

For more hearts, hop on to Clytie's Random Hearts page, just a click of your mouse on here.

~maria

Koalas & Kangaroos

Allow me to welcome the cold 'ber' months by sharing direct swap cards I received from Australia in September and October last year. 

First here's a card with lots of koalas from Carrie. She wrote:

"...A few months ago, I actually got to hold a koala at a wildlife sanctuary -- they're so soft and fuzzy! I also got to see some wild ones on a hike I took up in the mountains on Magnetic Island, which is just off the coast of Townsville, where I'm currently studying..."

Postcrossing Private Swap, Sender: Carrie
Sent from Townsville, Australia, Sent on 9 October 2011
Received date flooded on card, Traveled 4,653.5 km

The next one is a maxicard of a baby koala, from Maddy. She shared that baby koalas sleep for 23 hours a day and that they only eat eucalyptus leaves. They can be aggressive if threatened or frightened. They are also very private and stay up in tree tops most of the time. They can walk though. 

Postcrossing Private Swap Sender: Maddy
Sent from Victoria, Australia, Sent on 13 September 2011
Received on 23 September 2011, Traveled 6,185 km in 11 days

Now here's a kangaroo card from Anne. I've always find kangaroos interesting for carrying and feeding their babies in their belly pouch. The more interesting thing for them is that they seem so heavy but they can stand on their two hind legs and leap around like a frog. Anne said they can be a pest. The kangaroo however, is a national symbol of Australia and it also appears on the Australian coat of arms and some of its currency.

Postcrossing Private Swap, Sender: Anne C.
Sent from Queensland, Australia Sent on 9 September 2011
Received on 21 September 2011, Traveled 5,852.3 km in 13 days

Aside from the koala card, Maddy also sent me a flag card of Australia. It came with a kangaroo stamp at the back. :D

Postcrossing Private Swap, Sender: Maddy
Sent from Victoria, Australia, Sent on 13 September 2011
Received on 21 September 2011, Traveled 6,185 km in 9 days

Happy Monday and have a Postcard PERFECT week everyone! :)

~ maria

Thou hast brought me many flowers

Beloved, thou hast brought me many flowers

Plucked in the garden, all the summer through
And winter, and it seemed as if they grew 
In this close room, nor missed the sun and showers.

Postcard ID: DE-1442283, Sender: Kizza00

Sent from Germany, Sent on 28 June 2012
Received on 18 July 2012, Traveled 10,199 km in 20 days

So, in the like name of that love of ours,
Take back these thoughts which here unfolded too,

Postcard ID: HR-27972, Sender: Daca
Sent from Slavonski Brod, Croatia, Sent on 14 Dec 2011
Received on 19 Jan 2012, Traveled 9, 489 km in 36 days

And which on warm and cold days I withdrew
From my heart's ground. Indeed, those beds and bowers
Be overgrown with bitter weeds and rue,

Postcard ID: AU-202808, Sender: IndigoAngel
Sent from NSW, Australia, Sent on 10 May 2012
Received on 4 June 2012, Traveled 6,125 km in 25 days

And wait thy weeding; yet here's eglantine,
Here 's ivy!—take them, as I used to do

Postcrossing Private Swap, Sender: Ayumi
Sent from Hawaii, USA, Sent on 8 March 2012
Received on 20 March 2012, Traveled 5,497 km in 12 days

Thy fowers, and keep them where they shall not pine.
Instruct thine eyes to keep their colors true,
And tell thy soul their roots are left in mine.

Postcard ID: PL-342968, Sender: Mariola
Sent from Jelenia Gora, Poland, Sent on 13 Jan 2012
Received on 23 Feb 2012, Traveled 9, 789 km in 41 days

Sonnet 44 - Beloved, thou has brought me many flowers
by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

I needed something cheerful so I picked these flower cards from my collection
for today's post. Postcard Perfect indeed! 

~ maria