I Went to The Woods

Letter sent to Laura (the UK).

Fairy Tales

Postcard of Snow White sent by Laura (the UK).

Postcard sent by Heleen (the Netherlands). It is an illustration by Margaret W. Tarrant (1888-1959), called Fairy Time. She sent me because they are reading women, but she did not noticed the fairies at first sight. Maybe they were not there. They are magic, aren't they?

Almost Reading (Wo)men

Two postcards about... Well, not exactly Reading Women, but almost. I mean: a woman in a library (or bookshop) who is almost reading...

... And an illustration by Fiep Westendorp of girls (=almost women!) who are reading! (Actually, not sure if they are almost women or almost men...).

Sent by Bryon (the USA) and Heleen (he Netherlands).

Christmas Postcards Out

I hope all of them have landed!

Update: One of them published here. And another one here (with two postmarks. why?!).

Handmade Christmas

Front and back of the cover made by Phillip (the USA), of a catalogue. Is not clever the way he stuck the stamps? Also published in his blog.

Sent by Micu (Hungary), of reused materials. Also published here, along with more Christmas cards.

Knitted Christmas

Christmas Postmarks

From Austria

From Denmark

From the UK

From the USA

Stained-Glass Windows on Christmas Stamps

Stamps issued on November 1, 2011 by Canada Post. 

This set of three Christmas commemorative stamps showcases scenes from the magnificent stained-glass windows of the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Kingston, Ontario, which was built nearly a century and a half ago. The windows were originally imported from England. I love stained-glass windows!

This is a post for Sunday Stamps- II: Christmas Stamps (religious). The only other received Christmas stamps that could be considered religious is this, from the UK:

It belongs to the 2015 Christmas collection, designed by David Holmes of Studio David Hillman to illustrate the traditional Nativity story (more information about this issue).

I am not a big fan of Christmas stamps (nor of Christmas in general), but the fact that the Christmas stamps are nor really Christmassy astonishes me.  It seems that Royal Mail alternates: one year religious, one year secular stamps. In Spain, the A-rate (within the country) depicts a religious scene, and the B-rate (Europe) is usually related to the New Year. See,for instance, the Christmas stamps of 2015, 2014-A and 2014-B, etc. In the Netherlands they are more appropriately called December stamps... How is it in your country?

Vintage Christmas

Sent by Eva (Germany). Have yo noticed the stamp?

Sent by John (the UK).

Christmas and Winter Lights

Folded card sent by Mélissa (Canada).
Update: Edgartown Harbor Light in Edgartown (Massachusetts, the USA).

Picture sent by Phillip (the USA).

Lighthouses By Hopper

Postcard sent by Heleen (the Netherlands). It is a work from a favourite painter: Edward Hopper: The Long Leg.

When I saw the postcard I realised that there is also an american stamp of this painting. I received it long time ago. The colours look very different, but maybe it is due to my picture/scanning:

And I was happy to have the right postcard to write my answer on: Lighthouse Hill. By Hopper, of course!

Postcards of Beachy Head

Postcard of Beachy Head Lighthouse in the UK, sent by Heleen (the Netherlands).

I had previously received two more views of this lighthouse, from John and Valerie (the UK). It looks different from different perspectives, doesn't it?

It Would Not Be The Same Sea

«Recorrieron luego las Ramblas, parándose ante todos los puestos de flores y pájaros. Se asomaron al puerto y Felisa se santiguó, extasiada.
—No me digas que es la primera vez que ves el mar—dijo Mercedes.
—¡Qué grande es! Por mucho que te digan, nunca eres capaz de imaginártelo. Lástima no tener una cámara.
—Te compro una postal.
—No sería el mismo mar. Es como si, en vez de la foto de mis sobrinos, llevara en mi cartera los sobrinos de otra.»

Ignacio Martínez de Pisón, La buena reputación

Winter Holidays Stamps

Sunday Stamps - II suggested today Christmas (secular). Actually, most of the Christmas stamps I am receiving are related with the non-religious aspects of this holidays.

According to them, the most important things in winter and/or Christmas are
a) Enjoying the snow,
b) Killing a tree (I am not going to do this!),
c) Sending letters.

From Italy

From the Netherlands

From the United Kingdom

From the USA

Update: I have received two more! (Thanks, Bryon!)

Update 2: (See also this envelope!)

Write For Rights

Every year around International Human Rights Day on December 10, hundreds of thousands of people around the world send a letter or e-mail on behalf of someone they've never met, as part of Write for Rights. Our messages help convince government officials to release people imprisoned for expressing their opinion (called "prisoners of conscience" by Amnesty), stop the use of torture, commute death sentences, and end other human rights abuses. If you're with us, please sign up now!

HERE'S HOW WRITE FOR RIGHTS WORKS

• Amnesty looks at our global portfolio of cases, including Prisoners of Conscience, human rights defenders, torture survivors and communities at risk to decide who will be featured in each year's Write for Rights.
• We identify 12 cases where global activism can have a huge impact.
• People like you sign up to organize letter writing events, join events, or write on their own in order to generate as many letters on those 12 cases as possible. Letter writing can happen between the official Write for Rights dates of December 4th to 18th, or anytime between October 1st (when the cases are made public) and December 31st.
• Letters, emails, faxes, and Tweets start arriving at government offices, in prison cells and to families all over the world. 
• Change happens. Hope Grows. As messages flood mailboxes, prisoners get better conditions or are released. Human rights defenders are better protected. Torture survivors finally get the reparations that they need to heal. People know that others, worldwide, are taking their injustice personally.
• Participants let us know how many letters and other messages you sent on each case, and we share the good news that came about thanks to your activism. Please report your letters by January 15th, using this form!

Signed up!

Sparrows And Camellia In Snow

This postcard sent by Eva also belongs to my Japan Week (1, 2, 3). I just receive it later because it was sent to Spain.

The sender says that the postcard represents the pilosophers' way in Kyoto. The stamp is one of the four paintings of Utagawa Hiroshige chosen for the International Letter Writing Week. The title of the painting is Sparrows and Camellia in Snow, and it was inspired by a beautiful winter poem (See here).

And, while I was writing this post, another stamp arrived, from the International Letter Writing Week 2015! (I think it is another painting by Utagawa Hiroshige, but I am not completely sure).

Pigeon Mail

Letter received from Ângela (Portugal). What a beautiful cover, don't you think so?

Eva Loves

Do you know the blog Naomi Loves? Sometimes I get really inspired by it. Of course my favourite section is about snail mail! She explained here the origin of these postcards.

I felt happy (and surprised) when I received this postcard from Micu (Hungary). 

Snowy Postcards

Postcard sent by Chi (Japan). The winter in Kurokawa Onsen

Postcard sent by Micu (Hungary). It depicts a work by Slovenian artist Simon Šubic.

Sent by Lluïsa (Andorra).

Sent by Laura (the UK) some time ago.