Men Also Love to Read

Rubber stamp sent by Eduard (Russia), on the back of this postcard:

The Decree On Land, by Valentin Serov

(My collection of postcards of reading men)

Women Read Everywhere

Fire Opal (Grace Mutell), by Laura Coombs Hills
Sent by Bryon (the USA)

Reading by the Fire, by Ryan Conners
Sent by John (the UK)

Time Slipped Away..., by Carol Kudsen
Sent by John (the UK)

The Lady Elizabeth Murray with Dido, by Zoffany
Sent by Laura (the UK)

My baby should call any time, by Aciddream
Sent by John (the UK)

Portrait of a Lady,by Micah Williams
Sent by Bryon (the USA)

(My collection of postcards of reading women)

United Nations Stamps

Another winner of this summer would be this envelope sent by FinnBadger (the USA), from UN territory in New York.

This was his second attempt to send me the World Poetry Day stamps. The first time he sent them to Morocco, but that letter never arrived (it wasn't returned neither - ?!). So I was really happy to get this, finally!

As the sender explains: The UN has 6 official languages, and each of the sheets features a poem written in each one: English, Spanish, French, Chinese, Russian and Arabic. The only other language to feature on the stamps is German (on the ones issued in Vienna).

I am sorry because the pictures I took are a bit blurry. But you can see the complete sheets in FinnBadger's post.

Orange Bridge

Today's theme in Sunday Stamps-II is Orange and/or Yellow. This is my second entry today. Because I had already scheduled the oranges when I received this beauty: 

It features the Magere Brug ('Skinny Bridge') over the river Amstel in the city centre of Amsterdam. This stamp was issued on 26 March 2012, and was presented by the Netherlands for the theme Visit... of Europa Stamps.

It arrived on the back of this matching postcard, sent by Heleen (the Netherlands). She had sent me two more postcards of this special bridge. I think I had never uploaded them.

Made of  ontbijkoek

Oranges on Stamps

I could have add these stamps to my previous post of Sunday Stamps-II, dedicated to fruits and nuts. But I reserved them for the Orange and Yellow theme...

This is one of the four stamps issued by Royal Mail on 2 March 1977, dedicated to British Nobel Prize Winners in Chemistry.

One more of the the Fun Fruit 'n' Veg Smilers sheet, issued by Royal Mail on 7 March 2006.

And these are not oranges as I thought, but its cousins, the kumquats. This is a commemorative stamp celebrating the Chinese New Year, issued on 22 January 2011, and designed by Ethel Kessler of Bethesda, Maryland. Kumquats are eaten for luck and given as special gifts during the New Year celebrations. More information here.

My Friend's Trips: And the Winner Is...

I truly appreciate every letter and postcard I get. But I should confess that, if I had to chose a winner among all the post I have got this summer, one of them will be this postcard from... Vietnam! It is the first piece of mail I have got from that country ever, thanks to two friends who were there on holidays.

The senders had a little adventure when sending the card: they bought it, and then the stamps (in a post office). But when they actually wanted to send it, from a different post office, they were told that the postage was not enough. Bad for them, because they had to pay more... But good for me, because I got more stamps!

It was along trip for the card. It arrived a bit damaged, but nothing serious...

The inside, a stunning paperwork featuring a typical Vietnamese cyclo:

My Friend's Trips: Also America

Seattle (USA)

New York City (USA)

Fort Ancient (A 2000-yo hilltop enclosure!)
(USA)

Cape Cod (USA)

My Friend's Trips: Around Europe

And still more of those retro status updates to inform me that my friends have travelled a lot this summer. Around Europe...

Athens (Greece)

Edinburgh, Scotland (UK)

UNESCO WHS "Royal House of Savoy"
Venaria (Italy)

Grote Markt, Grote Kerk
Breda (The Netherlands)

Kasteel, Vismarktstraat, Chassé Theater, CSM
Breda (The Netherlands)

Burgos (Spain)

Exeter (UK)

Íd.

Lacs de: Chalain, l'Abbaye, Clairvaux-les-Lacs, Vouglans,
des Rousses (France)

't Harde (the Netherlands)

Bratislava (Slovakia)
But sent from Hungary

My Friend's Trips: Seaside Days

Shells and pebbles on the causeway at Worms Head, Gower

So I really love to arrive home after travelling, and found some of these retro status updates. I discovered that some friends have had a great time by the sea...

Botany Bay (UK)

Porto Colom, Mallorca (Spain)

Exmouth, Devon (UK)

Thanet Coast Project (UK)

Topsham (UK)

What a Scorcher, by Peter Adderley

(Handmade collage)

Retro States Updates

Shall we send our friends some of these retro status updates?

This is a nice modern definition for postcards, isn't it?

(This joke arrived photocopied inside a letter. I cannot find out who is the author, sorry.)

Fruits on Stamps

The theme for today's Sunday Stamps-II is Fruits and nuts.

I would like to share first a stamp I sent (on a handmade envelope also featuring fruits; see it on FinnBadger's blog):

This stamp was issued on a miniature sheet of two, on 25 September 2015. The belong to Protected Denominations of Origin (DOP) of gastronomy products. Pimientos de Padrón or Herbón peppers' production is limited to an area in the Atlantic watershed that comprises a group of valleys with low altitude, in the Galicia region. Some are spicy and some are not, is the saying typically associated with them. More information about this issue.


I have also received some fruits during this summer. From the USPS, the series Summer harvest designed by Michel Doret and issued on 11 July 2015:

They arrived on a two-parts letter (sent to Morocco and Spain):

I think I had not uploaded these tiny stamps so far. They were issued also by USPS this year, on 17 January (red pears) and 19 February (grapes). I think they are not easy to spot on personal letters, because they are sold in rolls of 10000 (?!).

And more fruit stamps that I have got, from the UK. The Fun Fruit 'n' Veg Smilers Sheet was issues on 7 March 2006.

I love the simplicity of these designs. And plus... they are customisable with stickers:

And as bonus...