Halloween Mail (Received)

Scary letters sent by Phillip (the USA), made of Halloween bags. Aren't the stamps perfect?

This one arrived... almost a year ago!

And a sweet Halloween postcard from Maria (Singapur):

Illustration by Olga Seidova
Calligraphy by Dumaguete artist Kat Banay

The Mail Monsters Project | 11

The Mail Monsters know that if they are too greedy
you will stop sending letters

This envelope was sent back by Bryon, and it is a very special one. Firstly, for the stamps, that make of this one an actual Halloween edition (Sorry that I missed the Friendship with Morocco stamp in this picture: you can see it here).

And also because the questions were answered during a Postcrossing meet-up. So... a lot of different ideas here!

Describe, create, draw... a Mail Monster:

• A mail monster is someone who doesn't redirect mis-directed mail :)

• the mail monster brings the credit card bill

• A mail monster could look like anyone/a normal person

• you never know whoooo might be a mail monster :D

• [pen cancelled stamp] This is what they do!

• [yellow mail box] -- Portal to another dimension

• The rooster keeps mail monsters away!

Do you believe in Mail Monsters?

• Yes!! I am open to all possibilities :)

• Yes, I have seen them

• Yes, because so many cards have gone missing

• Just like the sock monster, right?!

• Yes, it's fun to think about

• Of course! :)

• Yes, sad but true mail monsters strike when you least expect it

• Yes, but thankfully they do not visit too frequently

Many thanks to all the meet-up participants, and to the sender, of course. You made my day!

Halloween Mail (Sent)

Some Halloween mail sent to friends in the USA and Canada. The template of the envelope is from The Postman's Knock.

On the stamps, the castles in which the witches live!

Sunday Stamps | K for Kampen

This stamp was issued in 2006, and belongs to the series of Mooi Nederland (='Beautiful Netherlands'). I don't understand some of the images of the stamp... I guess it is difficult that someone from Kampen see this post, but one never knows!

Update: Heleen added a link in the comments that provide some explanation for the hunging cow (along with beautiful pictures of Kampen):

Adding to this mystery was a photograph of a life-size model cow hanging from the picturesque 17th Century Nieuwe Toren. I asked the museum staff why there was a cow hanging from the top of the tower and discovered that this was the Kamper Cow, the basis of a long standing joke about the people of Kampen, or Kampers as they’re collectively known.

The story goes that the townsfolk were worried by grass growing on the roof of the tower. Some bright spark had the idea to take a cow to the top of the tower so that it could graze on the grass. Needless to say, the cow met a decidedly unpleasant end and the story has been used to illustrate the stupidity of Kampers ever since. The model cow is hoisted up the tower in the summer during Kampen’s annual festival.

This is a post for Sunday Stamps, letter K.

Rain!

Hand-painted envelope sent by John (the UK), that arrived in August... on a rainy day!

The Mail Monsters Project | 10

Are you scared of Mail Monsters?

Are you?

HitM | Big Building

Big collage sent by Micu (letter inside!), for the Houses in the Mail project. She translated some of the funny comments.

The Mail Monsters Project | 9

Don't you suspect where all those letters go?

Don't you? Well, there are some usual suspects...

And it seems to be clear to Eric, that the Mail Monsters act as a gang of organised crime!

Over the years, I have sent thousands of letters. Majority of them have travelled without issues. But some have been delayed, some have been directly returned to me, and some have never reached their destination. They seem to be lost for good. What other explanation could we find than the gang of mail monsters stealing random letters to eat them?

The perfect stamps belong to this 2015 French set, showing eyes of monsters animals.

_______

* The little monsters collaged are a creation of Paul Browning.

The Walk of the World

Heleen (the Netherlands) told me in this letter about the Four Days Marches. I had never heard about, and in 2018 they reached the 102th edition. The 103th will take place from 16-19 July 2019. As the website explains:

The Four Days Marches are a walking achievement event for four consecutive days, in which annually tens of thousands walkers are participating. On those days, people from all over the world come to Nijmegen to walk in and around the city and its beautiful wooded surroundings.

 

People seems very happy on the stamp and the postcards... Despite of the difficulties (Look at those feet!).

 

And also a cheerful occasion for spectators, even under the rain!

 

The Mail Monsters Project | 8

This Mail Monster landed in my mailbox, looking at me from the back of an envelope sent by Fabienne (France)...

How cool is it?

Sunday Stamps | J for Jersey

October 1969 saw the birth of Jersey's independent Postal Administration and inauguration by the Universal Postal Union of UPU Day. In recognition of both events, this thenth anniversary card shows the UPU emblem and that of the Jersey Post Office against the latter's modern headquarters at Mont Millais, St Helier, home of the famous Jersey Stamps.

Actually, I received this maxicard by snail mail, but from the UK. I hardly receive mail from Jersey. Once I had a penpal from there, but she asked me for the used stamps for her collection, so I keep very few from that country.

This is a post for Sunday Stamps, letter J.

Lighthouses on Postcards

 

From Belgium, Heleen sent the Lange Nelle lighthouse, in Oostende.

  

Trwyn Du Lighthouse, between Black Point near Penmon and Ynys Seriol, or Puffin Island, at the eastern extremity of Anglesey. Sent by John (the UK).

 

Postcard sent by Bryon (the USA).

We Are Not out of the Woods Yet

Picture by José Luis González Reche, than won a contest organized by Correos, about the St James Way. They made a prepaid (prepagado) postcard (so: no stamp and no postmark on the back);

Sent by Laura (Spain).
 

The Mail Monsters Project | 7

Did you know that there are Mail Monsters
hidden in the postal system?

This contribution is a very special one, because the mail monster was drawn by a girl... And I think it is the scariest I have ever got!

The stamps chosen by Rosemary, that belong to the Haunted Canada series, are pretty scary too. They were issued on 14 September 2015, and belong to a set of five. From left to right, the stamps depict the grieving Grey Lady of the Halifax Citadel, the Headless Brakemen from Vancouver’s Gastown, and ox cart apparition passing down a Manitoba pathway.

And, about the question Do you believe in Mail Monsters, Rosemary answered:

Yes, I believe in mail monsters. Once it took over a year for a Valentine's card my husband sent to arrive in the mail!

On the back of another letter beautifully stamped:

I hope the postal system doesn't mark the stamps too much. Otherwise I have to blame the mail monsters!

Moon Postcards

 

 Mount Rainier, with full Moon. Photo by Edward Nugent.

THE CRESCENT EFFECT A last-quarter Moon occurs about three weeks after New Moon. Its lighted posrtion typically faces the horizon of the Earth, as shown in this photograph.

Both postcards sent by Bryon. The latter arrived with this stamp featuring Sally Ride, who became the first American woman in space in 1983. The stamp was issued on 22 May 2018.

The Mail Monsters Project | 6

The Mail Monsters huddle up inside the post boxes,
waiting for your letters...

And, as many of you know, they don't distinguish between countries... Here you can see a German Mail Monster in action!

And Eva's emphatic "yes" to the question Do you believe in Mail Monsters?

Yes, they eat my mail and don't let them arrive... no matter what I sent where

STEM

Some months have passed since I left Morocco. So, it took a bit of time to upload this envelope sent by Phillip (the USA), with the STEM stamps and the illustration of an old mail sorting machine.

But the fact is that it never arrived to Morocco: it was sent to Spain inside another (nice!) envelope, because I announced my moving when the sender had already prepared the envelope.