Happy Summer!

Thursday Postcard Hunt | Fort Ancient

Fort Ancient is a 2,000-year-old ceremonial hilltop enclosure. It has 18,000 ft. of earth walls, ranging from 4 to 23 ft. in height. The Hopewell indians used crude digging tools to place up to 40 pounds of soil into woven baskets. Abandoned by 50 AD, the site was later reoccupied around AD1000 by the Fort Ancient Indians.

These postcards were sent by Phillip (the USA), 6 years apart (2016 & 2024).

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Thursday Postcard Hunt

June theme: TIME

• Week 1 - Sunrise/Sunset
• Week 2 - Seasonal
• Week 3 - Ancient (geology, buildings, artefacts)
• Week 4 - Clocks or daily rituals (eating, working, arrivals/departures...)

Everyone is welcome to share their postcards!

Cross Writing

This postcard sent by Laura (the UK), features a letter sent from Anne Brontë to her friend Ellen Nussey on 5 April 2849.

If you look closely, you will appreciate that it is a crossed letter: a letter which contains two separate sets of writing, one written over the other at right angles. This kind of writing was used in the 19th century to save on expensive postage charges, as well as to save paper. 

Impressive Railways

Inside of the Cincinnati Union Terminal (nowadays a museum centre). Sent by Phillip (the USA), it arrived a bit battered.  You can see the building on another postcard and stamp also sent by him.

Estação da Luz (Luz Station) in São Paulo. Sent by Ivan (Brazil).

Darjeeling Himalayan Railway. Postcard sent by Amita (India).

A 2 feet (610 mm) toy train on gauge railways that runs between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling in the Indian state of West Bengal with its headquarters at Kurseong. The Train that climbs to 2,200 m (7,218 ft) above sea level at Darjeeling is declared UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999.

Dreaming of Letters

Collage on envelope sent by Laura (the UK).

Postcard sent by Amita (India).

Sunday Stamps | Founding Fathers

The Founding Fathers of the United States were a group of late-18th-century American revolutionary leaders that include those who signed the United States Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, the United States Constitution and others. Among them: George Washington, William Jackson and John Hanson.

This is a post for Sunday Stamps. The theme today is Fatherly Men. 

Blooms

These stamp were issued on 22 March this year. They feature graphic illustrations of brilliantly coloured flowers rendered in ink and gouache paint. Derry Noyes, an art director for USPS, designed the stamp using an existing illustration by artist Kim Parker. The horizontal stamp is called Celebration Blooms, and the vertical one is Wedding Bloom. These are supposed to be used for oversized greeting cards or heavy invitations for birthdays, weddings, aniversaries and other celebrations. 

I got them on regular letters -I mean, no invitations to anything other that keep writing. In my opinion, they look very different according to the background.

(Tomorrow is Bloomsday)

Calendars | The Fortune Teller

I have been making some envelopes out of calendars this year. Here you can see the front and back of one of them, sent to Fabienne (France). I was not sure that it would arrive writing the address this way, but eventually it reached its recipient in no time.

Front

Back

Thursday Postcard Hunt | Enjoying the Summer

Today's theme of Thursday Postcard Hunt is Time: Seasonal. I have recently got several postcards about different ways of enjoying the nice weather, like...

Going out with friends

Casa de trencadís, Benimaclet, València. Illustration by Abraham Mondría. I used to live close to this street!

Reading in the garden

The Novel, by Frank Dicey (1880-1888). Although this woman is overdressed for our hot summer...

Taking time for your hobbies

Postcard from a Postcrossing meeting held in Banyoles on 20 April 2024. Illustration by Roser MatasRoser Matas.

Going to festivals

Sweeps is a symbol of the beginning of the British summer, which was welcomed by chimney sweeps and Morris dancers. The event was designed to recreate the joy enjoyed by chimney sweeps on their traditional holiday and was even mentioned in a Charles Dickens article in 1836.

Summer nights outside

To end a perfect summer day, nothing better than a well conducted frogs concert on a summer night!

Postcards sent by Bruno and Imma (PC), Laura (the UK) and Bryon (Canada).

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Thursday Postcard Hunt

June theme: TIME

• Week 1 - Sunrise/Sunset
• Week 2 - Seasonal
• Week 3 - Ancient (geology, buildings, artefacts)
• Week 4 - Clocks or daily rituals (eating, working, arrivals/departures...)

Everyone is welcome to share their postcards!

Refreshing Letter

Letter sent by Fabienne (France), with summery stamps.

Saint-Vaast-La-Hougue, Normandie
2020

Les 4 coins du ciel, Jean Messagier
1984

Navigation de plaisance, Fête du timbre
2024

Dearest Friend

A couple of things I love on this card sent by Laura (the UK)...

Never Give Up

From time to time, someone uses the Contact form on this blog to leave a message (Feel free to do so!). On 6 June, Christl wrote:

«On the 11th of May I put 35 Postcards for Austria in the letterbox just opposite the cathedral. Until today none of my cards has arrived.»

I don't know how to reply to that. Thirty-five postcards mean a lot of effort (not to mention the money spent on the stamps). And twenty-five days might seem a lot for postcard travelling within the country. However, from my experience, it is not enough to be desperate. The postcards can still reach its recipients. Actually, they can always arrive, even after a year (for instance).

Maybe, while I am writing this, some of them have landed in the due mail boxes. If that happens... I'd like to know!

Sunday Stamps | Derwentwater

Appealing colours on this 1981 stamp belonging The National Trusts series, featuring the lake of Derwentwater.

For today's Sunday Sunday Stamps, dedicated to The countryside.

It Is Still the Year of the Dragon

This time, the postmark was on the front... And a very special one!

Sent by Phillip (the USA).

Calendars | Alice

Front and back of some envelopes made out reused calendars with illustrations of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Sent to the United Kingdom, France and the Netherlands.

Thursday Postcard Hunt | Schiphol

These views of  Schiphol airport sent by Heleen (the Netherlands) years ago cover almost all the topics of this month's Thursday Postcard Hunt: sunset, seasonal, departures...

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Thursday Postcard Hunt

June theme: TIME

• Week 1 - Sunrise/Sunset
• Week 2 - Seasonal
• Week 3 - Ancient (geology, buildings, artefacts)
• Week 4 - Clocks or daily rituals (eating, working, arrivals/departures...)

Everyone is welcome to share their postcards!

Please Use Your Correct Address

Postcard sent by Laura (the UK).

More Fun to Send Than to Receive?

«I think postcards are probably more fun to send than to receive.»

James Ward, Adventures in Stationery

Ink Project

I received this postcard from Bryon (the USA) on 4 April 2023. He wrote about this project: Japanese ballpoint artist Asuka Sato was curious about how much ink was in a Hi-Tec-C ballpoint pen, so she tested it out. In order to measure, she decided to see how many smiley faces she could draw before the ink ran out. It took her just six days to reach the answer: 29,249 smiley faces. 

X / @satowasuka

Inspired by her, I felt curious about how many postcards I would be able to write with a BIC Cristal pen: the first pen that comes to your mind when you think "a pen", probably the most used around here. 

I labelled the pen "only postcards" and made this page in my notebook. Every time I write a postcard with the pen, I fill a square on the page.

I know it would take more than six days. But, a year later... I have written more than 200 postcards, and there is still half of the ink left. Can you believe it?

I will keep you posted.

Sunday Stamps | Dance

Some dancers for today's theme on Sunday Stamps: Movement.

Postbox Saturday | Run-of-the-Mill Post Office

Segorbe (Castelló)